Car jerks when going into 1st, 2nd or 3rd and has gotten stuck in 3rd gear when driving, had to put in manual gears in order to stop the vehicle. Also when putting in reverse car jerks and then when you go into drive the vehicle jerks again. A/c also went out about 6 months after owning the car, which was bought in 2009. Vehicle has been checked out by dealership and they do not know what the main problem is with the car, and said they would fix 2 things to see if it fixes the problem, only if I pay them about $3000.00 to $3500.00. Dealer does not know the root of the problem, however they want to charge for "what if's". Car also jerks when you break or slow down without using break system. I am afraid for my life and the life of my family.
2004 Nissan Maxima engine complaints
Page 4 of 5: complaints 71 to 100 of 121, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 nissan maxima. The contact stated that while driving 15 MPH the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the contact was informed that the transmission and engine motor mounts needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 136,000.
Iac valve went bad and car sometimes don't start and when it does it ideals rough cant order the part from anywhere but the dealer and they are very expensive I can't even pull anything up on it nowhere other than other people having the same problems everywhere this idem should be recalled.
Same as everyone else with the same make and model. Car RPM's go way high and then jerks and goes into gear. Happens after the car is warmed up. Does not happen on the highway but it does happen getting off an exit. Downshifting from gears 3 to 2 the car jerks and hesitates almost giving me whiplash. I went to a nissan dealer to have the problem diagnosed but the test can back with no problems because the service engine light is not on. This car is not safe to drive but it is my only way of transportation so I have to keep driving it. Nissan needs to own up to there mistake and have the car recalled. I am not the only one having this problem.. Please help us out and do the right thing to make our cars safer to drive..thank you
For the past 2 months my 2004 nissan maxima has, at periodic times, starts puttering like it is about to stall, then service engine light comes on. Does this for either a few miles or my entire trip. It also jerks very hard when changing gears, ex from reverse to drive. With in the last month the transmission now feels like it is slipping. Recently, got stuck at a red light in a very busy city district b/c my car was fine but then would not move, finally jerked back to life & started going but at the next stop light did the same thing. I have been doing tons of reading on this & it seems like 2004 nissan maximas have a horrible reputation on their transmissions. I believe do to all of these complaints a recall needs to be done as soon as possible. I cannot afford to keep throwing thousand of dollars on a car that I have always serviced properly & until I hot the 100k mileage mark never had a problem with. This car is dangerous to drive due to the severe jerking while changing gears, stalling out, etc. Please look into asap. Thanks
I purchased a 2004 nissan maxima in august 2006, and it all seemed fine for a bit but once I reached about 84k miles, the transmission started having problems. First, when I shift from park to any other gear. It seems to either hesitate to shift into gear and once it does it shifts in a horrible knock! It continues to do the same problem as well as slip gears while in motion. It usually slips from 1st to 2nd, or 2nd to 3rd. It causes the car to rev and shifts when it wants. That makes it snap even harder. I took the car to a local transmission shop which placed it on the computer. The error was a faulty camshaft position sensor (bank 1). Cost was $181.52. I'm still having the jerking with second gear but only when I slow down easily. The car shifts now, but the jerking continues. The local transmission shop said that I would have to replace the transmission for around $3,500 in order to alleviate the jerking and transmission slip issue. I bought a nissan because they are supposed to be dependable long lasting cars. I would hope that it would last over at least 100,000 miles before any sort of problems would even occur.
2004 nissan maxima se with vq35 3.5l v6 engine - timing chain tensioners my maxima timing chain tensioners need to be replaced due to a faulty design in the secondary timing chains wearing the tensioners out faster than they should. Nissan quotes anywhere from $1,500 to $3,000 dollars to complete repair which usually consists of removing the engine from the vehicle! Many complaints on multiple forums online from many different owners complain of this same issue, normally occurring around 60,000 mile mark. It is only a matter of time before all of these vehicles are affected. The cost for the repair of the vehicle I am still financing is catastrophic! Nissan would have to have the car for 3 days to complete the repair. This is not a problem I should be having with a vehicle that is still being financed for a few more years. Timing chains were designed to allow customers the security of not messing with them for way more than 100k miles, or 60k miles rather! I am so lucky mine has even lasted this long and nissan refuses customers regularly who ask for assistance. Nissan needs to be held accountable for this repair since they know about the issue, released a technical service bulletin (ntb07-042c) highlighting the issue, and notify their technicians of the faulty secondary timing chain design.
Another motor mount broke, had it fixed. One week later I started experiencing jerking and gear changing as I drove. Was on freeway and vehicle went into third and jolted my upper body (had sore neck for one week). Also experiencing 2-3, and 3-2. Putting vehicle into drive and reverse, the vehicle jerks badly, reverse being the worst. When I come to a stop the vehicle lunges forward very sharply. Nissan paid for the diagnostics test $234.00 and buena park nissan's report stated the vehicle needs a new transmission. Nissan consumer affairs is behind closed doors and will let me know if I get a new transmission at there expense, I hope so, I'm unemployed since 10/2010.
Warning signs started with a hard shift from 1st to 2nd to 3rd at 45k miles. Done regular transmission maintenance but problem remains the same. Later it started hard bang or jerk when shifting from drive to reverse or reverse to drive. At 112k miles it got worse and then knew reading online about faulty valve body problem in many 2004-2006 maximas transmission. Repair cost is too high to even mention. Second problem is timing chain plastic tentioners. A what? Yes plastic timing chain tentioners inside engine compartment. Problem started at 50k and continued as of today. Complained to dealer when car was under warranty and deler said my car is running awesome. Nissan later changed the design of plastic timing chain tentioner. But what about those who has faulty designed timing chain tentioners? Responsible parties knows about these isses but refuses to acknowledge. Why there is no recall yet?
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 the federal safety agency to take appropriate action. Already contacted local dealer and nissan USA without any results.
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 nissan maxima. While attempting to accelerate from a stop, the contact noticed that the vehicle jerked forward and vibrated. The vehicle was taken to a local repair shop where the contact was informed that the control solenoid and valve body needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 17,000 and the current mileage is approximately 82,000. Updated 1/19/2010 *cn updated 01/27/11
I have an 04 nissan maxima. I purchased this car in 04. I had to replace the transmission at 60000 after complaining about the way the transmission shifts, numerous trips to the dealership, a 200 dollar transmission flush, and the replacement of a transmission mount, they finally replaced my transmission under warranty. Since then I have had to replace my front struts 3 times, my timing chain $3500, and now I need another transmission at 126,000 miles. I have been on numerous blog sites with people who shared similar stories.
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 nissan maxima. The contact stated that whenever it was cold, snowing and approximately thirty degrees the vehicle would not start. The failure has occurred since 2004 immediately after the vehicle was purchased. The dealer has made several unsuccessful attempts to diagnose the failure. The contact is only able to drive the vehicle when someone jump starts it during the winter months. The failure never occurs during the summer months. The contact wrote a letter to the vehicle manufacturer and has not received a response. The contact has repeatedly taken the vehicle to the dealer to diagnose the failure. The failure mileage was 75 and the current mileage was 44,000.
My 2004 nissan maxima with 64000 miles, has started shifting hard in 1st, and 2nd gears, with these transmissions your not suppose to feel the gears changing at all. Also there is a ticking coming from the timing belt which I am told is normal....doesn't sound normal to me!
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 nissan maxima. When he started the vehicle there was a loud noise in the engine for approximately 3 minutes. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and remained there overnight so that the dealer could duplicate the failure; however, they stated that they couldn't duplicate the noise. The failure has occurred since the vehicle was purchased on 10/27/07. The mileage at the time the vehicle was purchased was 48,701 and he is the second owner. The manufacturer stated that a representative would call him regarding the failure. The current mileage was 4,000.
2004 nissan maxima: october 7, 2009 the check engine light came on, several miles later as we entered our drive way the car started to shut down. I notice some jerking and metal rattling noise as I slow down. After stopping the car would not go forward. At this time the car would only go in reverse, but once I turn the engine off I could not start the car again. The dealership were I purchase the car has done all the services, and yes they did flush the transmission. Type of transmission fluid is not know.
'04 maxima, maintained regularly, original owner, purchased in summer of '03(first batch of assy. Line); noise coming from right side of engine. Noise was loud when engine was cold and would go away after engine had warmed up. Eventually started to still hear the noise (not as loud) after engine was warm. Local repair shop said the noise was coming from the timing chain and most likely the guide had broken and was rubbing the chain and stated both would need to be replaced. This shop had never done one of these repairs on a nissan because "this never happens to a nissan motor". Yet they found many tsbs and internet search results about my particular model car having this same issue. They suggested I have the dealership take a look. I contacted the dealership service center and without telling them what the local repair shop said, only summarizing the explanation of the noise when engine was cold and then goes away after warm up, the service advisor interrupted me and said, "it's the timing chain guide". He barely let me finish the story before he knew exactly what it was. He said that was because he (his service center) has done this repair on 04 maxima's so many times it's ridiculous. He also stated that it has been recognized by nissan as a common problem with the 04 model engines but yet will not cover the repairs. Nissan boasts that the timing chains in these engines are maintenance free or at least worth 300k+ miles (since by that time most owners would have got 15 years+ out of the car), but yet the parts to hold the chain on break down way before that. The labor to repair the surrounding parts is the same to replace the chain since the tech has to reach to the same spot of the engine for repairs. I was originally quoted $1500.+ for the repairs but was able to strike a small discount and paid $1133.55 for "2 tensioner chains", "chain guide", "tensioner assembly", and some other seals & gaskets. Labor alone was $787.50. Which was discounted from $1100.+. Outrageous.
2004 maxima has had timing chain noise for years has been blowing oil for 2 years now transmission is banging and shifting very hard losing power etc. For 3 months now had trans flushed did not help at all tires were defective in the first year A/C has not worked for 2 years this car is very much a lemon.
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 nissan maxima. While driving between 20-35 MPH, the vehicle slips and stalls in and out of gear. The failure also occurs between first and second gears. Occasionally, the transmission kicks into gear, but it is so severe that the vehicle finally accelerates to a very high speed. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer and they stated that new engine mounts were needed. He did not believe that new engine mounts would correct the failure. The contact took the vehicle to a repair shop and was informed that the transmission failed. The VIN was unknown. The failure mileage was 60,000 and current mileage was 70,000.
Good morning, I currently own 2004 maxima & have been experiencing major problems with this car for about 2-3 years. My major problem at first was my transmission. Apparently the dealership states I will need a new transmission which is absurd since the car is not even 10 yrs old. I knew there was a problem when the car started jerking on its own. At times it jerks real hard when shifting from 1st to 2nd and it is quite scary & embarrassing. When the problem started, I have two friends who were owners of a nissan maxima as well and they were experiencing the same jerking transmission problems. They eventually traded their cars but I not wanted to go through the whole process of financing a car, I figured I'll fix the problem. The transmission is one problem but why every couple of months there is other problems as well. For example I last year I had to change my catalytic converter, my mounts, and my routers. Now what has made me at my ends with this car is what happened last month (june 2009). While driving, there was a loud sound, I opened the hood of the car and right buy the engine, and there were flames. The fire dept was called along with the police. As I submit my complaint now my car is still at the shop. This has become a frustrated and very expensive issue that I have been facing. Honestly I have spent about 5k's or more on this car, not considering that I'm still financing as well. How is it that, I have done my research and there are many others out there who have the same issue. Nissan needs to take full responsibility and it is not a coincidence also. I have documents and emails from others who are also experiencing the same issue (over 300 complaints since 2006). Pls if anything, there needs to be an investigation, many ppl are suffering and losing $ as well.
I recently brought a user maxima 2004 se 3 weeks back. When I first drove it with 55,500miles on it. It is having this problem from day one but I did not observer clearly but these days I can feel the jerking affect. When I start driving the car it jerks from 1st to 2nd and sometime into 3rd. While accelerating from stop the RPM shows a high value (3k) but the car wont move accordingly. All of a sudden it picks and shifts two 2nd gear and start moving. This happens all the time when I accelerate from 0mph. I have not yet replaced due to the fact that almost all the 04 maxima's are having this issue. Hope someday nissan will recall these faulty transmission systems.
I purchased a 2004 nissan maxima in 2006.the first year my tires were on recall.that same year my car had a rattling noise when you start the car. One day driving on the city street with my kids the car completely shut down. The engine light was on. A few months later the car was not driving past 20 MPH. I had the car towed to the dealer who said it was a cam crank sensor. That cost me 441.46 cents. The car was now driving on 4th and 5th gear.that was on 10/10/o8.this past year on 1/22/09 the dealer called me to say that nissan recalled the rear suspension membrane. I towed the vehicle to get fixed I was then told my transmission was gone. Nissan did not want to pay for this bill. I paid 3,000 to replace the trasmission. My car is still rattling.
My car is jerking and bucking bad. There are thousands of people out there with the same problem and nissan is not doing anything about this. I have had my transmission fluid flushed and it has not helped. Others have had valve body work done and even replaced the transmission. The cars are still doing the same. The transmissions had to have been poorly built. Something needs to be done. I am still paying on the car and having major car issues. Nissan needs to be responsible. *tr the consumer was also informed the vehicle needed a new engine. The cd player had to repaired and the air conditioner failed. Updated 01/21/10.
I was in the freeway with my baby on 405, car suddenly started feeling weird, 3 warning light came on, my car shut down in middle of freeway , I have to put my car on park and put emergency lights on. Almost caused and accident with my baby. Car will not start. I was told by mechanic this is a fault camshaft. This same problem was on a recall for 2003 nissan maxima, nissan refuses to take responsibility.
Terrible transmission issues with my 2004 nissan maxima.
After only 2 years of ownership our 2004 nissan maxima are having some issues. First the transmission now we are having a hard time starting the car. After the diagnostic test we needed to replace the camshaft position sensor. However that does not solve the transmission problem. We are driving and all of a sudden our car loses tension. We accelerate and it doesn't get us any further. We are looking at rebuilding our transmission and trading in the car because it's really not worth all the issues the car is starting to have. According to the internet there's been a lot of these problems with these cars.
Car started making a whining sound similar to a turbo whine under acceleration, this got progressively worse with time and mileage. Turned out to be upper cam chain tensioners resulting in the engine having to be removed from the car to repair. Replacement parts are redesigned and dealer said most vq35 and vq40 engines are effected. Problem is the symptom's don't show up until 50-75k miles and will not be covered by nissan.
I have a 2004 nissan maxima se with 103,000 miles. I am having transmission problems and after reading several forums on the internet, it seems as though I am not the only one with this problem. Nissan is not willing to rectify the situation - I can not afford to buy a new transmission, the car is still practically new! This is something that nissan needs to do and issue a recall on all 2004 nissan maxima's - with the way the economy is going right now, this is an additional expense. Http://www.carsurvey.org/viewmorecomments_review_61092_4.html.
My 2004 nissan maxima was stalled on the road twice in the middle of the road while driving around june 2008 with a mileage of 54,500. Before the stalls happened, the vehicle jerked when shifting from first to second gear and vs versa. At the time of the stalling, the check engine light went on. I brought it back to nissan dealer, thinking it is still within the power train warranty. The dealer however told me the warranty does not cover this problem. It costs me over $600.00. The report said that camshaft position sensor is malfunctioning.
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 nissan maxima. On approximately six occasions, the engine revved while approaching a stop. The brake was being depressed at the time of the failures. The ABS actuator had to be replaced at 62,000 miles. Two of the goodyear tires cracked and had to be replaced. The current mileage was 63,000 and failure mileage was 62,000. Updated 12/1/08 *cn the consumer also stated there was a problem with the transmission. Updated 12/05/08.
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2004 Nissan Maxima?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history