2004 NISSAN MAXIMA Complaints

CAR BEGAN MAKING A CHATTERING SOUND AND I HAD OIL CHECKED IMMEDIATELY. FULL, BUT IT WAS SUGGESTED TO ME AT GAS STATION THAT I MIGHT HAVE A STICKING VALVE. I HAD AN APPOINTMENT FOR AN OIL CHANGE ON MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7TH BUT ON SUNDAY, 11/6/11 AS I WAS GOING UP A SLIGHT HILL CHATTERING GOT LOUDER AND ENGINE STOPPED. I'M TOLD THE CAR "JUMPED TIMING" DUE TO THE FAILURE OF THE TENSIONER WHICH HOLDS THE TIMING CHAIN. IT'S LIKELY THE HEADS WERE DAMAGED IN THE PROCESS BUT I HAVE NOT YET HAD THE ENGINE PULLED APART. FROM ON LINE RESEARCH THIS SEEMS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE MAXIMA MODELS 2004-08. CALLED NISSAN BUT THEY INSIST THAT I HAVE IT TOWED TO DEALERSHIP AND PAY A LARGE SUM OF MONEY TO HAVE IT DIAGNOSED AND THEN THEY "MIGHT" PAY FOR THE PARTS (JOB IS LABOR INTENSIVE!) FOR THEIR "FLAGSHIP" ENGINE, IT WAS PROBABLY NOT A GOOD IDEA TO USE A PLASTIC PART IN IT! I WILL BE CONTACTING NISSAN AGAIN SOON. THANK YOU. *TR

BASED ON WHAT I HAVE READ ONLINE, THIS IS THE SAME TRANSMISSION ISSUE THAT THOUSANDS OF OTHER 6TH GENERATION NISSAN MAXIMA OWNERS ARE EXPERIENCING. MY 2004 NISSAN MAXIMA'S AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION SHIFTS VIOLENTLY DURING A CHANGE FROM 1ST TO 2ND GEAR, 2ND TO 1ST AND DRIVE TO REVERSE. DURING THIS TIME, THE CAR IS UNABLE TO ACCELERATE FOR ABOUT 2 SECONDS AND WHEN IT DOES IT JERKS IT SO HARD IT FEELS LIKE I WAS REAR-ENDED. THIS HAPPENS ON ABOUT 20 TO 30% OF THE SHIFTS FROM 1ST TO 2ND GEAR AND A LITTLE LESS OFTEN IN THE OTHER TWO SITUATIONS. I HAS NEARLY CAUSED ME TO GET INTO 2 ACCIDENTS OVER THE PAST 6 MONTHS WHEN THE CAR WOULD NOT ACCELERATE WHEN COMING OFF THE SHOULDER AND ONTO THE FREEWAY. THIS TRANSMISSION ISSUE IS VERY HAZARDOUS AND NEEDS TO BE RECALLED BY NISSAN. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 NISSAN MAXIMA. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO SHAKE VIGOROUSLY AND THE CONTACT HEARD A RATTLING SOUND. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING AND THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 80,000.

MY 2004 NISSAN MAXIMA HAS BEEN A PERFECT CAR, NEEDING ONLY ROUTINE MAINTENANCE UNTIL RECENTLY. I'M AT 130,000 MILES AND OVER THE LAST FEW HUNDRED MILES THE CAR HAS BEEN JERKING AND SLAMMING INTO GEAR WHEN I GO FROM PARK TO REVERSE, DRIVE TO BRAKE/STOP TO REVERSE, AND DRIVING AT A SLOW SPEED (IE: TAKING A CORNER) AND THEN ACCELERATING. I TOOK THE CAR INTO MY MECHANIC, AND HE TOLD ME THE TRANNY IS ON THE WAY OUT. I'VE BEEN KEEPING TABS ON THE MAXIMA.ORG FORUMS AND HAVE FOUND THAT THIS IS BECOMING A VERY SERIOUS ISSUE. I HOPE NISSAN STEPS UP AND FIXES THESE ISSUES, BECAUSE I'M READY TO SELL MY CAR, AND I DON'T REALLY WANT TO HAVE TO DO THAT. *TR

I HAVE A 2004 NISSAN MAXIMA WITH VERY BAD TRANSMISSION ISSUES...SLIPPING-JERKING-JUMPING-KICKING BETWEEN 1-2ND GEAR. IT IS VERY EMBARASSING TO RIDE ANYONE IN IT AND THE DEALERSHIP WANT OVER 4 THOUSAND TO FIX HELP. IS THERE A RECALL ON THESE TRANSMISSIONS ANYONE KNOW. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 NISSAN MAXIMA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE JERKED VIOLENTLY WHEN SHIFTING GEARS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO PERFORMED A DIAGNOSTIC THAT LOCATED THE FAILURE AT THE TRANSMISSION AND RECOMMENDED HAVING THE TRANSMISSION REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 82,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 NISSAN MAXIMA. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO JERK SIGNIFICANTLY WITH HESITATION. THE FAILURE RECURRED WHENEVER THE VEHICLE WAS IN OPERATION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO STATED THE TRANSMISSION WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE CONTACT PLANNED TO NOTIFY THE MANUFACTURER REGARDING THE DEFECT. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 80,000.

I BOUGHT MY 2004 NISSAN MAXIMA SL 3.5 IN JANUARY 2011 WITH 80,000 MILES. THIS IS BY FAR THE NICEST CAR I'VE OWNED AND I WAS EXCITED ABOUT THE LOW MILES, I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE A GREAT CAR AND HAVE VERY LITTLE ISSUES. IN AUGUST 2011 AT ABOUT 86,000 MILES IT STARTED JERKING REALLY BAD WHEN I SWITCH IN AND OUT OF PARK, DRIVE & REVERSE. IT ALSO STALLS AND JERKS WHILE I'M DRIVING. I NOTICE IT A LOT WHEN I'M STOPPED AT A LIGHT AND THEN START TO GO, OR WHEN SLOWING DOWN, OR WHEN IT'S AUTOMATICALLY SWITCHING GEARS, PRETTY MUCH ALL OF THE TIME. IT'S VERY SCARY AND IRRITATING, I FEEL LIKE THE CAR COULD DIE AT ANY MOMENT, WHILE I'M SWITCHING INTO DRIVE OR EVEN WHILE I'M DRIVING. MECHANICS RECOMMENDED A TRANSMISSION FLUSH, BUT AREN'T SURE HOW TO DO IT ON THE NISSAN BECAUSE IT DOESN'T HAVE CERTAIN HOSES THAT THEIR MACHINE HOOKS UP TO. I'VE DONE RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET AND FOUND HUNDREDS OF COMPLAINTS OF THIS PROBLEM AND NOBODY HAS HAD GOOD RESULTS. NISSAN SHOULD EITHER RECALL THIS, OR FIGURE OUT HOW TO FIX IT & PAY FOR IT. I JUST NEED TO KNOW HOW TO FIX IT, I DON'T LIKE FEELING LIKE I'M JUST OUT OF LUCK AND HAVE TO LIVE WITH IT, AND I DON'T WANT TO SPEND THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS. THIS WAS ALREADY A LARGE AMOUNT OF MONEY AND I CAN'T AFFORD TO PAY TO TRY EVERYTHING, AND I DON'T WANT TO KEEP DRIVING WHILE IT DOES THIS, I FEEL IT WILL ONLY GET WORSE. *TR

PRIOR TO MY MAXIMA'S TRANSMISSION GETTING STUCK IN 5TH GEAR, THE CAR HAS HAD ROUGH TRANSMISSION SHIFTING FROM 1ST TO 2ND GEAR WHILE ACCELERATING AND 2ND TO 1ST DECELERATING. BUT THIS USUALLY OCCURRED ONLY AFTER THE CAR HAS BEEN DRIVEN AROUND FOR ABOUT 7-10 MINUTES OR THE CAR BEING WARMED UP ALREADY. THERE WERE NO ERROR CODES OR CHECK ENGINE OR TRANSMISSION LIGHT, UNTIL THE CAR WAS STUCK IN 5TH GEAR. WHEN THE CAR WAS STUCK IN 5TH GEAR, I WAS ACCELERATING FROM A STOP LIGHT AND ALMOST GOT INTO AN ACCIDENT. THE CAR BEHIND ME ALMOST STRUCK ME FROM BEHIND WHEN MY CAR LURCHED FORWARD FROM 1ST GEAR TO 5TH GEAR. THE CAR COULD NOT GAIN SPEED FAST ENOUGH COMING FROM THE STOP LIGHT AND THE CAR BEHIND DID NOT EXPECT MY CAR TO ALMOST STOP ABRUPTLY AS IT SHIFTED FROM 1ST TO 5TH GEAR ON IT'S OWN. SINCE THE CAR WAS STILL COVERED UNDER WARRANTY FOR JUST UNDER 1000 MORE MILES, I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP TO HAVE IT REPAIRED. THEY ONLY REPLACED THE CAM SENSOR CIRCUIT. THE CAR DID SHIFT THRU ALL IT'S GEARS FOR ABOUT 3 MONTHS. THEN STARTED HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM OF ROUGH SHIFTING FROM 1ST TO 2ND AND 2ND BACK TO 1ST. BY THEN THE CAR ALREADY WENT PAST THE WARRANTY MILEAGE LIMIT TO HAVE NISSAN COVER THE REPAIR. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP AGAIN BUT SINCE THERE WAS NO ERROR CODES AND THEY DID NOT LET THE CAR WARM UP TO REPRODUCE THE ROUGH SHIFTING, THEY SAID THEY COULDN'T DO ANYTHING. EVENTUALLY, 2YRS AFTER THE DEALERSHIP CHANGED THE CAM SENSOR CIRCUIT AND GOT THE CAR MOVING BUT STILL HAD THE ROUGH SHIFTING, I HAD SAVED ENOUGH MONEY TO HAVE THE TRANSMISSION LOOKED AT AGAIN. THIS TIME I TOOK IT TO A GARAGE THAT SPECIALIZED IN NISSANS. AGAIN, SINCE THERE WERE NO ERROR CODES, THEY JUST REPLACED THE MOTOR MOUNTS, CHANGE TRANSMISSION FLUID AND RADIATOR MOUNTS. IT'S BEEN ABOUT 2YRS AND NOT THE TRANSMISSION IS GETTING WORSE ON THE ROUGH SHIFTING....STILL NO ERROR CODES. *TR

VEHICLE TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT OPERATE PROPERLY AND WOULD CONTINUALLY SLIP INTO 5TH GEAR. *TR