24th Feb 2009, 14:19

UPDATE: Got my 04 Nissan Maxima out of the shop today. They've replaced both the CAMSHAFT SENSORS. So, far the check engine light is not showing, has not jerked/stalled or died on me. We'll see if that fixed the real problem.

If the same problem occurs my next stop will be at the Nissan dealership to address this problem. If they don't do anything about it then I'll go to the local news/media to expose this BS! It will definitely be a good story!

28th Feb 2009, 13:41

I have the 2004 Maxima SE, bought new, now has 110,000 miles. Never had any transmission problems or engine problems. The car has been a workhorse. Last night upon leaving a restaurant the car was hard to start and when it finally did start, it was in lower gear and barely moved. As long as we were going on flat highway without stopping, I could gather enough speed, even though RPMs remained around 2000. We live in Asheville, so to get to our home, we have a steep hill to climb. We didn't make it, car just stopped moving with pedal to the floor. We parked it and I tried the car the next morning. It started right away and had its usual pep going up the hill. I read in the manual about the "fail safe" mode. Not much explanation for it and I can't find any info on internet either. Anyone know the solution, if there is one? Probably will look for another car. Thanks for listening.

19th Mar 2009, 21:46

I had the same problem with my 2004 Maxima. Going from reverse to drive, the car jerks, and from 3rd to 4th it would slip out of gear. The engine would race, then slam into 4th gear (very scary when trying to get on the interstate). To make this short, had my transmission replaced for $4100.00 and just got it back today, and it seems OK...

I hope this problem ends up on the recall list. Maybe I'll get my money back like those tires that were cracking.

25th Mar 2009, 21:22

I have a 2004 Nissan Maxima, and the bank is on my tail because I have had 3 used transmissions from the Nissan dealer installed in my car; 1 at 68000k, this was replaced again at 89000k. The dealer gave me another one, even though the 12000k warranty was up, and that one never worked. So they got me one free of charge, and that one lasted 3000k, now they won't even talk to me. They have all had transmission failure.

Now I am trying to pay the car payment, and have this pro do it right for $3000.00 3 years. And 100,000 mile warranty. I don't know what to do. I had a company in Indianapolis, IN. tell me there was bad engineering in the valve body and it needed an aftermarket oversized one in its place due to engineering issues. Aftermarket clutch plates too. This is a defect as far as one can see.

27th Mar 2009, 20:51

Well I found this place, but still can't find the solution...

I have a 04 Maxima, which has about 82000 miles on it. Just like others say here, exactly the same problem.

I took my car to three different dealers and a few other mechanic shops. People at the dealer weren't sure about this, but told me to change fluids. (which I did 2 or 3 times in 6 month) when I took my car to mechanic shop, they told me that I have to either rebuild a transmission or replace it with an used one. One honest mechanic told me that it's a common problem on my car. He said Nissan should make a recall on this issue.

Should I wait for a recall or just should I just sell it? I didn't get any refund or credit for my tires since I replaced them about one and half years before they made a recall campaign. And by back then, it was same thing. When I took my car to the dealer and complained about it, they told me it was my driving style, not theirs, nor is it defective.

29th Mar 2009, 03:13

I have a 2004 Nissan Maxima. I bought it new and after about 80,000 miles the transmission started to jerk hard when shifting from forward to reverse. I brought it to a transmission shop and had it check by a tech, found transmission mount was bad and so I had them replaced and the transmission fluid changed, no change, the problem still exists. Notice once the car warm up a little, that's when the jerking gets worse. I have owned all Nissan Maximas, but now my next purchase may not be a Nissan, if Nissan don't respond to this problem. If anyone has pinpointed the problem, please respond to all.

30th Mar 2009, 16:13

Contacted Nissan USA consumer affairs 2 days ago to file a complaint about the transmission slipping and jerking. I have 91,000 miles, but noticed the problem at around 60,000. It just got worse the more I drove the car.

Nissan USA calls me back today to say they can't fix the car because of the mileage and it's out of warranty. Duh, I know that. I want these clowns to admit there is a serious defect with this transmission. I'm so disgusted I can barely see straight. Nissan will NEVER see a dime of my money again. I will tell everyone I know to never purchase a Nissan.

30th Mar 2009, 16:54

I too have a 2004 Maxima. When purchased as a used vehicle in 9/2006 it had less than 40,000 miles.

I started having the jerks/slipping around 90,000 miles in 9/2008.

In 10/2008 I took it to the local dealership, and on the 2nd trip a problem was detected. I then went to 3 specialists and found that I needed a new transmission costing $4100 approximately. Needless to say I couldn't afford to replace it and pay a note, so I've been driving it as is. I have no choice. I only use it to go to & from work.

I have filed complaints with Nissan customer service, BBB,& NHTSA. Both Nissan and BBB can't help. I'm hoping that my complaint with NHTSA will help us all.

My vehicle left me at the drive-thru window of the bank last week. I had to get a gentleman to push me out of the way of traffic. My vehicle starts, but when put into gear will not move. When my husband finally rescued me about 1 hour later, it gave the worst jerk of all with a clicking noise and made it home about 25 miles. Now I'm faced with a vehicle I can't drive because it is not reliable and a note that I can't afford if I can't get to work, so I will have to ruin my credit and let it go back because I can't pay another 3 years for a car I can't use. Don't let this happen to you if you are having jerking, get rid of it before you get stuck. I hope that this last complaint will get us some justice.