2004 Nissan Maxima problems
Owners have filed 1,726 complaints with NHTSA about the 2004 Nissan Maxima. Transmission is the most reported problem area, at 36% of complaints. After that come drivetrain & axles (19%) and tires (8%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 1,726 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Transmission 36% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 43 and 32
- Injuries and deaths
- 34 and 4
- Typical mileage
- 79,000 miles 1,417 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 160 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 102 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 156 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 300 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 326 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 175 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 105 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 42 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 35 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 11 |
| 200k+ miles | 5 |
What the data shows
Among the 1,417 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 79,000 miles. For transmission specifically, the median reported mileage is about 80,000 miles (548 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 43 complaints mention a crash; 32 complaints mention a fire; 34 injuries reported; 4 deaths reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2004 ranks 1st most-complained-about out of 30 model years of the Nissan Maxima with enough data (981 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 2 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 nissan maxima. While driving approximately 100 MPH, the vehicle drove off a hill, struck a stop sign, made 360 degree turns into an intersection, and crashed through a brick wall and a chain fence before landing in someone's home. Two occupants were killed, including the driver. The contact stated that the driver of the vehicle was always very cautious when driving and would have obeyed the speed limit.
My 3 girls and 1 of their friends were in my vehicle and they were ran off the road and the car went off the road into an embankment. The driver side air bag did not deploy but the passenger side air bag did and it broke my daughter's nose. I contact nissan about the airbag not deploying and was told it all depends on where most of the damage of the car is (all of the damage was on the driver front side).
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 nissan maxima. While attempting to accelerate from a traffic light, the vehicle would not move. The contact had to shut off the vehicle and wait a few minutes to restart it before it would drive normally again. The failure occurred several times at various speeds. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and they stated that the catalytic converter and transmission were failing. The current and failure mileages were 84,000.
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 nissan maxima se. The contact stated that while driving various speeds the vehicle would jerk violently. While sitting at a stop light the gears would shift on its own. The vehicle was inspected by a dealer and they advised him that the transmission was defective and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and offered no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.