Check a VIN

2004 Nissan Titan transmission problems

464 complaints (44% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 64,872. 5 crashes reported.

owner complaints
464
of this car's complaints
44%
typical mileage
64,872
crashes
5
recalls
1

Which part fails

  • Driveline
    123
  • Driveline: differential unit
    80
  • Axle assembly: axle shaft: seal
    49
  • Automatic transmission
    24
  • Axle assembly
    18
  • Manual transmission: column shift assembly
    2
  • Axle assembly: axle shaft
    1
  • Automatic transmission: lever and linkage: floor shift
    1

At what mileage

Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.

0k-25k
25k-50k
50k-75k
75k-100k
100k-125k
125k-150k
150k-175k
175k-200k
200k+

Nissan Titan transmission problems in other years

20042010201520202024

Specific symptoms reported on the 2004 Nissan Titan transmission

Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.

Shudder 31Harsh shifting 25Whining noise 17Jerking 11

Related recalls

Power train: manual transmission: column shift assemblyReported August 19, 2004 · 5,664 vehicles affected
What is wrong
On certain pickup trucks equipped with a column shifter, the shift lever assembly for the column shifter may have been damaged during assembly.
Risk
During its use this could eventually result in failure of the portion of the assembly that holds the lever in the park position. This could result in a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will inspect and replace the shifter. The recall began on september 27, 2004. Owners should contact nissan at 1‑800‑647‑7261.

Recall number 04V408000 · Recall details

What 2004 Nissan Titan owners say

Most recent owner complaints, unedited.

Filed Dec 22, 2022 · Transmission · 180,000 miles · CA

The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Titan. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the vehicle rolled forward, causing the vehicle to roll into a rock, and damaging the transmission. Additionally, the air bag warning lights illuminated, and the seat beats locked. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 180,000.

Filed Aug 19, 2022 · Transmission · FL · fire

Purchased a used 2004 Nissan titan truck with lower miles. Rear axel exploded and burst into flames when driving down the freeway. (Bowling Green, Kentucky) We managed to pull off to the side of the freeway without hitting anyone. Fire dept was able to put the flames out. Didn't find any recalls about the Truck when we bought it. Now I have seen reports on line that this has happened to other consumers. Something needs to be done to warn consumers. We could have died. We could of hit others and killed them as well. Dealership has completed repairs and seen the defect. We have the damaged part. There were no prior warnings. Vehicle was inspected before the road trip to insure it was safe.

Filed Jun 20, 2021 · Body, Engine · HI

I purchased this truck on 04/05/18 from Harbor motors Lihue Kauai, and not even a week into having this truck it started acting up, overheating, the truck wouldn't turn over, suspensions, the four-wheel-drive wouldn't disengage, when you turn the key to start the vehicle it would make a clicking noise before starting, the AC would work when it wanted to, and the transmission and engine started knocking. The next week I went running errands and when I pulled out of my yard the truck started jerking then pressed the gas and it revved really high before slamming into drive. Since then I haven't driven the truck. And today it looks like someone just smashed into the front driver light to the side and smashed it while being parked at the place I purchased the truck from. I've continuously asked for help with little to no help at all. The truck is no longer drivable and I'm still making payments on it. The lights on the dashboard has the Check enigine light on, snd the ABS

Filed Feb 29, 2020 · Transmission · 10 miles · UT

I was diagnosing a metal on metal sound coming from my 4 wheel drive nissan titan and found that the half shaft was coming out of the front differential. I called a nissan dealership in utah and was informed that this was a huge problem with early model titans. The tech said he had repaired many titans with the same problem. He said it was due to a c clip that fails and allows the gears to get chewed up in the differential. I looked online to see if there had been any recalls on this and found there had not been. I then called nissan titan and they informed me of the same and guided me to this website. This seem like a huge issue that either not been reported. This seems like it would leave people who bought this for snowy areas or offroading in an unsafe situation when their 4 wheel drive fails or locks up. In certain areas in utah, we are required to have chains or 4 wheel drive in certain areas. With the failure of a c clip and the gears getting chewed to pieces this seems like it would cause huge safety issues, not to mention costs to consumers over a unsound design.

Filed Sep 24, 2019 · Brakes, Transmission · 184,000 miles · OH · fire

Leaking axles seals after multiple replacements and incidents on road. Not covered under warranty or recall even though there are thousands of reports for this issue and axle overheating. Vehicle axle broke near bearing going 65 MPH on highway with no warning two weeks ago 9/10/2019 there is still no safety recall.

Filed Mar 1, 2019 · Transmission · 152,071 miles · IA

Whilst driving in bad weather I had my 4 wheel drive engaged. I was driving 5 miles an hour on a straight gravel road, when I started hearing a grinding noise. Before I could get stopped safely to see what the issue was there was a large thud and my entire truck shook. It was then pouring gear lubricant out of my front differential. After taking the truck apart to find the damage I discovered the axle shaft (nissan part no.: 38220-8s11a) had been stripped of its splines on the end. The part looks as if it was machines perfectly cylindrical. The metal shavings from the shaft slightly marred up the seals so I replaced the seals and shaft, spider gears seemed okay to reuse.

Filed Aug 19, 2018 · Transmission · 138,000 miles · OH

The drivers side rear axle broke while traveling 70 MPH up 75 in ky with my whole family in the truck on the way home from vacation it looks like the axle seals started leaking and then it locked up for a split second and lost all ability to pull itself all the axles and seals have already been replaced multiple times and it's about time for nissan to start taking the hit instead of the vehicle owners

Filed Apr 24, 2018 · Transmission · 137,000 miles · NE

Front right axle pops out of the differential, bad c-clip. Numerous complaints noted here and at various titan forums.

Filed Jan 13, 2018 · Suspension, Transmission · 135,600 miles · GA

Went in for a routine oil change and was informed of a rear axle seal leak. I did some research online and have seen that is a very common issue with nissan titans and more specifically the 2004 nissan titans. *bf

Filed Nov 26, 2017 · Transmission · 165,000 miles · VA

From differential failure and c clip failure ejecting front drive axle. Leaking rear axle seals as well

Questions about the 2004 Nissan Titan transmission

Does the 2004 Nissan Titan have transmission problems?

Owners have filed 464 complaints about the transmission of the 2004 Nissan Titan, 44% of all its complaints, more than any other problem.

At what mileage do 2004 Nissan Titan transmission problems start?

The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 64,872 miles.

Was there a recall on the 2004 Nissan Titan transmission?

Yes, 1 recall: 04V408000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.

What year does the Nissan Titan have bad transmission?

The Nissan Titan model years with the most transmission complaints are 2005 (469 complaints), 2004 (464 complaints) and 2006 (194 complaints).

Other 2004 Nissan Titan problems

Brakes 290Engine 132Suspension 56Electrical 51Airbags 38Fuel system 38Body 23Seat belts 21Locks 16Steering 12Driver assistance 10Lights 10Wheels 9Tires 8Seats 7Acceleration 6Visibility 6

VIN decoder

See the problems and recalls for an exact car

Buying a used 2004 Nissan Titan?

Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.

Check its history