2004 Nissan Maxima problems & reliability
1,425 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2004 Nissan Maxima, alongside 2 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
22 complaints report injuries (30 injured, 2 deaths reported).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2004 Nissan Maxima vehicles were involved in 49 fatal crashes with 42 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Power Train | 934 | 66% |
| Tires | 141 | 10% |
| Suspension | 102 | 7% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 70 | 5% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 61 | 4% |
| Electrical System | 56 | 4% |
| Structure | 56 | 4% |
| Engine | 51 | 4% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 38 | 3% |
| Steering | 37 | 3% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 80,000 miles (middle 50% between 58,000 and 100,000 miles), based on 1,159 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle made an abnormally loud popping sound, and the contact noticed that the sky view roof glass had shattered. The contact stated that pieces of shattered glass had fallen inside the vehicle. The contact pulled over to the side of…”
Visibility · filed Mar 28, 2025
“UNKNOWN - I recently purchased this vehicle today from a private seller on April 18, 2023. Previous owner had stated the driver seat adjuster motor(to move the seat forward and backwards) has never functioned properly and gets stuck in the far back position or rotates counterclockwise at times(while remaining in the…”
Seats · filed Apr 19, 2023
“04v326000 one of the recall number the other is 05v512000 not sure what to do at this point I've changed my timing chain also already I also received a letter stating if I had to replace it to contact nissan I believe I'm just getting the run around”
Unknown OR Other · filed Mar 21, 2021
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- GLASS ROOF SHATTERING
Preliminary Evaluation PE04035 · opened Apr 12, 2004 · closed Jul 13, 2004 · led to recall 04V326000
Technical service bulletins
114 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2004 Nissan Maxima. The 10 most recent:
CERTIFICATION LABEL AND VIN PLATE REPLACEMENT SERVICE INFORMATION Because of collision damage or other vehicle repair, a replacement “Certification Label” or “VIN Plate/Label” may be needed. HINT: Certification Label =…
NTB09-131C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 13, 2026
CERTIFICATION LABEL AND VIN PLATE REPLACEMENT SERVICE INFORMATION Because of collision damage or other vehicle repair, a replacement “Certification Label” or “VIN Plate/Label” may be needed. HINT: Certification Label =…
NTB09-131C · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 13, 2026
VEHICLE KEY NOT DETECTED / AUTHENTICATED, ENGINE WILL NOT START This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
NTB13-107G · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 21, 2024
WINDOW GLASS WARRANTY INFORMATION This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
NTB17-019H · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 30, 2024
REMOVING FOREIGN MATERIAL FROM THE WINDOW GLASS This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
NTB13-028I · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 30, 2024
WINDSHIELD CRACKING This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
NTB09-081K · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 30, 2024
Expiration Notification - Maxima/Altima Floor Pan ***** Dealer Announcement ***** On October 28, 2022, in connection with the court-approved settlement of class action litigation filed in Missouri, Nissan launched a…
PC926 04-08 Maxi · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 1, 2023
VOLUNTARY SERVICE CAMPAIGN 2002-2006 ALTIMA AND 2004-2008 MAXIMA; FLOOR PAN Voluntary Service Campaign ID # PC926 is no longer active. ï · Repair orders opened after this bulletinâ s published date are no longer…
NTB22-095A · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 1, 2023
DIAGNOSIS OF VEHICLE PULL (DRIFT) AND/OR STEERING WHEEL OFF-CENTER This bulletin has been amended. See AMENDMENT HISTORY on the last page. Please discard previous versions of this bulletin.
NTB08-097L · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 21, 2023
SILICONE-BASED LUBRICANT OR GREASE CAN DAMAGE ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS SERVICE INFORMATION Do not apply Silicone-based lubricants or grease to, or around, any interior electrical components. To avoid the risk of death or…
NTB23-053 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 16, 2023
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2004 Nissan Maxima has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2004 Nissan Maxima?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 80,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.