Illustration2004 NISSAN MAXIMA HAS 97,000 MILES AND TRANSMISSION GETS STUCK IN FIFTH GEAR. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS BECAUSE YOU HAVE NO EXCELERATION. DEALER SUGGESTED CHANGING FLUID BUT I KNOW THIS WON'T SOLVE PROBLEM. THESE TRANSMISSIONS SHOULD LAST LONGER. *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 reportsLOUD CLUNK AND JERK FROM THE TRANSMISSION DURING UPSHIFT AND DOWNSHIFT. IT IS NEEDLESS TO SAY THAT SUDDEN TRANSMISSION FAILURE ON A MOVING CAR CAN BE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. IT IS A 2004 NISSAN MAXIMA AND HAS 67K MILES. THERE ARE ATLEAST HUNDREDS OF VEHICLE OWNERS COMPLAINING ABOUT THE SAME ISSUE, WHICH CLEARLY SEEMS TO BE A DEF…
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LOUD CLUNK AND JERK FROM THE TRANSMISSION DURING UPSHIFT AND DOWNSHIFT. IT IS NEEDLESS TO SAY THAT SUDDEN TRANSMISSION FAILURE ON A MOVING CAR CAN BE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. IT IS A 2004 NISSAN MAXIMA AND HAS 67K MILES. THERE ARE ATLEAST HUNDREDS OF VEHICLE OWNERS COMPLAINING ABOUT THE SAME ISSUE, WHICH CLEARLY SEEMS TO BE A DEFECT IN MANUFACTURING. *TR
I RECENTLY PURCHASED A 2004 NISSAN MAXIMA. I LOVE THE CAR, BESIDES THE FACT I HAVE HAD MORE PROBLEMS WITH IT IN THE LAST FEW MONTHS . THIS IS EXTREMELY FRUSTRATING. I HAVE ALWAYS ASSUMED NISSAN'S WERE DEPENDABLE CARS. I KNOW I PURCHASED IT USED, BUT THE PROBLEMS I AM HAVING SHOULD NOT BE OCCURRING AT 90,000 MILES. REALLY DISAPPO…
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I RECENTLY PURCHASED A 2004 NISSAN MAXIMA. I LOVE THE CAR, BESIDES THE FACT I HAVE HAD MORE PROBLEMS WITH IT IN THE LAST FEW MONTHS . THIS IS EXTREMELY FRUSTRATING. I HAVE ALWAYS ASSUMED NISSAN'S WERE DEPENDABLE CARS. I KNOW I PURCHASED IT USED, BUT THE PROBLEMS I AM HAVING SHOULD NOT BE OCCURRING AT 90,000 MILES. REALLY DISAPPOINTING. TRANSMISSION WAS SLIPPING SO I TOOK IT TO NISSAN DEALER PAID FOR A FLUSH 200 DOLLARS PICKED IT UP NEXT DAY AND TRANSMISSION WENT OUT. NOW I HAVE TO PAY FOR WHOLE COST OF TRANSMISSION PLUS OTHER REPROGRAMMING COMPUTER MODULES AND CAM SENSORS. THIS IS NOT THE FIRST MAXIMA AND SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE TO NISSAN BECAUSE THEY KNOW THIS IS A BIG PROBLEM WITH ALOT OF 2004 MAXIMAS. *TR
2004 NISSAN MAXIMA TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS, WHEN YOU TAKE OFF IT SHIFTS NICELY, BUT WHEN IN HIGHWAY SPEEDS IT LOOSES GEARS, WHICH IS VERY DANGEROUS, SOMEONE MIGHT CRASH INTO ME, SINCE THE VEHICLE LOOSES SPEED. THIS PROBLEM OCCURS ALL THE TIME THE VEHICLE IS DRIVEN. TO FIX THE PROBLEM I WOULD NEED A NEW TRANSMISSION THEY DEALER (N…
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2004 NISSAN MAXIMA TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS, WHEN YOU TAKE OFF IT SHIFTS NICELY, BUT WHEN IN HIGHWAY SPEEDS IT LOOSES GEARS, WHICH IS VERY DANGEROUS, SOMEONE MIGHT CRASH INTO ME, SINCE THE VEHICLE LOOSES SPEED. THIS PROBLEM OCCURS ALL THE TIME THE VEHICLE IS DRIVEN. TO FIX THE PROBLEM I WOULD NEED A NEW TRANSMISSION THEY DEALER (NISSAN) SAID WHICH WOULD COST ME AROUND $3500 OR $4000 DOLLAR WHICH IS RIDICULOUS FOR A VEHICLE THAT HAS FLAWS IN THE POWERTRAIN SYSTEM. *TR
04 NISSAN MAXIMA STARTED SLIPPING IN 3RD GEAR AND FROM REV. TO DRIVE AROUND 63,000 MILES. THE TRANSMISSION AND VALVE BODIES NEED TO BE REBUILT OR REPLACED ALONG WITH THE SOLENOIDS. NOT TO MENTION A BROKEN AXLE WHEN TRYING TO CROSS TRAFFIC. IN LIGHT OF THE TOYOTA DEBACLE, WHEN WILL YOU MAKE NISSAN "DO THE RIGHT THING?" *TR
I HAVE A 2004 NISSAN MAXIMA WITH HARD SHIFTING BETWEEN 1 AND 2. I TOOK IT TO A TRANNY PLACE AND THEY PLUGGED IN AND GOT ANY ELECTRONIC CODE. THE TRANNY CODE FOR MY MAXIMA WAS A 726 WHICH DEALS WITH THE ENGINE SPEED SENSOR. THE TRANNY TECH FOUND AN ARTICLE IN "TRANSMISSION DIGEST" THAT DEALT WITH A BAD VEHICLE SPEED SENSOR CA…
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I HAVE A 2004 NISSAN MAXIMA WITH HARD SHIFTING BETWEEN 1 AND 2. I TOOK IT TO A TRANNY PLACE AND THEY PLUGGED IN AND GOT ANY ELECTRONIC CODE. THE TRANNY CODE FOR MY MAXIMA WAS A 726 WHICH DEALS WITH THE ENGINE SPEED SENSOR. THE TRANNY TECH FOUND AN ARTICLE IN "TRANSMISSION DIGEST" THAT DEALT WITH A BAD VEHICLE SPEED SENSOR CAUSING HARD SHIFTING BUT THE ARTICLE WAS CONCERNING CODE 720. THE TECH ASSURED ME THAT HE HAD READ ABOUT THIS PROBLEM AND THE ENGINES SPEED SENSOR WAS PROBABLY THE PROBLEM. I DO NOT WANT TO REBUILD OR REPLACE THIS TRANNY AND IT APPEARS THAT THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE OVER THE WEB ARE EXPERIENCING THIS ISSUE. THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE REPLACING PARTS, FLUSHING THEIR TRANSMISSION, ETC BUT NO ONE SEEMS TO HAVE AN ANSWER FOR THE HARD SHIFTING BETWEEN 1ST AND 2ND. THANKS FOR ANY HELP. *TR
ON 02/19/10 WHILE DRIVING MY 2004 MAXIMA AT APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH ON A OPEN FLAT HIGHWAY, IT SUDDENLY DOWNED SHIFTED TO APPROXIMATELY 2ND GEAR. NOW IT WILL ONLY DO 40 MPH. I HAVE SINCE DISCOVERED THAT THEIR ARE SEVERAL OF 2004 MAXIMA OWNERS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. I HAVE BEEN ADVISE BY MY MECHANIC THAT IT WILL COST APPROXIMATELY $…
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ON 02/19/10 WHILE DRIVING MY 2004 MAXIMA AT APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH ON A OPEN FLAT HIGHWAY, IT SUDDENLY DOWNED SHIFTED TO APPROXIMATELY 2ND GEAR. NOW IT WILL ONLY DO 40 MPH. I HAVE SINCE DISCOVERED THAT THEIR ARE SEVERAL OF 2004 MAXIMA OWNERS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. I HAVE BEEN ADVISE BY MY MECHANIC THAT IT WILL COST APPROXIMATELY $3000 DOLLARS TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION. MY VEHICLE IS NOW PARKED AND NOT DRIVE ABLE. I NEED HELP ! *TR
WE HAVE A 2004 NISSAN MAXIMA (AUTOMATIC) EVER SINCE WE BOUGHT IT I'VE ALWAYS NOTICED A SLIGHT JERK WHEN I ACCELERATE BUT NEVER THOUGHT TWICE. NOW THAT SAME PROBLEM HAS GOTTEN WORSE WHERE THE JERK IS MORE NOTICEABLE. I'VE GOTTEN A TRANSMISSION FLUSH AND CHANGED OUT MY ENGINE AND RADIATOR MOUNTS AND STILL THE SAME PROBLEM SEEMS T…
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WE HAVE A 2004 NISSAN MAXIMA (AUTOMATIC) EVER SINCE WE BOUGHT IT I'VE ALWAYS NOTICED A SLIGHT JERK WHEN I ACCELERATE BUT NEVER THOUGHT TWICE. NOW THAT SAME PROBLEM HAS GOTTEN WORSE WHERE THE JERK IS MORE NOTICEABLE. I'VE GOTTEN A TRANSMISSION FLUSH AND CHANGED OUT MY ENGINE AND RADIATOR MOUNTS AND STILL THE SAME PROBLEM SEEMS TO OCCUR. SO I GOOGLED THE PROBLEM AND CAME ACROSS 339 COMPLAINTS ON THIS WEBSITE ALONE. HTTP://WWW.ABOUTAUTOMOBILE.COM/COMPLAINT/2004/NISSAN/MAXIMA/AUTOMATIC+TRANSMISSION. IT SEEMS TO BE A RECURRING ISSUE WHERE THE AUTO MECHANIC TELLS THE CONSUMER THEY NEED THEIR TRANSMISSION REPLACED. I HAVE 3 LITTLE KIDS AND DON'T WANT ANYTHING TO HAPPEN TO THEM. PLEASE HELP. *TR
2004 NISSAN MAXIMA HAS SERIOUS TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS ONLY HAS 57000 MILES. THE CONSUMER STATED THE TRANSMISSION WOULD JUMP OUT OF GEAR. THE CONSUMER TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. UPDATED 03/29/10.*JB
MY 2004 NISSAN MAXIMA AT SLOWER SPEEDS SEEMS LIKE THE TRANSMISSION SEEMS TO LOCK UP MOMENTARILY SCARY ALMOST STOPPING THIS HAS HAPPENED ON AND OFF FOR A YEAR NOW. *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.