2004 Nissan Maxima

I OWN A 2004 NISSAN MAXIMA 3.5SL 5-SPEED. A COUPLE MONTHS AGO THE TRANSMISSION STARTED JERKING BAD EVERYTIME IT SWITCHED GEARS. I HAVE LOOKED INTO THIS AND THERE ARE MORE PEOPLE WITH THIS PROBLEM. I WOULD THINK THEY WOULD HAVE DONE A RECALL AS THIS IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM. IT JERKS REALLY BAD SOMETIMES THAT IT HAS ALMOST CAUSED ME TO GET IN A COUPLE OF CAR ACCIDENTS BECAUSE IT TAKES LONG TO SHIFT AND WHEN IT SHIFTS IT IS REALLY BAD. IF I NEED TO PULL OUT OF SOMEWHERE QUICKLY I CAN'T BECAUSE ALL THE ENGINE DOES IS REV AT A HIGH RATE UNTIL THE TRANNY GOES INTO GEAR. IT GETS REALLY FRUSTRATING BECAUSE WHEN THE CAR WARMS UP IT ACTS UP REALLY BAD AND THE DRIVING EXPERIENCE IS NOT GOOD AT ALL. I DON'T REALLY LIKE TO DRIVE THE CAR A LOT BUT THIS IS MY ONLY MEANS OF TRANSPORTATION SO I DON'T REALLY HAVE A CHOICE. I BEEN LOOKING FOR A SOLUTION FOR THIS PROBLEM BUT SO FAR NO SUCCESS. IS THERE ANYONE THAT CAN HELP ME RESOLVE THIS PROBLEM BECAUSE I WANT TO GET IT FIXED BEFORE IT CAUSES ME TO GET INTO A CAR ACCIDENT. THANK YOU *TR

ORIGINAL OWNER OF NISSAN MAXIMA SE. THE CAR DROVE LIKE A TRUCK WITHIN 10K MILES, WHEEL TORQUED AT ACCELERATION, CLUNK ON WELL-MAINTAINED ROADS FROM FRONT PASSENGER WHEEL WELL. FRONT TIRES WORE OUT 30K AND CLUNKING NOISE IN FRONT WHEEL WELL, CAR STILL UNDER WARRANTY, DEALER SAYS SPORTS TIRES SO LESS LIFE AND MORE ROAD FEEL/NOISE COMES THROUGH, PUT IN NEW TIRES IN BACK. ROTATED ORIGINAL REAR TIRES TO FRONT, THEY WORE OUT RECENTLY (~49K). CLUNKING SOUND NEVER STOPPED. NOW CAR OUT OF WARRANTY. DEALER SAYS YOUR STRUTS ARE GONE AND YOUR MOTOR MOUNT IS BLOWN SO THERE IS A CLUNK FROM WHEEL WELL AND YOUR TIRES WORE OUT. OH YEAH? SO WHY DOES THE TRANSMISSION SHIFT WITH A THUNK FROM REVERSE TO DRIVE AND VICE VERSA? OH, YOU MUST FIRST FIX MOTOR MOUNT AND STRUT BEFORE WE CAN LOOK AT TRANSMISSION. PAID TO DEALER TO REPLACE MOTOR MOUNT, REPLACED STRUTS MYSELF. THE ENGINE STILL THUNKS (TRANSMISSION PAUSES BEFORE CATCHING WITH A JERK FROM REVERSE TO DRIVE, OR DRIVE TO REVERSE. THE JERK IS OCCASIONALLY VIOLENT, LESS PRONOUNCED WHEN ENGINE COLD.) HAD THE TRANSMISSION FLUSHED BY DEALER. NO DIFFERENCE. A CAR DRIVEN 50K BY A 70-YEAR OLD EXPERIENCES A BROKEN MOTOR MOUNT, BUM STRUT AND BROKEN TRANSMISSION BEFORE 50K MILES. I PAID ALMOST 30K FOR THIS WHITE ELEPHANT. HAVE ALWAYS OWNED JAPANESE CARS, FIRST NISSAN. OH, DID I MENTION THE OIL LEAK FROM ENGINE OIL SEAL (48K) AND TRUNK LID SLAMMING (40K) BECAUSE THE TWO PISTON ARMS TO HOLD THE LID CAN'T HOLD THE LID UP (SINCE IT SEEMS DAYS AFTER THE WARRANTY EXPIRED). DEALER SEEMS TO THINK I NEED A NEW TRANSMISSION. THE SERVICE SPECIALIST MENTIONED THAT THIS MODEL HAS AN ISSUE WILL "RUBBER PARTS." I GUESS THE OIL SEAL, THE STRUT SEAL, THE MOTOR MOUNT AND THE TWO TRUNK PISTONS ALL HAVE RUBBER PARTS THAT LEAKED AND/OR DISINTEGRATED. HE MAY HAVE IT ABOUT RIGHT. AM NOT SURE WHAT RUBBER PART MIGHT BE THE CAUSE OF THE MOST COSTLY PROBLEM - THE TRANSMISSION, BROKEN AT 49K MILES. WONDER WHY THERE ISN'T A RECALL. *TR

I HAVE A 2004 NISSAN MAXIMA AND I HAVE SPOKEN WITH SEVERAL OWNER OF THE SAME VEHICLE AS WELL AS READ SEVERAL COMMENTS ONLINE THAT ALL HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. THE TRANSMISSION IN THE VEHICLE DOES SHIFT PROPERLY. WHEN YOU PUT THE CAR IN REVERSE AND THEN MOVE IT BACK IN DRIVE IT DOES A HARD JERK, BEFORE IT WILL MOVE. WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD THE TRANSMISSION WILL NOT SHIFT CAUSING THE CAR TO SLOW DOWN THEN JERK REALLY HARD WHEN IT FINALLY DOES SHIFT. IT ALSO DOES THIS WHEN STOPPED AT A LIGHT; THE CAR WILL TAKE AWHILE BEFORE MOVING, BUT WILL DO A HARD JERK AGAIN. I FEEL IT IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS FOR MYSELF AND MY 4 MONTH OLD TRYING TO MERGE ONTO THE INTERSTATE AND THE TRANSMISSION DOESN'T SHIFT CAUSING THE CAR TO SLOW DO AND THEN WHEN IT FINALLY DOES SHIFT, JERKS EXTREMELY HARD. I HAVE BEEN HAVING THE PROBLEM FOR OVER A MONTH NOW, BUT THE RECENT INCIDENT OCCURRING WHILE IN HEAVY TRAFFIC WAS SCARY FOR ME. SEVERAL NISSAN DEALERSHIPS ADMIT THAT THEY HAVE BEEN HAVING TROUBLE WITH THE TRANSMISSION IN THIS VEHICLE. THE NISSAN DEALERSHIP AS WELL AS TRANSMISSION SHOPS RECOMMEND TRANSMISSION TO BE REPLACED COSTING BETWEEN $3,800 AND $4,000 OR YOU CAN GET YOUR TRANSMISSION FLUSHED TO SEE IF THAT WOULD HELP. THE VEHICLE IS 4 YEARS OLD AND SHOULD NOT HAVE ISSUES LIKE THIS. I AS WELL AS MANY OTHERS CANNOT AFFORD TO PAY $4,000 TO REPLACE A TRANSMISSION ON A VEHICLE THAT WE ARE STILL MAKING PAYMENTS ON. *TR

HAVE A 5 SPEED AUTOMATIC 2004 NISSAN MAXIMA. AT APPROXIMATELY 70K THE TRANSMISSION BEGAN TO VIOLENTLY KICK BETWEEN 2-3 GEARS. AFTER A COUPLE MONTHS OF THIS CONDITION THE TRANSMISSION KICKED SO BAD THAT IT BECAME A SAFETY ISSUE AS THE CAR WOULD PULL RIGHT AND AT TIMES OUT OF MY LANE WHILE DRIVING IN CITY TRAFFIC. AS A RESULT I REPLACED MY TRANSMISSION AND NOW SHORTLY THEREAFTER THE EXACT SAME ISSUE REAPPEARED. (~6MONTHS/ 5K MILES) NOT ONLY DOES MY VEHICLE KICK BETWEEN 2ND-3RD GEAR, IT IS NOW GETTING STUCK IN 3RD GEAR AND THEREFORE CAN NOT BE SAFELY DRIVEN. I HAVE BEEN TOLD BY SEVERAL MAXIMA SOURCES THAT THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH THE 2004 5 SPEED AUTOMATIC (RE5F22A) (AW 55-50SN) TRANSMISSION. RESEARCH ON INTERNET HAS CONFIRMED MANY INSTANCES THAT DUPLICATE THIS ISSUE.

2004 + NISSAN MAXIMA'S ARE HAVING TIMING CHAIN ISSUES WHICH STARTS TO OCCUR AFTER 50K AS PER THE THOUSAND OF FORUM MEMBERS ACROSS DIFFERENT FORUM. I AM A VICTIM TOO. ITS A KNOWN DEFECT IN MAXIMA'S AND THERE HAS BEEN NO RECALLS TO FIX THIS. THIS TIMING CHAIN ISSUE FIX COST APPX $1600 AND DIFFICULT FOR US TO PAY SUCH AN AMOUNT WHICH HAS BEEN DECLARED BY NISSAN AS A MAINTENANCE FREE ITEM. THIS TIMING CHAIN WOULD GRADUALLY LEAD TO ALL SORT OF PROBLEMS LEADING TO COMPLETE FAILURE IF NOT TAKEN CARE OF. WE AS A CUSTOMER PLEDGE NHTSA TO TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTION. ALREADY CONTACTED LOCAL DEALER AND NISSAN USA WITHOUT ANY RESULTS. *TR

MY CAR HAS NOT CRANKED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS LEAVING ME STRANDED. ALSO RATTLING SOUND FOR A LONG TIME WHEN STARTING THE CAR. THIS MORNING WHEN I CRANKED MY CAR IT SOUNDED LIKE SOMETHING BROKE LOOSE, UNABLE TO DRIVE WILL HAVE TO GET IT CHECKED OUT ALSO RUST SPOTS ARE FORMING ON MY HOOD, FRONT BUMPER AND BOTH SIDES OF MY WINDSHIELD. *TR