2004 Nissan Maxima

ENGINE LIGHT CONTINUES TO COME ON> THUMPING SOUND UNDER HOOD WHEN STARTED. TIMING CHAIN ISSUES!!!!!! THIS IS KNOWN ACCORDING TO EXTENSIVE RESEARCH TO NISSAN. WHY IN THE WORLD IS THERE NOTHING DONE ABOUT IT?! WE ARE HARD WORKING PEOPLE AND SPEND HARD EARNED MONEY TO PURCHASE A CAR AND THERE IS NO RECOURSE FOR A MESSED UP PART!!!! *TR

MY 2004 MAXIMA WAS 'MISSING' DURING FREEWAY DRIVING AND 'DIED' AS I TURNED IN MY DRIVEWAY. NISSAN DID SOME MISCELLANEOUS REPAIRS BUT TOLD ME THAT THERE WAS 'SECONDARY TIMING CHAIN NOISE DUE TO WORN GUIDES.' I WAS TOLD BY THE SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE THAT IF THIS ISN'T FIXED THE ENGINE COULD BE DESTROYED. THE ESTIMATED COST IS $1,700. I AM AFRAID TO DRIVE MY CAR BECAUSE IF THIS BREAKS ON THE FREEWAY I AND OTHERS COULD BE IN JEOPARDY. THERE ARE CLASS ACTION SUITS AGAINST NISSAN REGARDING A DESIGN FLAW IN THE 'TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER AND GUIDE' ASSEMBLY. I FEEL IT INCUMBENT ON NISSAN TO ISSUE A RECALL BUT I AM UNAWARE THAT ONE HAS BEEN ISSUED. I FEEL BETRAYED THAT I WAS SOLD A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS AUTOMOBILE WITH NO REMEDY OTHER THAN AN EXPENSIVE REPAIR. *TR

I HAVE A 2004 NISSAN MAXIMA. WHEN I WAS DRIVING, THE STEERING LOCKED UP AND THERE WAS NO WAY TO STEER. I DON?T KNOW HOW I DID IT, BEING PETITE AND NOT SO STRONG, BUT I MANAGED TO MAKE THE CAR MOVE TO THE SIDE, THEN IT TURNED OFF AUTOMATICALLY. I TRIED TO TURN ON THE CAR AND IT DIDN'T START. I HAD TO WAIT A FEW MINUTES AND TURN THE KEY FOR A FEW SECONDS UNTIL THE ENGINE RESTARTED. IT BECOMES EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO PULL OVER TO THE SIDE, AND I WAS SAVED THE 5-7 TIMES THIS HAPPENED TO ME. LUCK WAS ON MY SIDE! I DIDN'T DRIVE MY CAR ON THE FREEWAY, BECAUSE I WAS TERRIFIED MY CAR WOULD STALL AND MY SON AND I WOULD DIE IN A TERRIBLE CAR ACCIDENT. I FINALLY HAD TO GO TO MY SHOP AND REPLACE THE TWO CAMSHAFT SENSORS WITH THE FOLLOWING CODES P3040 AND P0345. WITH SOME SEARCHING, I FOUND OUT THAT I?M NOT THE ONLY ONE WITH THIS ISSUE. I STAND BY THE FORMER COMPLAINT: ?I FOUND OUT THAT NISSAN HAS A RECALL ON ALTIMA?S WITH THIS SAME ISSUE, BUT WILL NOT COVER AND RECALL MY VEHICLE. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS AND I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY THEY WOULD ONLY RECALL CERTAIN MAKES WHEN IT IS THE SAME EXACT ERROR CODE ON BOTH VEHICLES. IT IS A P3040 AND P0345 CAM SENSOR/CAM SHAFT RECALL THROUGH NISSAN. HOWEVER, THEY SAY MY MAKE AND MODEL DOES NOT FALL UNDER THIS RECALL. SHOULDN'T THEY RECALL ALL VEHICLES WITH THIS SAME PROBLEM?? THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP IN THIS SAFETY ISSUE. *TR

AS I WAS DRIVING HOME, TRAFFIC BEGAN TO SLOW DOWN DUE TO CONGESTION. AS I SLOWED DOWN, THE CAR BEGAN TO JERK VIOLENTLY. I WAS NEARLY HIT FROM BEHIND. THE CAR JERKED TWO MORE TIMES AS I MADE MY WAY OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY. I TURNED OFF THE CAR AND WAITED A FEW MINUTES. I PRAYED THEN STARTED MY CAR AGAIN. I WAS APPROXIMATELY 10 MILES FROM HOME. AS I GOT OFF THE HIGHWAY AND PULLED ONTO MY LOCAL STREET, I CAME TO A RED LIGHT. AS I SLOWED DOWN, THE CAR BEGAN TO JERK AGAIN. I PULLED OVER AND TURNED THE CAR OFF. AFTER A WHILE, I CONTINUED TO DRIVE HOME. I PARKED THE CAR, CHECKED MY OIL (LEVELS WERE GOOD) AND STARTED TO CALL AROUND FOR HELP. THIS IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. *TR

TL- THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 NISSAN MAXIMA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, THE ABS LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION, BUT THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS UNKNOWN. THE DEALER DID NOT DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE CONTACT LEFT THE DEALER AND TOOK HER VEHICLE TO HER RESIDENCE. THE CONTACT THEN NOTICED A FIRE EMERGING FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED ABOUT THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 130,000. DYD ... UPDATED 03/24/14 *BF

WOKE UP TO A HORN STEADILY BEEPING, WENT TO MY WINDOW TO SEE WHAT WAS GOING ON AND I SEE FLAMES SHOOTING ABOUT 15 FT HIGH AND KNEW MY NEIGHBOR'S CAR WAS ON FIRE, AFTER THE FIRE THE OWNER TOLD ME HE HAD NOT DRIVEN THE CAR THAT DAY, AND THAT IT MELTED THE DASHBOARD AND QUICKLY DESTROYED INTERIOR AND ENGINE COMPARTMENT OF THE CAR, THERE COULD HAVE BEEN FATALITIES OR INJURIES AS THE CAR HAD A FULL GAS TANK, AND LUCKILY DID NOT REACH GAS TANK, BUT IF IT HAD THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN MAJOR PROPERTY DAMAGE TO SEVERAL HOMES, AND MANY LIVES PUT AT RISK. *TR

MY WIFE'S 2004 MAXIMA WHICH SHE ORIGINALLY PURCHASED NEW AT THE POMOCO NISSAN DEALERSHIP IN HAMPTON, VIRGINIA HAS 59,000 MILES ON IT CURRENTLY AND THE VEHICLE'S AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION JERKS VIOLENTLY WHEN DECELERATING AND THEN SLAMS INTO GEAR. THE EVENT OCCURS AROUND AN ESTIMATED SPEED OF 25-30 MPH DURING DOWNSHIFTING OF THE TRANSMISSION. THE EXPERIENCE FEELS LIKE SOMEONE HAS CRASHED INTO YOU FROM THE REAR...AND THE FORCE FROM THE GEARING THRUST THROWS THE CAR FORWARD VIOLENTLY. THIS HAPPENS EVERY TIME THE CAR IS DRIVEN AND IS A CRITICAL SAFETY CONCERN FOR US. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO WESLEY CHAPEL NISSAN DEALERSHIP LOCATED IN WESLEY CHAPEL, FLORIDA FOR AN INSPECTION AND THE TECH SAID THE TRANSMISSION NEEDS TO BE REPLACED AT A COST OF $3300 FOR PARTS & LABOR. AS REFLECTED IN THE LOW MILEAGE, THE CAR HAS BEEN DRIVEN VERY LITTLE AND HAS BEEN METICULOUSLY MAINTAINED BY HER AND HAS REMAINED GARAGED THE MAJORITY OF THE TIME. I HAVE DONE SOME RESEARCH AND DISCOVERED THAT NUMEROUS 2004 MAXIMA OWNERS HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME TRANSMISSION (FAILURE) PROBLEMS WITH SIMILAR MILEAGE RANGE, BUT NO RECALL WAS EVER ACTIVATED BY THE NISSAN COMPANY TO REMEDY THE ISSUE. HOWEVER, THERE WAS AN EXTENDED WARRANTY ISSUED FOR A FEW NISSAN MODELS REGARDING FAULTY TRANSMISSIONS EXCLUDING THE MAXIMA. CALLED CONSUMER AFFAIRS AT NISSAN TO COMPLAIN ABOUT THE PROBLEM, BUT WAS TOLD BY REP THAT THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO BECAUSE THE WARRANTY FOR THE VEHICLE HAD EXPIRED. I EXPLAINED TO THE REP THAT THERE ARE NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS REGARDING THE TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS AND THAT NISSAN NEEDS TO DO SOMETHING TO FIX THE PROBLEM SINCE THIS IS A RECURRING THEME WHEN IT COMES TO THIS SPECIFIC YEAR OF THE MAXIMA MODEL. *TR

MY 18 YEAR OLD SON COULD NOT GET THE VEHICLE TO ENGAGE IN REVERSE. IN AN EFFORT TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE TO THE MECHANIC THE TRANSMISSION FAILED WHILE DRIVING AND LUCKILY I WAS ABLE TO COAST TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD NARROWLY ESCAPING A TRAFFIC ACCIDENT. I HAD RECENTLY PASSED THIS VEHICLE DOWN TO MY SON AND I SHUDDER TO THINK WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED TO HIM IF HE HAD BEEN BEHIND THE WHEEL CONSIDERING HE IS A LESS EXPERIENCED DRIVER. I HAVE BEEN INFORMED THAT THERE ARE NUMEROUS INCIDENTS INVOLVING NISSAN VEHICLE TRANSMISSIONS. *TR

WHILE I WAS DRIVING ONTO A HIGHWAY OFF OF A RAMP I WENT TO ACCELERATE TO MERGE INTO TRAFFIC WHILE DOING SO MY CAR DID NOT MOVE AND THE ENGINE RPMS REDLINED AFTER ABOUT 3 SECONDS MY CAR JERKED INTO GEAR AND FELT AS IF SOMEONE HAD REAR-ENDED ME HOWEVER I NOTICED IT WAS MY CAR NOT BEING ABLE TO GET INTO GEAR. ONCE IT GOT INTO GEAR THE CAR PEELED OUT UNCONTROLLABLY AND I ALMOST RAN MY CAR OFF THE ROAD. THE VEHICLE IS A VERY WELL MAINTAINED VEHICLE AND ONLY HAS 75,000 MILES ON IT. *TR