IllustrationIT IS A 2004 NISSAN MAXIMA SL. THE TRANSMISSION STARTED HEAVILY JERKING AT 98K MILES. THE JERKING WAS SO MUCH THAT IT COULD POSSIBLY CAUSE INJURY. THE CAR WAS RELIGIOUSLY MAINTAINED. IT NEEDS A NEW TRANSMISSION WHICH WILL CODY $3000 TO FIX. *TR
2004 Nissan Maxima
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Maxima years
Owner complaints for the 2004 Nissan Maxima are substantially higher than the model-year median of 99.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Maxima years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
1380–25K
10625–50K
28150–75K
34975–100K
260100–150K
55150K+
1,189 reports with mileage · 236 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Power Train. Review the 934 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Tires. Review the 141 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Suspension. Review the 102 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
33 crash reports16 fire reports22 injury reports
Power Train complaints
934 reports2004 NISSAN MAXIMA, I TO HAVE PROBLEMS WITH 5 SPEED AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. WHEN WARMED UP, I HAVE SHIFT SHOCK GOING FROM 1 - 2 & 2 - 1, SLIPPING FROM 2 - 3. WENT TO DEALER FOR DRAIN & FILL, HE SAYS IT IS COMMON WITH MY MODEL, THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE VALVES IN THE VALVEBODY. HE SAID HE WOULD CHANGE THE VALVE BODY FOR $…
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2004 NISSAN MAXIMA, I TO HAVE PROBLEMS WITH 5 SPEED AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. WHEN WARMED UP, I HAVE SHIFT SHOCK GOING FROM 1 - 2 & 2 - 1, SLIPPING FROM 2 - 3. WENT TO DEALER FOR DRAIN & FILL, HE SAYS IT IS COMMON WITH MY MODEL, THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE VALVES IN THE VALVEBODY. HE SAID HE WOULD CHANGE THE VALVE BODY FOR $1500, AND THAT IT HASN'T BEEN RE-CALLED BECAUSE IT WOULD COST NISSAN TO MUCH. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS 2004 NISSAN MAXIMA. THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FAILED AND WOULD NOT SHIFT INTO GEAR WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO STATED THAT THE TRANSMISSION NEED TO BE REPLACED AT THE CONTACTS EXPENSE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THE WARRANTY WAS …
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TL*THE CONTACT OWNS 2004 NISSAN MAXIMA. THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FAILED AND WOULD NOT SHIFT INTO GEAR WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO STATED THAT THE TRANSMISSION NEED TO BE REPLACED AT THE CONTACTS EXPENSE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THE WARRANTY WAS EXPIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 57,218.
HI MY NAME IS [XXX] I HAVE A PROBLEM WITH MY MAXIMA 2004 BECAUSE IS JERKING, I JUST TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER AND THEY TOLD ME IS THE TRANSMISSION AND MY CAR HAVE 51,000 MILES WOW I CAN'T BELIEVE THE TRANSMISSION IS BAD THEY CHARGING ME 3,400 TO FIX. AND I STILL PAYING MY CAR AND I HAVE A FAMILY AND BILLS TO PAY. I CAN'T BELI…
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HI MY NAME IS [XXX] I HAVE A PROBLEM WITH MY MAXIMA 2004 BECAUSE IS JERKING, I JUST TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER AND THEY TOLD ME IS THE TRANSMISSION AND MY CAR HAVE 51,000 MILES WOW I CAN'T BELIEVE THE TRANSMISSION IS BAD THEY CHARGING ME 3,400 TO FIX. AND I STILL PAYING MY CAR AND I HAVE A FAMILY AND BILLS TO PAY. I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS.. I NEED HELP TO FIX MY CAR... INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR
TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS ON MY CAR, STRANDED IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE. LET CAR REST FOR 10 MINUTES, THEN FINALLY RESTARTED ONLY TO FIND MY CAR STUCK IN 5TH GEAR WITH SLOW ACCELERATION AND HIGH RPM IF NOT CAREFUL. CAR STOPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC IN A VERY BUSY INTERSECTION. I DO NOT KNOW EXTENT OF DAMAGES (FINANCIAL BURDEN) …
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TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS ON MY CAR, STRANDED IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE. LET CAR REST FOR 10 MINUTES, THEN FINALLY RESTARTED ONLY TO FIND MY CAR STUCK IN 5TH GEAR WITH SLOW ACCELERATION AND HIGH RPM IF NOT CAREFUL. CAR STOPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC IN A VERY BUSY INTERSECTION. I DO NOT KNOW EXTENT OF DAMAGES (FINANCIAL BURDEN) AS CAR IS LEFT IN MECHANIC SHOP, BUT ALREADY DEPENDING ON FRIENDS FOR A RIDE TO WORK. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS 2004 NISSAN MAXIMA. THE CONTACT STATED WHEN DRIVING FROM 20-30 MPH, THE TRANSMISSION WOULD SLIP AND CAUSE THE VEHICLE TO JERK EXCESSIVELY. THE VEHICLE WOULD INDEPENDENTLY SHIFT INTO THE NEXT GEAR, DISENGAGE AND THEN RE-ENGAGE. THE CONTACT STATED THE FAILURE WOULD OCCUR EVERY TIME THE VEHICLE WAS OPERATED. TH…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS 2004 NISSAN MAXIMA. THE CONTACT STATED WHEN DRIVING FROM 20-30 MPH, THE TRANSMISSION WOULD SLIP AND CAUSE THE VEHICLE TO JERK EXCESSIVELY. THE VEHICLE WOULD INDEPENDENTLY SHIFT INTO THE NEXT GEAR, DISENGAGE AND THEN RE-ENGAGE. THE CONTACT STATED THE FAILURE WOULD OCCUR EVERY TIME THE VEHICLE WAS OPERATED. THE FAILURE WOULD OCCUR MOSTLY WHEN ACCELERATING FROM A STOP. THE DEALER PERFORMED A DIAGNOSTIC TEST WHICH DETERMINED THAT THE CENTRAL COMPUTER WOULD NEED TO BE READJUSTED. THE FAILURE PERSISTED AND PROGRESSIVELY BECAME WORSE. THERE WERE NO FURTHER REPAIRS MADE TO THE VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 30,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE IS 125,745. UPDATED 10/29/10*JB
2004 NISSAN MAXIMA HAS A TRANSMISSION PROBLEM. IT SLIPS,JERK, AND STALLS SOMETIMES. *TR
BEEN HAVING NUMEROUS TRANSMISSIONS ISSUES WITH THE CAR OVER THE PAST 2 TO 3 YEARS. ALREADY TO HAD TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION ONCE, NOW STARTING TO HAVE THE SAME ISSUES AGAIN. LOTS OF JERKING FROM GEAR TO GEAR, LOTS OF DIFFICULTY GETTING THE CAR TO UP SHIFT OR DOWN SHIFT; CAR LOCKING IN 4TH OR 5TH GEAR AND WILL NOT SHIFT OUT…
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BEEN HAVING NUMEROUS TRANSMISSIONS ISSUES WITH THE CAR OVER THE PAST 2 TO 3 YEARS. ALREADY TO HAD TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION ONCE, NOW STARTING TO HAVE THE SAME ISSUES AGAIN. LOTS OF JERKING FROM GEAR TO GEAR, LOTS OF DIFFICULTY GETTING THE CAR TO UP SHIFT OR DOWN SHIFT; CAR LOCKING IN 4TH OR 5TH GEAR AND WILL NOT SHIFT OUT OF THAT GEAR. CAN NOT BELIEVE THERE HAS NOT BEEN A RECALL BASED ON THE NUMBER OF INTERNET COMPLAINTS ON THIS ISSUE. *TR
APPROXIMATELY THREE MONTHS AGO I NOTICED THAT MY AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION BEGAN SLIPPING WHEN SHIFTING FROM 1ST TO 2ND GEAR. IT WOULD ALSO SLIP WHEN DOWN-SHIFTING FROM 2ND TO 1ST GEAR. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP TO HAVE THE TRANSMISSION FLUID CHANGED AND HAVE THEM CHECK OUT THE PROBLEM. THEY STATED THAT THEY COULDN'T REPLICATE TH…
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APPROXIMATELY THREE MONTHS AGO I NOTICED THAT MY AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION BEGAN SLIPPING WHEN SHIFTING FROM 1ST TO 2ND GEAR. IT WOULD ALSO SLIP WHEN DOWN-SHIFTING FROM 2ND TO 1ST GEAR. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP TO HAVE THE TRANSMISSION FLUID CHANGED AND HAVE THEM CHECK OUT THE PROBLEM. THEY STATED THAT THEY COULDN'T REPLICATE THE PROBLEM BUT AS SOON AS I LEFT THE DEALERSHIP THE TRANSMISSION BEGAN SLIPPING AGAIN. AS I WAS DRIVING HOME I WAS MAKING A LEFT-HAND TURN AND WHILE I WAS ACCELERATING MY VEHICLE WAS STUCK IN FIRST GEAR UNTIL THE TACHOMETER REACHED THE RED-LINE AND THEN THE TRANSMISSION SLAMMED THE CAR INTO SECOND GEAR LAUNCHING MY CAR INTO THE ADJACENT TURN LANE AND CAUSING ME TO NEARLY MISS AN SUV. THE PROBLEM HAS GOTTEN PROGRESSIVELY WORSE AND AFTER RESEARCHING THE TOPIC, IT APPEARS AS THOUGH THE PROBLEM IS CAUSED BY A NISSAN ENGINEERING DEFECT THAT CAUSES THE CLUTCH TO BURN-UP AND DEBRIS TO BUILD-UP IN THE TRANSMISSION CASE. NISSAN HASN'T RECALLED ANY PARTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE TRANSMISSION AND THE DEALERSHIP HAS STATED THAT I WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE TRANSMISSION REBUILD OR REPLACEMENT. I'M WORRIED THAT NISSAN'S POOR-ENGINEERING WILL RESULT IN UNPREDICTABLE ACCELERATION, POTENTIAL LOSS OF HANDLING, AND DOWN-SHIFTING DIFFICULTIES. *TR
I OWN A 2004 NISSAN MAXIMA AND THE TRANSMISSION SEEM TO HAVE ALWAYS BEEN AN ISSUE. NOW THE TRANSMISSION IS COMPLETELY DEAD. I HAVE IT SERVICED AT A NISSAN DEALER OFTEN (MOST RECENT 3 MONTHS BACK) AND EVERYTHING SEEM TO BE GOOD. I HAD COMPLAINED ABOUT THE ISSUE TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY COULDN'T PIN POINT THE ISSUE. *TR
Official recalls
205V512000 · Seats:front Assembly:power Adjust
Nov 7, 2005
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE DRIVER PREFERRED PACKAGE, THE WIRE HARNESS FROM THE DRIVER'S SEAT POWER LUMBAR SUPPORT SWITCH MAY BE ROUTED INCORRECTLY AND COULD BE PINCHED UNDER THE DRIVER SEAT.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: A PINCHED HARNESS, IN COMBINATION WITH DRIVING VIBRATION, MAY RESULT IN A SHORT CIRCUIT IN THE HARNESS THAT COULD LEAD TO A FIRE IN THE SEAT.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE WIRE HARNESS AND ROUTE IT CORRECTLY. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JANUARY 16, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.
04V326000 · Visibility:sun/moon Roof Assembly
Jul 7, 2004
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH SKYVIEW ROOFS, THE GLASS FOR THE ROOF MAY NOT HAVE BEEN QUENCHED PROPERLY AFTER THE FORMING PROCESS, RESULTING IN TEMPER IMBALANCE.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: THIS COULD CREATE EXCESSIVE INTERNAL STRESS IN THE GLASS AND EVENTUALLY CAUSE THE GLASS TO SHATTER, CREATING A RISK OF INJURY.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND REPLACE THE GLASS IN THE SKYVIEW ROOF. THE RECALL BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER 7, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
1PE04035 · Glass Roof Shattering
Opened Apr 12, 2004 · Closed Jul 13, 2004
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Visibility:sun/moon Roof Assembly
THE OFFICE OF DEFECTS INVESTIGATION (ODI) OPENED THIS INVESTIGATION ON APRIL 12, 2004, BASED ON FIVE REPORTS INDICATING THAT THE SKYVIEW GLASS-PANELED ROOF, WHICH IS STANDARD EQUIPMENT IN MODEL YEAR (MY) 2004 NISSAN MAXIMA VEHICLES, WOULD SUDDENLY SHATTER WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IN USE.FIVE INJURIES HAVE BEEN REPORTED TO ODI, RESULTING IN CUTS TO THE HEAD, HANDS, ARMS, OR FACE.NISSAN DISCOVERED THAT THEIR SUPPLIER FOR THE SKYVIEW GLASS PANELED ROOF DID NOT PROPERLY QUENCH (COOL) THE GLASS AFTER IT WAS FORMED.THE RESULTING TEMPER IMBALANCE COULD CREATE EXCESSIVE INTERNAL STRESS IN THE GLASS AND CAN EVENTUALLY CAUSE THE GLASS TO SHATTER.NISSAN REPORTS THAT GLASS PRODUCED BEGINNING OCTOBER 23, 2003 WAS PROPERLY QUENCHED.NISSAN HAS INFORMED THE AGENCY THAT IT WILL RECALL 32,100 MY 2004 NISSAN MAXIMAS BUILT FROM THE BEGINNING OF PRODUCTION THRU DECEMBER 17, 2003.IT REPORTS THAT VEHICLES BUILT AFTER DECEMBER 17 ARE NOT AFFECTED.TO CORRECT THE CONDITION NISSAN WILL REPLACE THE EXISTING SKYVIEW GLASS WITH NEW PROPERLY QUENCHED GLASS.NISSAN WILL BEGIN OWNER NOTIFICATION ON SEPTEMBER 7, 2004.ODI IS AWARE OF ONLY ONE COMPLAINT AND NISSAN REPORTS NO COMPLAINTS OF SKYVIEW GLASS PANELED ROOF BREAKAGE ON VEHICLES BUILT AFTER THE DECEMBER 17 DATE.THIS INVESTIGATION IS CLOSED, HOWEVER THE AGENCY WILL MONITOR COMPLAINTS AND TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTION AS APPROPRIATE.