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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Claudette of Dorchester, MA January 17, 2010

Yesterday, my 2004 Nissan Maxima started to slow down during acceleration getting more and more sluggish on the ride home, barely made it. Now there is a loud clunk and a jerk when the car is put into drive or reverse. I have a mare 38,000 miles on this car with regular maintenence and no prior issues.

I went online to research a possible problem for the clunking/jerk and found that this is a common problem with the 04 Nissan Maxima..I'm off to the dealership tomorrow. Let's see what they have to say...

Michelle of Wilmington, CA January 16, 2010

In July 2004 I purchased a new Nissan Maxima SE. The five-year warranty expired in July 2009 and in September 2009 I started experiencing problems with my transmission. My car only has approx. 56,0000 miles as of January 2010. I've kept up with the maintainance throughout the entire five years and have always had the car serviced at my local Nissan dealership.The problem that I am experiencing is a hard kick in the transmission between gears 1 and 2 and the transmission also slips- my RPM's will go up and the transmision does not respond.

I believe this to be a common defect in the 2004 & 2005 Nissan Maxima's and I don't believe it to be fair for me to pay for a new transmission, as I have taken my car to AAMCO & was told that it would cost me anywhere from 1500-5000 to fix this problem. As I've read on this website regarding the 2004/2005 Nissan Maxima, there are many other people experiencing the same transmission problem & I hope legal action can & will be taken.

Ken of decatur, GA January 15, 2010

05 Maxima Transmission Problems - UPDATE. I just logged a complaint with Nissan and would like to suggest that everyone else do the same thing. I found that there has been a program implemented for 07 - 10 Maximas and other Nissans with the CVT trans. Just Google Nissan CVT Transmission problems for info. You will find it on Nissan's very own site. We don't have the CVT but are exhibiting similar problems. Please call 1 800 to express your concerns.

Clare of Clearwater, FL January 13, 2010

I have the 2004 Nissan Maxima. I have done regular maintenence on the vehicle and have had NO issues with it until I just passed over 61,000 miles. The transmission started giving me problems. At first my battery and brake light both came on and when given gas, the car would not accelerate. It only moved at an idle pace. I have taken it to the dealership where they tell me I need a new alternator, however, the car starts just fine and runs fine except for the shifting and lack of power when starting out.

Ken of Decatur, GA January 13, 2010

My 2005 Maxima is showing the same signs of transmission problems that others are reporting. The Tran slips and jerks between gears 2 and 3. It only does it at this point after the car has been driven for 30 minutes or so. AAMCO says that it is a common problem with this Tran and btw that will be 3k to fix or 5k to replace. This is my 4th and possibly last Nissan. The Sentra, Z and 95 Max all treated me well with no problems over 250k miles. I can't believe this is happening with my 05. If Nissan owns up to this defect, I will have no problem remaining a loyal customer. If not...Hello Toyota!

Cheryl of Newnan, GA January 12, 2010

I am among the thousands of disappointed consumers that owns a 2004 Nissan Maxima SE. My vehicle jerks into 1st gear and continues to slip while accelerating. I also experience violent jerking from the transmission when gearing down to 2nd and 1st. I've had a loud rattling noise coming from the engine that noone seems to be able to diagnose.

Can someone PLEASE contact me on any information regarding a Class Action Lawsuit against Nissan? I want to pursue this with a vengeance. I am a hard working single mother of two and I cannot afford to take time off work for car repairs which was why I purchased a Nissan. MY MISTAKE! HELP!

Rhonda of Joppa, MD January 11, 2010

I purchased a 2005 Nissan Maxima in October 0f 2006 with 10K miles. My warranty was covered up to 75,000 miles. at 70,000 miles the Maxima started making a knocking sound but of course, they could not find nothing wrong with the car. As soon as the warranty expired then they tell me its the transmission. I am so angry! My besfriends went up a few months before mine, the same exact car. Something has to be done! In this day and time, people do not have 4k to get a car repaired and you can't even trade it. Something needs to be done... I am ready to do a class action lawsuit against Nissan...

LAQUISIA of Nashville, TN January 6, 2010

About a month ago my 2005 Nissan Maxima began to experience a strange humming noise and pulling starting at 40 mph which got worse with increased speed. After 3 days I took it into the dealership and was told I needed a new transmission. They gave me a double flush and said this should remedy the situation for the time being but there was not an exact Science as to how long the transmission would hold up. This cost me about 400.

The noise got worse. I contacted consumer affairs and had a claim denied. Now I am stuck looking at 4000 on repairs for a car that's close to being paid off. I have 94,000 miles on my car. It drives almost to perfection except for this major problem under the hood. I love my car and there's not another out there that I'd like to trade for.

However once it is paid off I will never consider another Nissan because they have not proven to be a reliable auto manufacturer. At only 32 years of age they chose to save themselves over 4000 when they could have made close to at least 60,000 in my lifetime if they'd made me a satisfied customer.

kevin of springfield, MA December 30, 2009

I purchased A NISSAN 2004 Maxima SE with 31,500 miles about 3 years ago, i have 79,000 miles now which i'm still paying 550 per month. Now i'm not complaining about my payments its just an example of what i thought i was getting in a MAxiama. They are supposed to be reliable vehicles, known for being great cars.

Here is my problem, the transmission is shot. Not because i mistreat the car its the new tranny systems that were implemented in 2004. The transmission has a violent shifting problem, it jerks into 3rd gear while i was driving jerking me into the windsheld, i hit my head while driving 35 mph. when i bumped my head i had a bump on my forehead that was very painful. if this is not an unsafe problem what is? do your wheels have to fall off? Or can nissian own up to this saftey issue

i personally know two other nissain maxima owner 2005's with the same issue. then after some reseach over the internet ive found that many nissian custumers are having the same problem. They didn't get injured but also feel unsafe while driving. this is an issue that needs to be resolved , there shouldnt be a problem like this for saftey reasons.

there is too many people with the same problem, hopefully nissian can finally own up to thier big mistake. I look to further per-sue this issue.

Deanna of Burke, VA December 21, 2009

I bought my 2005 Nissan Maxima in January 2009 with 51,000 miles on it in an effort to rebuild my credit after a divorce. Everything was great with the car until August 2009 when I began to feel some odd transitioning in the transmission. I noticed the RPM's were also revving before the car would change in to gear and a delay when put in to Drive or Reverse. With 60,900 miles I took it to Aamco who said the car was too new to have transmission problems. As time went on, the problems progressively got worse, so in October, 2009 I took it to another Aamco for the same symptoms. This time I was told the transmission needed to be replaced. I immediately went online to perform research and was astounded at what I found. Hundreds upon hundreds of complaints from consumers experiencing the same transmission issues with the same model year Maxima.

I immediately contacted Nissan and filed a complaint and asked for assistance to pay for the repair as I had only owned the car for about 9 months. Initially, I was told that the warranty had expired at 60,000 miles (in October when I contacted Nissan, the car had 64,000 miles) and they could not help me. I explained to Mark and his supervisor both that the problems started at 60,900 miles and Aamco said nothing was wrong; however, I knew there was an issue which is why I took it to be evaluated. I was told to fax the documents from both Aamco's that I took the car to. Over the course of about 2 weeks, I gathered the documents, faxed them over to Nissan, and waited for a response.

Finally, I received a call from Mark telling me that at 60,900 miles the car was outside the warranty and they would not be able to provide me any financial assistance. I explained to Mark, his supervisor, and anyone I could contact at Nissan that this was a widespread problem and I gave them websites where they could verify the magnitude of dissatisfied customers behind these Maxima transmissions. I bought this car less than 12 months ago in an effort to reestablish my credit and now, I'm faced with a possible voluntary repossession because I cannot afford the 4500 repair cost. No one will take the car on a trade because of the transmission repair, so I am stuck in a terrible situation.

What is most disturbing is that my tax dollars contributed to the bailout for the automakers, and yet, they refuse to remedy defective equipment. I will NEVER purchase another Nissan and after this situation, I went on a personal crusade to steer others from purchasing Nissan. I am a Property Manager and I have had 3 residents that have looked to purchase Nissan's based on the appearance of my Maxima and the rave reviews I gave the car in the beginning, but after this disregard for the customer behavior Nissan has exhibited, I have convinced all 3 of them to purchase automobiles from other manufacturers, so maybe the loss of 3 customers can equate to my 4500 repair.

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