2004 Nissan Maxima: grinding or squealing brakes

Filed Nov 6, 2013 · Transmission · 97,300 miles · NY

Car started to jerk and clunk and a couple of times while turning in to driveway it would jerk and make the tires squeal.

Filed Sep 7, 2011 · Brakes · 76,800 miles · NY

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 nissan maxima. The contact was driving approximately 55 MPH when she noticed a loud squeaking noise from the brakes. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and they advised her that the ABS failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and they offered no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 76,800.

Filed Apr 12, 2011 · Brakes · 105,000 miles · IN

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 nissan maxima. The contact was traveling 65 MPH when the brakes were abruptly applied and they exhibited an abnormal grinding. The contact stated that the brakes were recently serviced and the vehicle was taken back to the dealer but the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. The failure recurred one week later and the vehicle was taken to the dealer again for diagnosis. Again, the dealer was unable to diagnose the failure and the vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was unavailable. The failure mileage was 105,000 and the current mileage was 106,000.

Filed Mar 9, 2011 · Brakes · 66,815 miles · IL

Partial brake failure when approaching highway stop light at 45 MPH, dry conditions. Braking distance more than doubled as front brakes made very loud scraping and grinding sounds (not typical ABS sound) while not having any stopping power - I appeared to only have rear brakes. Was able to stop just inside intersection. Luckily no traffic was in way, avoiding an accident. Dealer identified problem as caused by rust buildup on rear hubs due to lack of a drainage channel/port on rear "knuckles" (said drainage port wasn't there), a known problem. Water backup in knuckle causes rust on hub and on ABS sensors, resulting in premature failure of both ABS sensors, which in my case caused an unexpected stopping problem. Both rear hubs and ABS sensors had to be replaced at cost of over $1300. Car is very low mileage and garaged. Dealer identified this as a known problem and nissan described the repair in service bulletin reference ntb07-016b, also in the federal safety agency database as service bulletin number 07016, the federal safety agency item # 10021681. This failure was not routine and only the luck of the situation allowed an accident to be avoided. This known problem was identified in 2007 and I was unaware of it, though nissan was. This is a serious safety problem with the ABS brakes and should trigger a recall so that others may be alerted to have this repair before more accidents occur.

Filed Mar 25, 2010 · Body · 72,000 miles · MS

I have a 2004 nissan maxima. After having brake work done several times, the real problem was diagnosed. There is a problem with the struts. Both front struts need to be replaced. Car has 72,000 miles and has been very well taken care of. This is not normal wear and tear and it is a serious problem. The steering wheel shakes, there is a squeaking sound, and car sometimes seems to pull to one side or the other. Nissan has said that they will assume no responsibility. As a consumer, I respectfully ask that you look into this matter.

Filed Feb 21, 2010 · Brakes · 63,000 miles · MI

My 2004 nissan maxima started making a grinding noise when I put on brakes with pedal & steering wheel vibrations dec 2009, I took it to 2 different mechanic shops for the problem & was told I needed front & back brakes & rotors which I purchased costing over $700.00 and the problem wasn't resolved, I took the car to jeffrey nissan dealer in roseville,mi and they could not find the problem, this went on for over a month and finally the ABS light & brake lights came on, I took the car back to the same nissan dealer at which time I was informed that my ABS system had went, costing me $2400.00 dollars in repairs(in addition to the $700.00 dollars already spent for a total of $3100.00 dollars). I believe the ABS system was defective and should have been repaired by nissan and looking at all the other comments regarding the 2004 nissan maxima there should have been a recall.

Filed Jun 4, 2009 · Brakes, Driver assistance · 70,200 miles · CT

Over the course of several months, the "slip" indicator light on my dashboard would blink as the right front wheel locked up and I would hear a grinding noise. My nissan dealer could not duplicate this event. When this lock up would happen, the car "pulled" violently to the right and I would lose control of the car. When these events would happen my vehicle speed would be between 25 and 40 MPH and on a dry road and either driving straight or around a minor curve. On sat. 5/30 while driving between 35 and 45 MPH the slip light came on 3 times within 10 minutes. The first time a violent pull to the right with loss of control causing me to go onto the shoulder of the road. The second time, both front brakes engaged and the car almost came to a complete stop and the car behind me missed rear ending me by 5-6 feet. The third time both front wheels locked up pulling me to the right. No damage. There is no warning when these events happen. Sudden and shocking loss of vehicle control. The brakes lights do not come on. My nissan dealer tells me that there have been no "codes" in the past, but on sat. The vehicle "threw" a code indicating the yaw/g force sensor had failed. As the driver of the car, you are out of control and risking your life, property,and the safety of other motorists. This dangerous condition can lead to accidents, property damage, injury and possibly death.

Filed Mar 6, 2009 · Transmission · 98,000 miles · CA

2004 nissan maxima transmission slips occasionally. Trouble shifting from 1 to 2 gear. Sometimes when I start the car it barely moves until it catches up to the 2nd gear. It's winding out and grinding. Then other days it's fine as if it never had a problem. The car has also shut off on me for no reason.

Filed Jan 3, 2009 · Brakes · 80,000 miles · NY

The ABS pump in the maxima is defective. It grinds and grinds and the light doesn't come on. The mechanics could not find what was wrong with the car until the sound was so loud, you could hear it from outside the car. The car is only a few years old and this should not happen. If you visit maxima.org, you can see on the forum that everyone with an '04 maxima has an ABS problem. This needs to be recalled and nissan should fix these. This is over $1000 of work from the mechanic. We have owned 6 nissans and this is the only time this has ever happened. It is very upsetting that nissan will not acknowledge this problem.

Filed Aug 11, 2008 · Transmission · 30,000 miles · CA

Couple years ago car started to make some grinding noise from engine room. Took it to dealer to check and they told me that some bracket was broken and they replaced it. Couple days later, same noise came out from the engine room. It sounds everyday since then and getting louder. I took everywhere (dealer, local body shop, etc), but everyone told me there were no problem. I searched online regarding this problem, there were a lot of people having same problem as me. They were all saying it was transmission problem.

Filed May 8, 2008 · Transmission · 73,400 miles · TN

2004 nissan maxima, 6 speed manual transmission 4-door sedan. At 73,000 miles, a grinding noise began when shifting into second gear. Also, shortly thereafter, the transmission began to 'seize' where you could not shift at all; this all culminated while on a trip to the bicycle shop with my 3 kids, getting stranded (luckily made it to a parking lot) where the transmission would not even come out of gear. Took the car to a local dealership, and after $1300 in repairs (new clutch) the 'seizing' problem is back 2 months later, and the grinding was never fixed; they told me that would be an extra $1300... Looks like many sentras are having similar synchronizer issues as my maxima - as well as other maximas. Why can't we hold nissan accountable for their product deficiencies? Please help - thanks!!

Filed Apr 10, 2008 · Brakes · 73,600 miles · MD

Grinding noises detected from applying brakes on thursday 4/3/08.. Car taken to nissan repair shop to determine cause of problem. Diagnosis is ABS system failure and rear right wheel sensor failure. There was no warning light from the ABS system to indicate a problem contacted nissan headquarters on monday 4/7/08 which is same day the car was taken to repair shop. I have requested some assistance from headquarters with no reply as of this date. Repair bill +- $2,300.00 to get my car back on the road.