Nissan Maxima

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Besides the complaints below, many 2003 Maxima owners complain that their headlights are being stolen repeatedly.

• Nissan Maxima - stolen headlights

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Jessica of Glenn Dale, MD November 21, 2009

I have a 2004 Nissan Maxima. I started having problems with my car jerking esp. going from 1st to 2nd gear and downshifting back from 2nd to 1st. It was random at first but has progressed over the pass 3 months. Now, it occurs frequently throughout the day. Over the last few weeks, my RPM goes really high before it changes into gear. Tonight it was sooo bad that my "check engine soon" light came on and stayed.

This prompted me to get on line to check to see if this has been a common problem or if it has been any recalls. I see over hundreds of compliants about this. Like many other consumers, I also took our car to the dealer and "nothing" was found to be wrong except a cracked engine mount (which seems to be a common problem also). I have 90,000 miles now. The problem started at about 82,000 miles. What can be done about this?

john of bronx, NY November 19, 2009

i was reading through all the other disappointed nissan customers that been having the transmission problem. iam another one. i own a 2005 nissan maxima. is all paid for i bought it cash from a friend about a year ago. and for about a month and a half now i been having gerking when shifting from first to second gear. everytime i see somebody with the same car and i get a chance to speak with the driver i tell them about my problem, i would say eight out of ten have the same problem ends up being a very long conversation. this car only has 77k miles on it i cant beleive the transmission is acting up all maintnace has been keep in full. ia looking forward to selling or trading the car and NEVER getting another nissan in my life againg.

keith of camillus, NY November 13, 2009

I'm writing you today to informed you that my 2004 Nissan Maxima ES with 97,000 on it is having major transmission problems. I bought the car new in '04. It been a good car until now. From park position the transmission floats and is delayed about 5 seconds before engaging into drive. The transmission bumps when slowing down from 2nd to 1st gear. The transmission floats out of gear while cruising into neutral, the rpms revs high, than it slips back into gear. All this happens once the car is warmed up.

I took the car to a reputable transmission repair shop they flushed and filled the transmission fluid, but the problem still exist and has gotten a lot worse. The transmission repair shop did not see anything wrong with the transmission. This lead me to go online and inquire further about this problem, looks like a lot of folks are having the same problem.

I have not filed a formal complaint with Nissan, or with the State of New York about the vehicle. Is there a class action suit? Please include me I have all the necessary documentation. Please contact me to inform me what should be my next logical step. I just realized the problem with these transmissions today.

Meredith of Atlanta, GA November 10, 2009

I am the driver of a 2005 Nissan Maxima. I've kept up the maintenance on the car consistenly since I've had it, getting regular oil changes, having to completely replace the air conditioning system, having to replace the battery, and getting two full sets of new tires. The car was running great until about 80,000 miles. Then I started to notice a slight jerking and clunking when shifting up or down between 1st and 2nd gears. The problem would only occur sporadically, not every time I would drive the car. The transmission would slip and the RPM's would go waaay up right before it would clunk into gear. The problem began getting worse, and happening more often, so I took the car and had the transmission fluid flushed. The problem abated for about 2 weeks, after which time it returned full force. I took it to my local Nissan dealership, and they suggested that I get the transmission flushed again, since the fluid looked dirty. I went back to the place I had the car serviced, and they flushed the transmission again... free of charge since they felt they hadn't gotten it completely clean.

The car seemed to be moving a little more smoothly, but the jerking, clunking, and skyrocketing RPM's persisted sporatically. I made an appointment at the dealership to get a full diagnostic the next week. They ran their tests and determined that one of my engine mounts was cracked. In their opinion, that would account for some of the clunking. The car did not act up badly when they drove it, though, and no check engine lights were on and nothing showed up in the computer, so they said they "really couldn't determine any issues at that time." They did say that a cracked engine mount would not have anything to do with the RPM's shooting up, so something else might be wrong. After charging me 100 to tell me they didn't know what was wrong with my car, they sent me on my way saying I could replace the engine mount for a cool 480 and see if that helped my problem (which was obviously not just caused by a cracked engine mount). I took it upon myself to start doing some research online before contacting Nissan directly, and have found hundreds of cases exactly like mine. After 60,000 miles (just out of warranty for many people) the transmissions on 2004-2005 Maximas and Altimas seem to go bad. The consensus is while this is not a "recall" transmission, it is certainly defective and it should be Nissan's responsibility to take care of replacing the transmission (a 3000 cost to the car owner that seems to be the only way to resolve the issue with the car).

Personally, after investing quite a bit of money already into a car that is less than 5 years old, I intend to trade the car in and purchase ANYTHING but a Nissan if the transmission is not replaced by Nissan. I am more than happy to get the engine mount fixed and preform all regular maintenance (as I have until this point), but don't see a point in doing so when the transmission is clearly going to continue to be an issue. Finding out that a car part is defective but has not be recalled is disturbing enough without reading about countless instances of Nissan attempting to ignore a problem because "the diagnostic does not pick it up." Most recently (two weeks after the "checkup" at the dealership) the "service engine soon" light has come on and the car is having trouble shifting gears at all (seems 'stuck'). I'm afraid to drive my car anymore, espeically to get it to the Nissan dealership, where they will either "find nothing wrong" or end up recommending I replace the transmission. I will never, ever, buy a Nissan vehicle again!

j of rego park, NY November 9, 2009

i bought a 2005 nissan maxima and it feel that it has a transmission problem it jerks when the gear jump fron 3 to 2nd and then for litte while stops but this is like ramdon feeling it has to be a problem with the transmision on these car because i heard lots of people complaining for this same matter

Deborah of Adamsville, AL October 27, 2009

I purchased a 2005 Maxima and I was very pleased with the car initially. This was my first auto purchase and I thought I was purchasing something that was reliable and would last me for a while. In the last few months, I have noticed jerking in my car when I shift gears or while I am driving. I had a diagnostic done and I was told that my vehicle has internal transmission trouble. Of course my warranty is up and the repairs will cost about 3000.

Let's keep in mind that I only owe 4600 on the car. I've need heard of anyone repairing a transmission (or making major repairs) before they even pay for a vehicle. I thought that contacting the Nissan Corporation would be the best solution to fixing this problem, but boy was I wrong. Initially they said that they could not help me, but they would contact the dealer. They asked if I had talked to them about special assistance. I had not requested special assistance because I didn't know that it existed. They also wanted to know if I took my car to Nissan for servicing. I have taken it a few times, but I usually go to a repair shop that my family and I have used for years. That should not determine whether you get assistance.

After a week of waiting, I was told that Nissan could not assist me with this problem. I was really dissapointed and angry. I decided to do something about it because I know that I was not the only victim. I had heard about other vehicles with my make and model having transmission problems so I decided to go and do my research. I was surprised to see several websites with story after story that sounded like my problem. Coincidence? I think not.

It is obviously a problem with these faulty transmissions placed in these vehicles and Nisssan, not the consumers need to take responsibity. Is this the way [they] treat a great customer? I will never purchase another Nissan and whenever someone gives me a compliment or ask a question about my vehicle I WILL SPEAK THE TRUTH THE WHOLE TRUTH AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH. I could not with a clear conscience allow others to make the mistake that I have.

Deborah of Baltimore , MD October 24, 2009

I have a 2004 Nissan Maxima that has a transmission problem which causes the car to jerk so hard that it makes my neck snap. I have read lots of complaints about the 2004 Nissan Maxima's transmission problem.

I strongly believe the Nissan corporation should accept the responsibility of recalling this problem and replace the transmissions with a new/updated one such as the 2007/2008 transmission that has not been shown to have problems as the 2004/2005. This model is clearly a lemon. I don't feel safe as the car jerks upon accelerating and has no power to correctly proceed quickly. I HATE IT!

Pete of McKinney, TX October 23, 2009

I'm on my 5th Nissan Maxima and it will be my last. Once a loyal customer this 2005 Maxima hasn't been the biggest lemon Ive ever owned. Like thousands of others that own Maxima's complained about, I'm on my THIRD transmission at 105,000 miles! The first transmission went out at 55,000 miles and the next (covered by warranty) went out just 20,000 miles later. This last transmission is already showing signs of rough shifting and appears to be going out. I'm 50 yeras old and easy on my cars. Never had a problem with a past year Maxima. Perhaps it may have something to do with this being the first Maxima Model to be manufactured in the USA. My CD player went out at 60,000 miles and the dash board and trim is made of a brittle crappy plastic that remenids me of the quality you saw in an old Buick Cutlass. 16 years of Maxima loyalty gone now....I have no confidence in these cars

Jen of Jacksonville , FL October 20, 2009

In 10/27/04 my 2004 Nissan Maxima was recalled for the "moon roof" by Coggin Nissan, Jacksonville, Florida. Car has been corroding around the "moon roof" since that time but was not noticeable to the eye until this year. I have reported to Nissan Cooperate and they have declined to repair my car. My car is rusting on the roof and will have to be repaired with cost to me.

Nevon of Horntown, VA October 14, 2009

I have a 2005 nissan maxima, im having problems with the transmission. As i go online and do research, ive noticed that im not the only customer that is having this problem. It shifts very hard from first to second gear. Not all of the time, jus sometimes.

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