Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (doors, hood, frame, rust, paint and trim).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2004 Nissan Quest owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I took the vehicle in for some maintenance/repair to the front axle on 1/16/2020 and the mechanic found that the subframe on the passenger side of the vehicle by the front tire was severely rusted to the point where he can push his finger through the side of the frame. He told me he could not believe I had not had an accident because in his opinion hitting a medium size chuckhole in the roadway could cause the right front of the vehicle to completely collapse. The mechanic indicated this did not happen overnight and has been ongoing. The vehicle has been parked in a garage at my home during its use since it was purchased new by me and not routinely left parked on the street. The mechanic advised me that in his opinion it was not safe to drive the vehicle very far.
While applying the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to accelerate. Within seconds of parking the vehicle a fire occurred. The vehicle displayed a dangerously slow acceleration as if the transmission was in the wrong gear when trying to accelerate the vehicle. There was also poor fuel economy (11.6 to 12.1 mpg instead of the normal 19-26 mpg). Also, within the first few weeks of ownership, the power sliding door on the right side opened independently on two occasions and failed to open or close on several occasions, there were problems with the control buttons, the radio text display on the dash read malfunction multiple times and sometimes it occured when the engine was started. There was a problem with the catalytic converter.
We recently had to change the alternator and noticed on the passenger side front the subframe has a large hole in it and is completely not safe to drive and nothing has been hit there and it has not been in an accident related to that area at all, vehicle was parked at my home when this was found and still is I did not take any pictures at that time of the rotting hole in the subframe I can get pictures but we will have to remove right side front tire so please let me know if this has to be done.
Tamara inflators, sent my van to my local Nissan dealer for brake repairmen. I was told since the front subframe at passenger side had severe rust area, my van is not safe to drive. It will cost me more than $4,000 to replace. I checked internet. There are many same problems occurred on 2004 Quest. It looks like the defect of materials to me.
I got out of the car, turned it off and went on the house minutes later the car was on fire. The flames were big and they were in the front passenger side of the engine. I had just drove the car about an hour, there was no smell no sound no indicator lights nothing. The flames were big and car went up fast.
Children was entering vehicle and door spontaneously closed on hand. This has happened periodically since, but never with the exact same circumstances. Ie opened door to load packages, turned back around and door started closing.
Van right auto sliding door flew open on my 3 children going 50mph 11 yr. Old son had to hold door closed with his body and feet until safely stop. Door going back and forth, would not stay closed, would not stay opened!!! Dealership had to unhook battery to get the door to disengage! Said probably minor problem. Contacted sales dept - problems from 1st week with van. No contact for several days, contacted them. Would be a week or two to replace part. No call again. Called them 4th week. Serv. Dept. Said new bulletin (not a recall) did not have replace. Part. When picked up in summer began to have major rattling in side doors, rear door, 2nd & 3rd row seats. Took back to dealership, did some adjustments needs body shop work, to set up apointment. No call. Door came open again with my children +2 onboard while driving. …
Nissan Quest 2004 service engine soon light on and problems with steering. The service engine soon light had come on 3 times, creaking was felt in the steering wheel and or the front end, sounds were heard coming from the engine compartment, computer tire monitor indicated a flat tire and or low tire pressure during cold weather, the vehicle would run for five minutes then go up to 4 degrees higher (over inflated), when the weather was warm, the setting would then be above 40 psi which was dangerous to drive if not adjusted (incorrect results on the display), SRS light had come on after recall campaign #04V103000 was performed, driver's side power window was intermittent, sliding doors made loud bump noise when opened all the way, especially on inclines, heat outlets located on the floor behind the first row seat can't be controlled by the passenger rear controls, the dome lights were …
Driving my 2004 Nissan Quest with approx 61000 miles at 55 MPH on local highway when it sounded like the side of car was hit. I pulled over and found my passenger power sliding door rail cover, a piece (~4ft by 5 to 8 inches) had nearly completely detached from the car except for bent back bracket. I could not remove (piece wedge into tail light) so I pushed it in as best as possible and drove home. Very fortunate the piece did not detach completely and hit the vehicle behind. This could have caused some serious damage, maybe even hurt someone. I found other reports of this safety/design problem occurring with 2004 Quest. The metal cover was bent, the taillight assembly cracked around the edge and some nasty scratches in the paint. This piece is attached by small plastic grommet clips that seem brittle. …
A newly purchased 2004 Nissan Quest with current mileage of around 4,800 miles when incident happened. While driving on highway, the driver side rear tire suddenly bent and smoke came out. Van was then towed back to dealership and found that the cross member was broken off. Dealership denied warranty coverage because service manager thought that such damage May have been caused by a collision, because he saw a few light scratches and a smaller than 2cm mark on the rim. I am sure that the van was not hit by anything when the tire was bent. The scratches and little mark could be caused by pulling over to shoulder with a bent tire. I pointed to the service manager that the joint of the broken cross member was full of rust, a sign of incomplete sealed over a period of time, obviously not a new damage caused by an accident. …
Body complaints in other Quest years
Frequently asked questions
How common are body problems on the 2004 Nissan Quest?
NHTSA has 70 complaints about the body & structure of the 2004 Nissan Quest, 16% of the model year's 445 complaints. The component named most often is body › door (30 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2004 Nissan Quest body problems?
No. NHTSA lists no body & structure recall for the 2004 Nissan Quest, though it has 4 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 Quest body problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 20,000 miles, and 56% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 2 fires and 6 injuries and 4 deaths to body & structure 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.