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 Titan owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I purchased this truck on 04/05/18 from Harbor motors Lihue Kauai, and not even a week into having this truck it started acting up, overheating, the truck wouldn't turn over, suspensions, the four-wheel-drive wouldn't disengage, when you turn the key to start the vehicle it would make a clicking noise before starting, the AC would work when it wanted to, and the transmission and engine started knocking. The next week I went running errands and when I pulled out of my yard the truck started jerking then pressed the gas and it revved really high before slamming into drive. Since then I haven't driven the truck. And today it looks like someone just smashed into the front driver light to the side and smashed it while being parked at the place I purchased the truck from. I've continuously asked for help with little to no help at all. …
Tl contact owns a 2004 Nissan Titan. While driving 5 MPH, the contact attempted to apply the brakes, but the vehicle would not stop. The contact almost struck two pedestrians. She had to apply the emergency brake in order to stop the vehicle. The dealer stated that the ABS caused the failure. The powertrain was unknown. The current and failure mileages were 79,000. The consumer stated on 3/26/07 was in a car accident, the vehicle failed to stop at signal and she hit the rear of a pick up and pushed the vehicle in front to hit another vehicle. The consumer stated the other person sustained back injury. The dealer stated ticking noise coming from engine, rear door weather strip is hanging, exhaust leak sound when accelerating, and oil pressure gauge is pegging high. Updated 11/08/07
I noticed in May, 2016 that a paint spot about the size of a quarter on top of my right front fender was missing. I have noticed that my paint seems to be chipping along the edges. When I was loading up my truck this weekend, I noticed that the paint on my roof is chipping all along the rain gutters on both sides.
Can not read computer-generated information in daylight, cloudy or otherwise. Includes gear indicator, tow mode, mileage, air conditioning, etc. Had an army lt. Col. On his knees trying to read the gauges as we were driving through las vegas, nv. Prior to this trip out west, all of my driving had been local and infrequent (I use a more economical car for in-town/local driving), and the speedometer is not computer generated. This is unsafe and I do not wish to be killed trying to see the dash instruments. I have driven with the rheostat turned all the way up, with no effect/benefit. I bought this truck to tow my trailer and travel. I am unsafe during daylight and towing a trailer at night is not acceptable nor practical. I called the manufacturer (Nissan) who directed me to take the vehicle to my local dealer (jenkins in lakeland, fl). While the head of service (mr. …
Rear axle seals on my Nissan 2004 Titan have been replaced 4 times in the last 2 years, I just had them replaced and the new seals are leaking. This is due to a poorly designed axle by Nissan; of course they will not stand behind their poor design. The bulletin put out by the car manufacture is to replace the axle's being both sides in the rear at a cost of thousands should Nissan do the work. I find this very disturbing as do thousands of other 04, 05, 06 model year Titan owners. The real problem is if gone undetected by some, the rear can lose all of its oil causing the rear to lock up! This could and would kill people if the accident were bad enough. The second issue here is and I quote, ?c'mon Nissan, stand behind your product and recall what could be a fatal situation here? Unquote?. …
Tl contact owns a 2004 Nissan Titan. While the vehicle was parked the contact was unable to immediately open the front passenger side door due to inclement weather. When the door opened the contact was unable to close it. The failure always occurred whenever it was extremely cold. The manufacturer stated that they were unable to provide assistance because the warranty expired and because of the high mileage. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 55,000. . Updated 03/03/11 the consumer stated the drier's door exterior door handle would freeze when the temperature dropped below 20 degrees. The door handle would become very stiff or hard to open. Once the door was opened, the latch would not catch and therefore the door would not shut. Updated 03/09/11
I've been having problems with a leak in the roof. I always noticed a damp musty smell after it rained but never found anything other than rear sliding window was damp until after a heavy rain I made a sharp left and caught out of the corner of my eye water flying out of the sliding window track. I've tried looking to see where it was coming from but can't find the exact location. Let me point out I never use the rear window. After months and yrs of frustration I siliconed the entire rear window and took off brake light and did that too but still getting water. I've read online its very common problem with no remedy yet.
The issue I am having is with my 2004 Nissan Titan. When it gets cold out, all of the door handle freeze and won't open. If you are lucky after a few hours and you do get it open, you can't get them shut. Several times I had to tie the seat belt around the interior door handle in addition to holding the door close so I could get home. I took my car to ricart Nissan and they said it will $1000 to fix all 4 doors. So, I contacted Nissan directly and they refused to fix it. This is a serious safety issue and someone is going to get injured and/or killed.
Poor build and engineering quality of truck. Multiple, unresolved problems. Faulty brakes, ac, structure create many issues. Multiple rattles, squeaks, vibration at speed etc. Wind noise from windows. Door won't open intermittently. Mirrors vibrate to point of uselessness. Found 2 impact sockets when I brought it home, sockets were on bolts that were not tightened down... Makes me wonder how much in the structure and suspension has not been properly tightened. 9 dealer visits in 9 months. Tailgate rubs on body, bed rusting, in arizona!!! Lemon!
The wiring harness, in the back door has broken, because of a Nissan engineering problem, both the harness and wires have broken, which according to NHTSA the front passenger side airbag will not deploy, resulting in my having an unsafe truck according to NHTSA, I contacted Nissan and was told that the campaign had ended, so they refuse to repair my truck according to the guidelines set by NHTSA. At what point does Nissan decide that they can decide which trucks to repair, I have to wonder how many other unsafe Nissan trucks are on the highways.
Body complaints in other Titan years
Frequently asked questions
How common are body problems on the 2004 Nissan Titan?
NHTSA has 23 complaints about the body & structure of the 2004 Nissan Titan, 2% of the model year's 1,046 complaints. The component named most often is body (9 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2004 Nissan Titan body problems?
No. NHTSA lists no body & structure recall for the 2004 Nissan Titan, though it has 5 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 Titan body problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 38,000 miles, and 47% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 0 fires and 5 injuries 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.