Problems · by component
2004 Nissan Maxima vehicle speed control problems
38 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2004 Nissan Maxima cite vehicle speed control, 3% of all 1,426 complaints for this model year.
Complaints
38
3% of all complaints
Crashes
7
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
2
Reported by owners
What owners say about the vehicle speed control
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“ME AND MY BOYFRIEND WERE SOLD THIS CAR FOR 2500 AND THE CAR NEEDED A NEW BATTERY, A NEW CONVERTER . ONCE I BROUGHT THOSE ITEMS AND PUT THEM IN THE CAR STARTED HAVING COMPRESSION PROBLEMS TO THE POINT IT HAS A SLOW TAKE OFF , CANNOT GO UP HILLS , AND WE HAVE TO SHIFT GEARS JUST FOR IT TO MOVE .. THIS CAR WAS SOLD TO US LIKE THIS AND WE ALMOST FELL OFF A CLIFF BECAUSE OF THE COMPRESSION PROBLEM AND NOT BEING ABLE TO GO UP ANY HILLS .. THE PEOPLE WHO SOLD US THE CAR SAID THEY WILL NOT FIX THE PROBLEM OR REFUND OUR MONEY .”
“THE TRANSMISSION IN THIS CAR GETS VERY JERKY AND CAUSES EITHER DELAYED OR UNEXPECTED ACCELERATION WHICH IS VERY HAZARDOUS WHILE DRIVING IN HIGH TRAFFIC AREAS. FROM WHAT I'VE READ, THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM FOR THIS VEHICLE.”
“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 30MINS OF A CONSTANT DRIVE IT STALLS OUT AND I'M STUCK IN 5TH GEAR ....PLEASE HELP! *TR”
“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 NISSAN MAXIMA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE UNINTENDED ACCELERATED WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DEPRESSING THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL TO ACCELERATE THE VEHICLE WOULD HESITATE TO RESPOND BEFORE SUDDENLY SURGING FORWARD AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100,000.”
“WHILE PICKING MY NEW, USED MAXIMA 2004 FROM DEALER, PULLING OUT OF THE LOT AND WAITING FOR CLEARANCE TO GET ON HIGHWAY, I PROCEEDED TO TURN ONTO HW & IT STALLED & ALTERNATOR LIGHT CAME ON & "CHECK ENGINE" IT HASN'T SHUT OFF YET, I FELT LIKE I WAS IN A HORRIBLE NIGHTMARE.. I THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO GET HIT BECAUSE CARS WERE COMING, I QUICKLY PUT HAZARDS ON, AND PUT IT IN NEUTRAL AND TRIED TO START IT, IT WAS TRYING TO TURN OVER AS I WAS PUMPING THE GAS PEDAL LIKE A JACK HAMMER, I FINALLY FLOORED IT & IT STARTED NOT WITHOUT WHIPLASH TO MY NECK, MY CHEST HIT THE STEERING WHEEL BECAUSE IT JERKED SOOOOO HARD INTO GEAR !!!. I PUT IT IN DRIVE AND WAS SO NERVOUS BECAUSE CARS WERE HONKING & SWEARING AT ME...I WAS TOTALLY SHOCKED AND GREATLY DISAPPOINTED THAT I ALMOST CAUSED MULTIPLE CAR COLLISION. I CALLED MGR AT DEALERSHIP WHEN I GOT HOME & HE SAID " JUST CALL SERVICE AND MAKE AN APPT. I SAID I JUST LEFT YOUR LOT W/NEW PLATES AND TOLD HIM WHAT HAD JUST HAPPENED, HE SAID " I HAVE NOTHING TO DO W/SERVICE, SO CALL THEM IN THE A.M. & MAKE AN APPT." DIDN'T EVEN APOLOGIZE. I GOT ANXIETY BECAUSE I'M 47 YRS OLD AND HAD QUITE A FEW CARS AND I KNOW WHEN A CAR JERKS, GOES FROM…”
“WHEN EVER I SHIFT TO REVERSE THE CAR PAUSES AND THEN JERKS. I TOOK IT TO THE SHOP AND HAD NEW MOTOR MOUNT PUT IN TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM. FOR A FEW DAYS YOU COULD BARELY FEEL THE JERKING WHEN SWITCHING TO REVERSE. LITERALLY BY THE NEXT WEEK IT WAS BAD ALL OVER AGAIN AND THE JERKING RETURNED. ALSO, SOMETIMES WHEN I AM DRIVING I CAN FEEL THE CAR, TO MY KNOWLEDGE, SWITCHING GEARS. FOR EXAMPLE, THIS MORNING I WAS DRIVING TO WORK AND GOING ONLY AROUND 25MPH AND AS I STARTED TO ACCELERATE THE CAR JERKED AND SLOWED DOWN FOR ABOUT 5 SECONDS BEFORE IT RETURNED TO MY NORMAL SPEED. THIRDLY, THE POWER LOCKS ARE NOT CONSISTENT. WHEN I LOCK MY DOORS WITH THE AUTOMATIC LOCK ON THE KEYS OR EVEN BY PRESSING THE POWER LOCKS ON THE DOOR HANDLE IT WILL ONLY LOCK THE FRONT RIGHT PASSENGER AND THE BACK LEFT PASSENGER DOOR. THIS CAN BE VERY FRUSTRATING AS I HAVE LEFT MY CAR DOORS UNLOCKED UNKNOWINGLY. *TR”
Showing 6 of 38 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 9, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.