Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (power steering, steering column, rack and pinion).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2004 Nissan Maxima owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I was driving on the interstate and I was going about 60mph then all of a sudden the car stalls out I have no control over the vehicle I come within seconds of being rear ended I'm in the middle lane so I have to figure out how to merge over but guess what I can't because the car is stalled out so I put caution lights on and it takes about twins before the car will even start back up and when it does its geared up to what sounds like a fifth gear and it barley takes off I'm talking my foot to the floor and it's taking off at 2mph come on now, so call for help get my car towed check engine light said it was crankshaft position sensor had it replaced check engine light went off came and picked up my car had to drive that day 45mins from where I lived and about e0mins into the trip bam it stalls again at 60mph same scenary after the car cools down it starts back up just fine but after …
The 2004 Nissan Maxima suffers from a common issue within the transmission. The valve body causes premature transmission failure within these cars. This results in sudden hard jerking / delayed shifting when changing gears in their automatic transmission. This means loss of control occurs when the transmission finally catches itself since the car will continue to rev higher than normal. Overtime the car will experience slow acceleration, due to the car being thrown into a safety mode unexpectedly which keeps the car in a "5th" gear state. Also, because of the codes this faulty part will throw, a vehicle with this transmission will not pass certain state emissions. Repairs are upwards to thousands of dollars, and unfortunately replacing it with the same part will only be a temporary fix. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 Nissan Maxima. The contact was driving at low speeds when the vehicle exhibited a loud noise and the steering wheel began to shake violently. The vehicle began to wobble and jerked into another lane, resulting in a crash. The driver sustained injury and was sent to the hospital. A police report was filed. The dealer nor manufacturer were notified of the failure. The vehicle was destroyed. The failure and current mileage was 78,000. Updated evoq 11/01/11
I think you need to look into the issue of shimmy or vibration in the Maxima's 2004-2005-2006. My car has the shimmy and I and the dealer have done just about everything Nissan says to do to resolve the issue. I even bought new tires another brand and it is still there. $$$ what is happening is that there is a constant shimmy in the steering wheel. The shimmy is mostly very light except for certain speeds the you can see it in the wheel. It is not the tires .. It May be the wheels or the steering components. If you or Nissan would poll all of the owners of the maximas you will find that this issue is the norm and not exception. Go out onto the web to www.Maxima.org and under 6th gen look at the complaints under shimmy. I don't know of anyone who has a Maxima that doesn't have the shimmy and I am sure there are many who just live with it. …
I have a 2004 Nissan Maxima. Check engine light came on and within a few days problem began. When driving down an incline and turning one way or the other the car will die, steering will lock up and there is no way to steer. Unable to restart engine until you come to a complete stop, put in park then it takes multiple attempts to restart. You also cannot even steer over to the side of the road to get out of traffic. This almost caused me to have an accident on two different occasions. I found out that Nissan has a recall on altimas with this same issue, but will not cover and recall my vehicle. This is very dangerous and I do not understand why they would only recall certain makes when it is the same exact error code on both vehicles. It is a p3040 cam sensor/cam shaft recall through Nissan. However, they say my make and model does not fall under this recall. …
I have a 2004 Nissan Maxima that I bought new in 2003 in california. Within months to the first year, I have had continuous problems with the front end. I've had my wheels aligned, tires balance numerous times and checked due to a shimmy in the steering wheel, tires wearing unevenly and a clanking or thumping noise in the front right when going over a bump. These problems I have had for years and complained continuously. Had the car in the shop many times for these problems, but to no avail. Nissan fixed noise after 5 times in the shop in 2004 and 2005. Now over the years the noise has come back, but the shimmy was always a problem. I just learned to ignore it until now. I'm reading now online of other Maxima owners having the same problem. I'm planning on approaching my Nissan dealer here in florida about the shimmy, abnormal tire ware and clankiing noise as well. Can you help me?
Problem 2 of 5: purchased 2004 Maxima brand new. Car is now 10 months old. On or about 2/24/05 my steering wheel was stuck in the up position. The Maxima's tilt motor was not working. When you turn the key the steering wheel moves to driver's memory position. My car was stuck upright. It was stuck so high up it was like driving a bus and very hard to turn. I brought my car to the dealership right away because I could not drive the car with the steering wheel up like a bus driver. It was dangerous and very hard to turn the wheel. The dealership had to order the part and had to manually adjust my steering wheel to a more comfortable position so I can drive my car until the part came in. On 3/11/05 the dealership finally replaced the inop tilt motor. Also, my trunk still pops open sometimes in reverse.
My 2004 Nissan Maxima exp transmission problems @ 65K replaced out of warranty since then the car has had (4) front motor mounts (1) transmission mount.(1)rack and pinion replaced,(1) right front axle replaced. Struts are now bad! Wheel bearings replaced, oil seals replaced and the front end makes noise like something big is loose. Over $12,000.00 dollars into vehicle last year alone? When the car came back with the new trans it still was not right ? I notified the dealer and they said they could not find anything? I chose not to pay @ last minute to bring to there attention and I was sent to collections? I am still paying the $3,997.00 plus $1,500.00 fine for isf the vehicle is on its 2nd transmission and its gone bad now as well? Nissan did replace the right axle @no/charge that was all.
I purchased the vehicle with only 30 miles, we were the first one's to test drive the car. During the drive we noticed a vibration in the steering wheel between 60-80 miles per hour. The sales person advised us that the car simply needed to be balance since it has been sitting on the lot for for 4months and the tires had a dull spot. We scheduled the service 4 days after the purchase. After the dealer replaced the tires with brand new continental tires, aligned, road force balance the vehicle. The problem still persist. Nissan consumer affair said that the car was tuned to spec and that we would have to live with it. Can someone explain to me why I am paying for a defective car and cannot do anything about it. [email].
At highway speeds, the front end of my car "shimmy's". When applying normal pressure to the brake at highway speeds, this "shimmy" becomes a bit more pronounced. I have had all work on my car done at the dealers service center from where I purchased it. I have brought my car in for service on more than one occasion for this specific issue, and the technicians have not been able to diagnose the cause (tire pressure, wheel balance/alignment, struts) have all been looked at/replaced but have not corrected the issue. There are many online posts about this issue; therefore, it is not an uncommon occurrence and should be fixed via a recall - this is certainly a safety issue.
Steering complaints in other Maxima years
Frequently asked questions
How common are steering problems on the 2004 Nissan Maxima?
NHTSA has 37 complaints about the steering of the 2004 Nissan Maxima, 3% of the model year's 1,426 complaints. The component named most often is column (4 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2004 Nissan Maxima steering problems?
No. NHTSA lists no steering recall for the 2004 Nissan Maxima, though it has 2 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2004 Nissan Maxima steering problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 16,000 miles, and 53% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 0 fires and 1 injury to steering problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.