18th Feb 2007, 20:12

I have had transmission problems that started at 80,000. The first response was to change the transmission fluid. Now this would solve the problem. How wrong I was. I took it to Nissan and they changed the fluid, but the problem got worse. Nissan changed the fluid a second time and finally a third. It fixed the problem only for a short while. Now its back to its usual jerking and unpredictable behavior. When I stop and back up, all is well until I put the gear selector back into drive. It will pause for a moment and you better hang on. It slams into drive very hard. The best solution I found was to turn the engine off. Restart the engine and put the gear selector in drive. The worse transmission problems occur when I drive up steep grades and an increased elevation. Recommendations and advice was to get a new car. Like most of you out there, "I do love my Maxima" Please help.

23rd Feb 2007, 07:54

I have a 2000 Maxima SE with 96,000 miles on it and took it in to the dealer due to "service engine soon" light. I also was told it was a bad ignition coil and was told I would have to replace all 6! I contact Nissan USA, Inc. and told them I refuse to pay for defective parts they put in my car! They took my information, where the car was, etc. and told me they would see what they could do about paying for the repairs. It's called a Good Will Claim. If you have under 100K miles, I suggest you all fight it and not pay for this repair! The more people that fight it, the better chance there is for a recall!

4th Apr 2007, 21:45

I also have a 2004 Nissan Maxima with the same exact transmission problems. I thought the transmission was messed up from my 22 inch rims, but I asked a friend who also has a 2004 Nissan Maxima and his does the same thing. The car jerks furiously entering and coming out of first gear. Called the Nissan dealership and they seem to have no solution. There is no coincidence that all of these Maximas are experiencing the same exact transmission problems. There should be a recall. I think I'm going to trade my Maxima in for the new Lexus GS350. Toyota would never give me any problems.

21st May 2007, 11:48

I own a 2004 Nissan Maxima SL. My problems started also with noise coming from the front brakes. After taking it to three different Nissan dealerships, they each resolved that they couldn't find anything wrong. I took it to a specialized brake shop and they found that the rotors were warped and I needed my pads replaced. My front struts have been replaced twice. Soon after I began experiencing problems with the transmission jerking. They have replaced my right front motor mount and flushed the transmission and it starting running smoothly for about a month. Now I am having the same problem, but this time the transmission jerks/slips between the 1st and 2nd gear shifts when accelerating and decelerating. I am now at 70,000 miles and my extended warranty has expired. Love the car, but disappointed with the performance.

30th Jul 2007, 11:51

I have a 2004 Maxima SE, purchased it December 2003. Within the first month had warped rotors, front speaker goes out when CD's playing. After 1 year all kinds of front end suspension problems. BUT now this jerking problem... was told by the dealer it was rack and pinion, then engine mounts, then transmission fluid, then ABS actuator. Now they say its the transmission. I don't know what to believe and definitely don't trust them anymore. HELP! snoman_nyc@yahoo.com.

21st Aug 2007, 16:35

I also have a 04 max that I love... same jerking problem from 1st into 2nd..then one day car shut off turn it back on car was stuck in high gear... dealer told me I need a new trans..

4th Sep 2007, 00:05

I have an 04 Maxima and have recently begin to experience what seems to be transmission noise. I'm not sure of what it is, but it sounds like the transmission is stuck in one gear, but its not because its changing as it should. It just sounds like its stuck in overdrive or something like that. Has anyone else experienced this problem.

5th Sep 2007, 21:32

I have a 2005 Maxima that developed a motor winding noise that can be heard at low speeds and always after I turn the car off. The dealer said "it is normal". When I questioned why no other maxima owners I know hear this, and that it didn't make the sound when it was new, they said "it happens after the car is broken in and those other owners will hear it at some point" HUH? Am I alone here?

Also, I had a blow out on one tire, Goodyear said all 4 tires have to be replaced due to a cracking defect. Puzzled, I went to the dealer who claimed to know nothing about it. After poking around these websites and finding out how common of a problem this is, I think they lied. Good year gave me a discount/credit which equaled me paying for just 1 of the 4 tires. not too bad, but how can this not be a recall???

2nd Oct 2007, 09:43

I bought my 2004 maxima 1 1/2 years ago from a dealer and have about 79k on it. Yesterday it had trouble starting and when it finally did and I shifted into drive... the transmission jerked into gear and it seemed like it was in a high gear. I agreed with many of the statements here and just wanted to be 1 more voice. Obviously my warranty is expired, but I feel that nissan needs to be held responsible seeing how many people have a similar problem. I bought a maxima because I drive a ton and wanted something reliable. I spent more than i originally wanted to just to avoid situations like this.

6th Oct 2007, 15:12

I own a 2004 Maxima SE that I purchased 1 year ago with 62000 miles. Once the car hit approx. 77000 miles I started experiencing the 1st/2nd gear transmission jerk issue. After finding this bulletin board I am outraged that nissan has not recalled this transmission! I plan on taking this issue as far as I have to in order to get someone at Nissan to acknowledge this issue. I am a hard working family man that expects to be treated fairly and just. It is time to stand up for what is right people. These car dealerships will just keep jerking us around unless we demand attention!

12th Oct 2007, 18:40

I have recently purchased a 2004 Nissan Max with 48k miles and I am experiencing the same suspension noise and the rattling sound described here. Especially when I first start the car the morning. The dealer told me it was the strut which I replaced, but the thumping noise is still there. The rattling noise, according to a mechanic, is caused by some shield on the exhaust system around the engine area. He used a metal clamp to fix it so I am waiting to see if it holds up. Nissan is certainly trying to conceal an obvious problem with this model and their dealerships with their overpriced mechanical works are totally useless.