Transmission Stuck In Gear problems of the 2004 Nissan Maxima - part 1

Transmission is stuck in 5th gear when going forward. Shifting to reverse or attempting to downshift causes serious jerking (thump). The problem seems to be electronic in nature because restarting the vehicle would fix the problem when it first started occurring. Now, restarting the engine does not fix it. Nissan has certainly known about the problem for years, since many complaints occurred when the vehicles had fairly low mileage.

Transmission slips then bangs hard into gear. Also transmission get stuck in high gear. Just prior to the car getting stuck in high gear, the car stalls no matter what speed your going. When you restart the car, you are stuck in high gear. No other gears work.

While driving at a low rate of speed between 10-30mph the car rpm will shift up to 4-5 while still stuck in first gear then it will give a very hard jerk forward!!!! that's not safe.

The transmission slips frequently, often hesitation when switching from park/reverse/drive and when switching from 1st to 2nd or 2nd to 3rd. The slip often results in lack of power to the wheels and then a sudden jerk when it does finally kick in. It can be very dangerous when you pull into traffic and expect the vehicle to accelerate normally and instead get stuck between gears. Should be a recall on this transmission since it is apparent from online research that this is a very common occurrence.

Whenever I first crank my 2004 Nissan Maxima se up and shift the gearshift from park to reverse there would be a really hard kick and then when I shift it from reverse to drive it would kick really hard again. And then when I start moving forward it would be slow by picking up speed because it would be stuck in 5th gear instead of being in 1st gear like it suppose to be in. So other words it would take the Maxima 45 seconds to a minute to get to 55 to 60 mph. And I already have taken it to the Nissan dealership where I brought it from a total of three times before they finally told me its the transmission and that could cost me anywhere from $3500 up to $4000 just to get it rebuild. And I definitely don't have that kind of money to be spending on getting the transmission rebuilt. I have had this Maxima every since March 12, 2008 and its been good to me until this happen. So please could you help me? it would be much appreciated thanks.

Driving on the freeway at about 60 mph I noticed the engine light turned on and the cars power was gone. I continued to step on the gas but still no power at all. The transmission was stuck on 5th gear. Once I came to a complete stop and I press on the gas the engine just revs up with very little power. I take it to the dealership for them to confirm I needed a new transmission. I didn't want to pay $3,000 at a Nissan dealership so I decided to take it to my local mechanic in which he said he's worked on Maximas before with the same problem. He said the issue is in the valve body (part of the transmission) so he replaced it. I got the car back after a $1,500 bill and everything was working just fine. Until today 6-18-14, approximately two years from the first incident. Once again my transmission is stuck on 5th gear. Prior to this there was some jerking from 3-4 gear and a hard jerk from p to r. Here I am now facing another bill. This could of easily caused an accident and after numerous reports from other drivers Nissan needs to address this issue!.

I had gears banging and jerking from p-r, p-d, d-r, 2-3, 3-4, 4-3 and 3-2. Also when driving under 25mph, if I let off the gas to slow down, then accelerate, the rpms jump almost to redline, then the gear catches and rockets the car forward! very dangerous! also while driving I came to a stop at a red light, when the light turned green I pressed the gas pedal to find the car would accelerate very slowly. I shifted to manual mode to find the transmission was stuck in 5th gear. I pulled over, turned car off, restarted minutes later and it was fine. The next day I get in my car to find I had reverse, but its stuck in 5th gear again when shifted to d/manual. I have been without a car for 1 year and 6 months now because of this. Nissan knows about this defect, but will not admit it because they are making so much money selling $5,000 transmissions and $1,500 valve bodies. Not to mention labor fees and all the small parts to people trying to fix this themselves. Nissan made 8 different versions of this valvebody trying to get it right, but finally gave up and just put a cvt tranny in the 09' and newer Maximas. Leaving the 6th gen owners to fend for ourselves. I spent $15,000 on my Maxima, now I have to spend $5,000 every 2 years just to keep it? that's not right. Nissan you have lost my love and respect. Your about to lose me as a customer. You should show your loyal customers some real loyalty and recall the aw55-50/51sn re5f22a transmissions. Not only because this is your fault, but also because there are children that ride in these cars and its only a matter of time before someone is killed. Do you want a child's blood on your hands Nissan? man up and take responsibilty before that happens and maybe you'll save your company.

Transmission keeps jerking off. Gears get stuck.

2004 Nissan Maxima 5 speed automatic: has sever transmission problems. Slams in and out of gear and gets stuck between 3rd and 4th, 2nd and 3rd. There are thousands of complaints on the Nissan forums due to a manufacturer error in the valve bodies. Nissan will not issue a recall and this is a sever safety issue , the car can slam out of gear at any speed or shift down a gear while traveling at normal highway speeds. Every problem I have read about says this problem starts as soon as 40000 miles but usually around 75000 miles. I wish I never bought a Nissan and now I am scared to drive it at all and still owe over 10k on the Maxima. Please help get this recalled and fixed for thousands of motorist.

Have a 5 speed automatic 2004 Nissan Maxima. At approximately 70k the transmission began to violently kick between 2-3 gears. After a couple months of this condition the transmission kicked so bad that it became a safety issue as the car would pull right and at times out of my lane while driving in city traffic. As a result I replaced my transmission and now shortly thereafter the exact same issue reappeared. (~6months/ 5k miles) not only does my vehicle kick between 2nd-3rd gear, it is now getting stuck in 3rd gear and therefore can not be safely driven. I have been told by several Maxima sources that this is a known issue with the 2004 5 speed automatic (re5f22a) (aw 55-50sn) transmission. Research on internet has confirmed many instances that duplicate this issue.

Car jerks when going into 1st, 2nd or 3rd and has gotten stuck in 3rd gear when driving, had to put in manual gears in order to stop the vehicle. Also when putting in reverse car jerks and then when you go into drive the vehicle jerks again. A/c also went out about 6 months after owning the car, which was bought in 2009. Vehicle has been checked out by dealership and they do not know what the main problem is with the car, and said they would fix 2 things to see if it fixes the problem, only if I pay them about $3000. 00 to $3500. 00. Dealer does not know the root of the problem, however they want to charge for "what if's". Car also jerks when you break or slow down without using break system. I am afraid for my life and the life of my family.

I was driving my 2004 Nissan Maxima with 60,000 miles with my wife and I in the car. I was getting on the interstate using the ramp and once I merged into traffic the car would not accelerate. I had to jump off of the road because a tractor trailer was approaching and nearly ran over me. I had to drive off into the grass to keep from getting hit from behind. Problem is that the transmission is stuck in 5th gear. This would not allow me to accelerate in traffic. I am thankful that we were not killed by the oncoming traffic. . . . . . This problem has not been corrected and Nissan says they have no records of transmission problem similar to this with 2004 Maxima's. This is not true. I have researched the internet and there are thousands of complaint just like mine. Luckily I was not injured. Is that what it will take for Nissan to admit there is a problem? how can I get this resolved???.

Transmission problems on my car, stranded in the middle of nowhere. Let car rest for 10 minutes, then finally restarted only to find my car stuck in 5th gear with slow acceleration and high rpm if not careful. Car stopped in the middle of traffic in a very busy intersection. I do not know extent of damages (financial burden) as car is left in mechanic shop, but already depending on friends for a ride to work.

Last night while pulling out into a busy street, unknown to me my car was stuck in 5th gear. My vehicle has an automatic transmission. As a result, I could have been severely injured if not killed by the fast approaching traffic. No matter what I did I could not get the car out of 5th gear nor get my vehicle to accelerate. I had to travel very slowly and cautiously to get home. While home, I decided to research my problem with my car on the internet. To my surprise, there are tens of thousands of the same complaint with the exact same make of car listed on numerous web sites. The vehicle in question is a 2004 Nissan Maxima. From everything I have researched, Nissan north America will not do anything nor acknowledge this problem even exists. From a safety point of view, this problem is just as bad as a stuck accelerator. I wonder how many deaths have occurred because of this defect as many of those who may have been killed were not able to report what had occurred. With the number of 2004 Nissan Maxima's on the road and the number of incidents reported, the NHTSA and Nissan na should take immediate action to prevent further possible injury and death. My car is now stuck in 5th gear and I am afraid to drive it any longer as this defect can cause many dangerous situations to occur. I will be copying this complaint to the office of the connecticut state attorney general, richard blumenthal.

Approximately three months ago I noticed that my automatic transmission began slipping when shifting from 1st to 2nd gear. It would also slip when down-shifting from 2nd to 1st gear. I took it to the dealership to have the transmission fluid changed and have them check out the problem. They stated that they couldn't replicate the problem but as soon as I left the dealership the transmission began slipping again. As I was driving home I was making a left-hand turn and while I was accelerating my vehicle was stuck in first gear until the tachometer reached the red-line and then the transmission slammed the car into second gear launching my car into the adjacent turn lane and causing me to nearly miss an SUV. The problem has gotten progressively worse and after researching the topic, it appears as though the problem is caused by a Nissan engineering defect that causes the clutch to burn-up and debris to build-up in the transmission case. Nissan hasn't recalled any parts associated with the transmission and the dealership has stated that I will be responsible for the transmission rebuild or replacement. I'm worried that Nissan's poor-engineering will result in unpredictable acceleration, potential loss of handling, and down-shifting difficulties.

I purchased a brand new Nissan Maxima 8 yrs ago. For the last 2 yrs it has been given me problems with the transmission. The car will get stuck in between gears and then suddenly jerk will I'm driving, which is very scary and dangerous. I've noticed that it tends to get worse when it's hot or I am going incline. I've done some research and it seems to be a recurring problem with the 2004 and 2005 models. I purposely bought a brand new car to avoid these types of problems. I don't think it's fair that I have to pay $3,000 to fix it when it's obvious that it is a manufacture flaw. It's very frustrating to see so many complaints filed against this model, and Nissan not taking responsibility for it. I hope this can change soon.

2004 Nissan Maxima has 97,000 miles and transmission gets stuck in fifth gear. This is very dangerous because you have no exceleration. Dealer suggested changing fluid but I know this won't solve problem. These transmissions should last longer.

The car is an automatic and gets stuck in 5th gear. This happens at start-up, or while driving. When the vehicle slips into 5th on the open road, it is obviously sluggish and much slower than the flow of traffic, making an accident likely.

The car started to jerk from reverse into drive. This lasted for about two weeks. Then I started to notice that the transmission would jerk while down shifting from 2nd gear into 1st. When accelerating the transmission would pop into gear from 4th to 5th after passing 5k rpms. This lasted for about two months. In mid March the car had these problems but also started to jerk into gear from 2nd to third. At times after coming to a complete stop, the car would be stuck in 5th gear. I would have to turn the car off and turn it back on for it to engage 1st gear. Now on may 14, 2010 the car will not shift past 3rd gear and revs past 7k rpms without shifting.

I have a 2004 Nissan Maxima with a jerking problem from 1st into 2nd. . Then the car shut off turn it back on car was stuck in high gear. I have been told it is a transmission and it would need to be rebuilt. Below is a website that I found after researching this issue with a lot of complaints of other honest people just wanting to keep the car however, Nissan is aware of the problem. Please make them recall this transmission for we can only do so much. . . Read more...

We started having trouble with our 2004 Nissan Maxima the spring of 2009. After taking off several days of work to take it to the dealership for them to say nothing was wrong we finally took it to a dealership in des moines, iowa and they said we needed a new transmission. We had previously done a transmission flush, etc and it didn't fix the problem. Well it's been a little over a year and the transmission problem is back. I went to start the car today and it did not want to start (safety feature) my husband came down to look at it and the transmission is stuck in 5th gear. It shifts very rough. After reading message boards on all the transmission problems the Maxima has I thought I needed to post ours too in hopes that Nissan will have a recall and get this taken care of. We have spent a lot of time and money on this car and are highly disappointed. We will never buy another Nissan vehicle.

2004 Nissan Maxima se. 71k miles on car. The transmission is not shifting. The car is stuck in 5th gear and you can't even manually shift it out of 5th. There had been some jerking when the car was shifting from 1st to 2nd gear for a while before this happened.

The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that since August 2009, it became difficult to shift from first to second gear. The automatic transmission was stuck in 5th gear when the complaint was filed. The failure occurred intermittently. A local mechanic replaced the transmission fluid which remedied the shifting difficulties for approximately one week. The manufacturer and dealer have not been notified. The vehicle has not been repaired. The current mileage was 106,660 and the failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

We have been having problems with our transmission for a few months now, we took it to the dealership (cerritos Nissan) and they say the problem is that we need a new transmission. This will be our third tranny and the car only has 120,000+ miles on it. Our first transmission lasted 5yrs. Before having to be replaced and now this one has lasted 3yrs. The transmission now is stuck in 5th gear when you switch to the tip tronic setting to see the gearing and this is the reason there is no power during acceleration. We also need motor mounts now because of the violent jerking that the tranny does when put into gear. And the dealership also said we needed a timing chain replacement because it was bad as well, total repair cost $6700. 00+. I've recently taken my car to another mechanic and he said the timing chain was perfectly fine. Our driver side window switches do not work again, that was replaced 1yr ago. And we are now on our third set of front struts.

The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that the vehicle was stuck in high gear and would not shift. When he was able to shift into gear, the vehicle jerked violently. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer who stated that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The VIN was unavailable. The current mileage was approximately 140,000 and the failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

I purchased a 2004 Nissan Maxima in mid 2006 as a pre-owned vehicle. The problem began nearly a year ago when while driving on the freeway, it would automatically get stuck on 5th gear. I tried downshifting manually and the gear would be stuck on 5th gear. In order to temporarily fix the problem I would have to pull over, shut the engine off and put the gear in neutral in order to restart the car. At times it would be stuck on 5th gear, other times the transmission would be back to normal. When driving on city streets, the vehicle would jerk between gears. Took the car back to the dealership and they suggested that I replace a sensor in the transmission. I had the sensor replaced, now the vehicle jerks when changing gears. My neighbor across the street had the same car and also had the same problem and they had a choice to replace that transmission for a new transmission at a cost of $5000. My neighbor instead replaced the Maxima for a different car.

Car is slipping in and out of gear. Hesitates from reverse into drive and then it slips and bangs from 1st to 2nd and into 3rd. This past Saturday the car actually died on me and now it's stuck in 5th gear and non drivable which is unacceptable. Was told it would be around 4000 to rebuild which is money I don't have and I took car of this car. Transmissions should not fail with only 93,000 miles on it. There are thousands of complaints about this particular make and model year of the Maxima. Nissan needs to investigate and recall these cars because at this point it's a problem that needs to be handled now. I hope it doesn't take someone getting in a really bad accident because of this problem.

At about 35000 miles I noticed my vehicle jerking (initially it was mild, lately it has been violent jerks) when shifting gears. I was told by Nissan service tech's that I needed my trans. Fluid drained and filled at approx. 45k miles even though I had just had it done at 38k ( unbeknownst to them) after both fluid changes, the problem just worsened. Last Tuesday, my vehicle appeared to get stuck in 2nd gear while decelerating/ accelerating on the freeway. I nearly ran off of the road. I took my car in to the dealer today and they are now saying I need new motor mounts. I have read hundreds of complaints about the exact same problem in the exact same car. Nissan needs to acknowledge that the transmissions used in the 2004 Maximas are bad and recall/replace them before someone dies.

2004 Nissan Maxima se, transmission does not engage properly, constant knock between 2nd and 3rd gear, also gets stuck on 5th gear.

Im having safety issue with 2004 Nissan Maxima, the transmission get stuck in high gear and shift very hard, my car only has 65 k miles and this seen like a problem that has happened to a lot of maxim.

Nissan Maxima 2004 transmission is only stuck on fifth gear and will not function right after taking it to the dealership to get it fixed.

Vehicle idles and stalls out. When started back up, the transmission is stuck in 5th gear.

2004 Nissan Maxima se - bought car in July 2003 brand new. Car now has 102000 miles and the transmission is stuck in 5th gear. Car slams into all gears prior to 5th. Dealership performed the $600+ maintenance service call, including transmission flush. Car operated correctly for one day. Returned car to and dealership who could not diagnose the problem and now wants $4000+ for a new transmission. Dealership even contacted manufacturer to try and find a resolution. We are only given the option of replacing the transmission. Infuriating to see that this is obviously a manufacturing problem and yet consumers are being forced to pay for their shoddy work. Unacceptable as far as I am concerned. This transmission needs to be recalled ASAP. This is not coincidence with this model, it's a manufacturing flaw that needs to be addressed. Vehicles are too expensive to have to replace transmissions for $4000 at 102000 miles. Please address this fleecing or Maxima owners. Obviously based on prior complaints there will be more owners in the future with similar problems.

The automatic transmisson on my 2004 Nissan Maxima gets stuck in 5 gear and there is a very violent hard jerk when shifting from drive to reverse then back to drive. I have to park the car and shut it off for about 30-60 seconds for the gears to resto reset the gears back to first gear. I'm able to see the gears are stuck in 5th gear by shifting to manual and display on my dashboard shows the gear is in 5th gear. The engine light came on and I took my Maxima to the Nissan dealer. Nissan told me the transmisson needed to be replaced based on the codes and was going to charge over $4000. I got a second opinion from and the failure codes indicated the cam shaft sensor was bad. They replaced the cam shaft sensor and the problem went away for a little while but the stuck in 5th gear problem still exists. Replacing the cam shaft sensor didn't resolve the hard violent jerk problem. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

My CA r began slipping and jerking every now and then. After it got worse, I took it to dobbs Nissan. They said I needed a tune up and a transmission flush. I paid $500 but it did not fix the problem. Now it's worse than ever. It jerks anytime going from 2 to 3rd gear and sometimes gets stuck in 5th gear. After looking for similar problems and solutions on the internet, I saw that many people owning a 2004 Nissan Maxima are having the same problem. See comments below: 14th Dec 2005, 18:15 I have a 2004 Maxima se automatic with 59,000 miles. For about 5 months the car bangs and jerks when accelerating and decelerating. The problem has been getting worse as time goes on. This happens before the car shifts into 2nd gear or as it shifts into 2nd. My mechanic told me it was a motor mount problem and it will cost approximately $800 to fix. I am not very happy about this. Has anyone had a similar problem with their Maxima? fix the spelling and grammar delete this comment vote: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 31st Dec 2005, 12:37 I have the same issue. The car jerks when it switches from 1st to 2nd gear. It's a 2004 Maxima sl. I complained about it. After a few weeks, they spoke with some technicians and they said there's a piece that needs to be changed in the transmission - turbine sensor. After the fix, the car got better for a couple of months or so, but now I have the same issue again. I'm still researching it, I just don't want to give it to Nissan technicians and they perform the guess-work again. . Fix the spelling and grammar delete this comment vote: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1st Apr 2006, 21:17 there is much to love about my 04 Maxima se, but there are some annoying problems too. The big one is the fact that the transmission slips quite often, especially between 1st and 2nd gear. The motor revs probably 1000 rpm or so bef.