2004 Nissan Maxima Power Train Problems
Owners have filed 934 complaints with NHTSA about power train problems on the 2004 Nissan Maxima, 65% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 84,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “1st 2nd” (16% of reports).
- 934power train complaints
- 84,000median miles at failure
- 14mention a crash
- 7mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- $5,150typical repair cost reported by owners
- 12%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- 1ST 2ND: mentioned in 149 of 934 complaints (16%)
- Transmission jerks: mentioned in 47 of 934 complaints (5%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical power train repair on the 2004 Nissan Maxima at $5,150, and half of them between $2,950 and $6,100.
Based on 91 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2007–2016), converted to 2026 dollars with the U.S. consumer price index. These are owners' own figures, not a quote: they include dealer quotes, and owners who file complaints often faced larger repairs, so they can run higher than typical shop prices. Prices vary by shop, region and warranty coverage. How we calculate this.
At what mileage do power train problems happen?
Based on 832 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 934 complaints, 14 mention a crash, 2 a fire, 7 an injury.
Nissan Maxima power train complaints by model year
| Model year | Power Train complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 Maxima | 3 | 14% | 64,500 |
| 2019 Maxima | 3 | 17% | 19,000 |
| 2018 Maxima | 1 | 3% | — |
| 2017 Maxima | 11 | 11% | 61,000 |
| 2016 Maxima | 33 | 23% | 62,500 |
| 2014 Maxima | 22 | 23% | 73,500 |
| 2013 Maxima | 24 | 39% | 105,544 |
| 2012 Maxima | 18 | 17% | 90,000 |
| 2011 Maxima | 22 | 21% | 95,000 |
| 2010 Maxima | 15 | 5% | 96,500 |
| 2009 Maxima | 11 | 3% | 116,500 |
| 2008 Maxima | 8 | 10% | 89,000 |
| 2007 Maxima | 16 | 12% | 90,750 |
| 2006 Maxima | 393 | 68% | 85,500 |
| 2005 Maxima | 777 | 82% | 85,000 |
| 2004 Maxima | 934 | 65% | 84,000 |
| 2003 Maxima | 7 | 3% | 64,250 |
| 2002 Maxima | 14 | 7% | 42,450 |
| 2001 Maxima | 8 | 5% | 60,000 |
| 2000 Maxima | 22 | 6% | 97,000 |
| 1999 Maxima | 8 | 5% | 95,150 |
| 1998 Maxima | 6 | 5% | 82,229 |
| 1997 Maxima | 4 | 4% | 110,446 |
| 1996 Maxima | 12 | 13% | 48,000 |
| 1995 Maxima | 12 | 8% | — |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists power train for the 2004 Nissan Maxima. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
When in motion the transmission starts to slip in 1 and 2 gear then 4 and 5 gear jumps out of gear then goes in to limp mode
Car was fine initially then started car which took longer than normal to start and car would not hardly go due to it not being in 1st gear. Put the transmission into manual mode and downshifted it to first and got a hard clunk but car would now go under its own power but when you put it back in…
When driving the car wil lose power and start jerking badly, cutting back like losing power. It feels as if it is going to stop in the middle of the road. I took it to a well know transmission specialist and was told that this is a problem with several nissan cars including mine. There are several…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2004 Nissan Maximas have power train problems?
No. NHTSA has 934 owner complaints about power train for the 2004 Nissan Maxima (65% of the 1,426 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2004 Nissan Maxima power train?
No recall currently lists power train for this vehicle.
At what mileage do power train problems start?
The median reported mileage is 84,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
How much does it cost to fix power train problems on the 2004 Nissan Maxima?
Owners report a typical cost of $5,150 (half paid between $2,950 and $6,100), from 91 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about power train problems on the 2004 Nissan Maxima?
The most frequent phrase is “1st 2nd”, in 149 of 934 complaints, followed by “transmission jerks” (47).
Other 2004 Nissan Maxima problems
See all 2004 Nissan Maxima problems or power train problems across all Maxima years.