2004 Nissan Maxima Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Maxima years
- Far more complaints than other years 1st of 29 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 2 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 1,426 complaints with NHTSA about the 2004 Nissan Maxima. That is the most of any Maxima model year in the database (29 years). The most reported problem area is power train (934 complaints, 65%), typically at around 84,000 miles. Complaints mention 33 crashes, 16 fires, 30 injuries. There are 2 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 1 defect investigation involving it.
- 1,426owner complaints
- 2safety recalls
- 1NHTSA investigations
- 33complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2004 Nissan Maxima problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Train problems | 934 | 65% | 84,000 | “1st 2nd” (16%) | $5,150 |
| Tires problems | 141 | 10% | 29,738 | “goodyear eagle” (29%) | — |
| Suspension problems | 102 | 7% | 13,000 | “front struts” (15%) | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling problems | 70 | 5% | 68,759 | “timing chain” (19%) | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic problems | 61 | 4% | 61,500 | “front brakes” (10%) | $2,300 |
| Electrical System problems | 56 | 4% | 75,662 | — | — |
| Structure problems | 56 | 4% | 89,949 | “passenger side” (30%) | — |
| Engine problems | 51 | 4% | 102,000 | “timing chain” (16%) | $3,750 |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 38 | 3% | 83,016 | — | — |
| Steering | 37 | 3% | 15,567 | — | — |
| Visibility | 30 | 2% | 14,828 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 23 | 2% | 111,673 | — | — |
| Equipment | 20 | 1% | 27,000 | — | — |
| Seats | 15 | 1% | 84,000 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 13 | 1% | 65,000 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 9 | 1% | 37,000 | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 7 | 0% | 80,000 | — | — |
| Wheels | 7 | 0% | 74,500 | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 6 | 0% | 90,000 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 6 | 0% | 105,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 6 | 0% | 112,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Electric | 4 | 0% | 69,000 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 3 | 0% | 17,555 | — | — |
| Child Seat | 2 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 2 | 0% | 80,745 | — | — |
| Traction Control System | 2 | 0% | 70,200 | — | — |
| Equipment Adaptive/mobility | 1 | 0% | 172,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Air | 1 | 0% | 65,000 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2004 Nissan Maxima recalls (2)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Seats:front assembly:power adjust
Problem: On certain passenger vehicles equipped with the driver preferred package, the wire harness from the driver's seat power lumbar support switch may be routed incorrectly and could be pinched under the driver seat.
Risk: A pinched harness, in combination with driving vibration, may result in a short circuit in the harness that could lead to a fire in the seat.
Fix: Dealers will replace the wire harness and route it correctly. The recall began on january 16, 2006. Owners may contact nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
Visibility:sun/moon roof assembly
Problem: On certain passenger vehicles equipped with skyview roofs, the glass for the roof may not have been quenched properly after the forming process, resulting in temper imbalance.
Risk: This could create excessive internal stress in the glass and eventually cause the glass to shatter, creating a risk of injury.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the glass in the skyview roof. The recall began on september 7, 2004. Owners should contact nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Glass roof shattering (PE04035) — opened Apr 12, 2004, closed Jul 13, 2004, led to recall 04V326000.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that while driving 15 MPH, the ABS independently activated. In addition, the contact became aware of an abnormal sound. The failure was a persistent failure. The failure mileage was approximately 200,000.
The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle made an abnormally loud popping sound, and the contact noticed that the sky view roof glass had shattered. The contact stated that pieces of shattered glass had fallen inside the vehicle. The contact pulled…
UNKNOWN - I recently purchased this vehicle today from a private seller on April 18, 2023. Previous owner had stated the driver seat adjuster motor(to move the seat forward and backwards) has never functioned properly and gets stuck in the far back position or rotates counterclockwise at…
04v326000 one of the recall number the other is 05v512000 not sure what to do at this point i've changed my timing chain also already i also received a letter stating if i had to replace it to contact nissan i believe i'm just getting the run around
Timing chain failure. Timing chain was bad from day one. Spent nearly 4000 dollars for repair. Then to look up online and find out many other people had problem. Now a few years later. Same problem
Other Nissan Maxima years
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 Maxima | 1 | 0 |
| 2022 Maxima | 5 | 0 |
| 2021 Maxima | 3 | 0 |
| 2020 Maxima | 22 | 1 |
| 2019 Maxima | 18 | 1 |
| 2018 Maxima | 36 | 2 |
| 2017 Maxima | 104 | 4 |
| 2016 Maxima | 142 | 8 |
| 2015 Maxima | 1 | 0 |
| 2014 Maxima | 96 | 0 |
| 2013 Maxima | 62 | 0 |
| 2012 Maxima | 107 | 0 |
| 2011 Maxima | 106 | 0 |
| 2010 Maxima | 275 | 1 |
| 2009 Maxima | 339 | 1 |
| 2008 Maxima | 79 | 0 |
| 2007 Maxima | 129 | 1 |
| 2006 Maxima | 576 | 2 |
| 2005 Maxima | 948 | 2 |
| 2004 | 1,426 | 2 |
| 2003 Maxima | 206 | 3 |
| 2002 Maxima | 205 | 6 |
| 2001 Maxima | 172 | 3 |
| 2000 Maxima | 360 | 0 |
| 1999 Maxima | 165 | 0 |
| 1998 Maxima | 113 | 1 |
| 1997 Maxima | 102 | 1 |
| 1996 Maxima | 96 | 0 |
| 1995 Maxima | 152 | 0 |
See all Nissan Maxima problems by year, every Nissan model, or the Nissan VIN decoder.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2004 Nissan Maxima?
Owners most often report power train, tires, suspension problems. The top one, power train, accounts for 934 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2004 Nissan Maxima?
Yes, 2 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2004 Nissan Maxima a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Maxima model years, the 2004 has far more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.