How many recalls does the 2004 Nissan Maxima have?

NHTSA lists 2 recalls for the 2004 Nissan Maxima model year. Whether one car had the recall work done depends on that car, so check its VIN with NHTSA.

What is the WhipWorthy verdict on the 2004 Nissan Maxima?

Pass. 9.1 times the usual owner complaints. The verdict weighs this year against the other years of the Maxima, from owner complaints filed with NHTSA, which are unverified and not adjusted for how many cars were sold.

2004 Nissan Maxima: problems, recalls, verdict

Our take: the data says look elsewhere. Owners filed 9.1 times the complaints of a typical year of this model.

Year verdict

Past 100,000 miles

Locked

How the dial was counted

Year verdict: Typical year: 99 complaints, the median of 5 nearby years, leaving out 2000, 2005 and 2006, which were high themselves. Each counted over its first 8 years from January 2003; this one had 902.

Same car, better year: 1998 or 2002 Maxima (both Worthy)

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WhipWorthy sticker

2004 Nissan Maxima

Complaints1,426Filed in all
Loading owner complaints
Recalls2On file
Loading recalls
CrashNoneNo overall stars
Loading crash ratings
MPG21Combined, EPA
Loading fuel economy

Complaints are unverified owner reports, not adjusted for how many were sold.

Compare this car Every Maxima year

Car report

Save this car to My Garage and see its recalls at a glance.Car Hunt Pass or Pro

Value signals

We do not price cars.

These help you judge whether this one is worth its price.

This year has 2 costly problem zones. Which lie ahead at your miles comes with a Car Hunt Pass or Pro. See plans
Loading costly problem zones ahead
Fuel: $3,050 a year.The EPA’s estimate for 15,000 miles a year, 55% in town, at its fuel prices. Each version
Loading the EPA's yearly fuel cost
Have the VIN? Check it is this car, and see its open recalls at NHTSA.
VIN
On the dash at the base of the windshield, or on the driver’s door sticker.

What about the price? Check the asking price on two listing sites. Buying from a dealer? Run its offer through the offer X ray.

Education, not financial or mechanical advice. Have any used car checked by a mechanic you trust before you buy.

The full record

Tap to open

What owners complain about

1,426 complaints; the part named most is the transmission and drivetrain

Unverified reports, not adjusted for sales. One complaint can name several parts, so shares add up past 100%. Filed Oct 21, 2003 to Sep 24, 2026. 74% name a part that is usually costly to fix.

Owners reported 33 crashes, 16 fires, 30 injuries and 2 deaths in these complaints.

Transmission and drivetrain934 · 65%Usually costly to fix
Wheels and tires153 · 11%
Engine121 · 8%Usually costly to fix

What one owner wrote about the transmission and drivetrain

When in motion the transmission starts to slip in 1 and 2 gear then 4 and 5 gear jumps out of gear then goes in to limp mode

Filed Jan 18, 2020NHTSA complaint 113002371 of 18 owner quotes

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15 more parts, and 18 owner quotes

Every part owners name for the 2004 Nissan Maxima, with their own words about what went wrong. Usually costly to fix among them: Body and frame.

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SourceOwner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2004 Nissan Maxima. NHTSA, checked Nov 4, 2026.

Seller kit

Questions for the seller, test drive checks and price points

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Walk up to the seller ready

Questions to ask the seller of a 2004 Nissan Maxima, built from this year's owner complaints and recalls. What to feel, hear and look at on the test drive, with boxes to tick at the car. Honest points to raise on price, from the records and never from guesses. Copy the questions to your phone in one tap.

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Write your offer

A ready to send offer for the seller, by text or email

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Send the seller a fair offer

Type the asking price and your own offer for the 2004 Nissan Maxima, tick what you found, and get a polite message ready to text or email. Its reasons come from this year's owner complaints, recalls and crash ratings, and never from made up repair prices.

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When problems show up

Transmission and drivetrain: the middle complaint around 80,000 miles

The bar holds the middle half of the complaints that gave a mileage; the dark mark is the middle one. 524 complaints of 1,426 gave one. Owners file when something fails, so this shows when problems were reported, not how long the cars last.

Transmission and drivetrainCostly65,000 to 100,000 mi
Half of these 391 complaints came between about 65,000 and 100,000 miles, the middle one around 80,000.

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Mileage for 4 more parts, 1 usually costly

The mileage band for every part owners name, and your car's miles laid across them.

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SourceMileage from owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2004 Nissan Maxima. NHTSA, checked Nov 4, 2026.

Will it outlast the loan?

The month of your loan each problem zone lands in

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4 problem zones to lay against your loan, 2 usually costly

See whether each lands while you still owe, the month and what you would owe then, or whether your miles have already reached it.

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Recalls

2 recalls on file

Not every car needs every fix. Run the VIN at NHTSA to see which are still open. Repairs are usually free at a dealer for the brand; ask before any work.

Seats
Nov 7, 2005 · Recall 05V512000
On certain passenger vehicles equipped with the driver preferred package, the wire harness from the driver's seat power lumbar support switch may be routed incorrectly and could be pinched under the driver seat.
What can happen
A pinched harness, in combination with driving vibration, may result in a short circuit in the harness that could lead to a fire in the seat.
The fix
Dealers will replace the wire harness and route it correctly. The recall began on january 16, 2006. Owners may contact Nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
Windows, wipers and visibility
Jul 7, 2004 · Recall 04V326000
On certain passenger vehicles equipped with skyview roofs, the glass for the roof may not have been quenched properly after the forming process, resulting in temper imbalance.
What can happen
This could create excessive internal stress in the glass and eventually cause the glass to shatter, creating a risk of injury.
The fix
Dealers will inspect and replace the glass in the skyview roof. The recall began on september 7, 2004. Owners should contact Nissan at 1-800-647-7261.

SourceRecalls listed by NHTSA for the 2004 Nissan Maxima. NHTSA, checked Nov 4, 2026.

Crash ratings

No overall rating given

NHTSA's stars out of five, for each version it tested. Front crash stars only compare cars of about the same size and weight. The tests changed for 2011 models, so these stars do not line up with newer ones.

2004 Nissan Maxima 4-DR. w/SAB
Overall
Not rated
Front
Not rated
Side
Not rated
Rollover
Not rated
Stability control
Optional
Forward collision warning
Not listed by NHTSA
Lane departure warning
Not listed by NHTSA

NHTSA investigations: 1

SourceNHTSA crash ratings for the 2004 Nissan Maxima. NHTSA, checked Nov 3, 2026.

Fuel economy

21 mpg combined, across 3 versions

The EPA's estimates for each engine and transmission, and its own yearly fuel cost. Yours depends on how you drive and the shape the car is in. Figures for 2007 and older use the EPA's 2008 method, so they may be lower than the original sticker.

Auto (S5), 6 cyl, 3.5 L
Maxima · Front wheel drive · Regular gas
City
18 mpg
Highway
26 mpg
Combined
21 mpg
Miles per gallon. Yearly fuel, EPA$3,050
This one on fueleconomy.gov
Auto 4-spd, 6 cyl, 3.5 L
Maxima · Front wheel drive · Regular gas
City
18 mpg
Highway
25 mpg
Combined
21 mpg
Miles per gallon. Yearly fuel, EPA$3,050
This one on fueleconomy.gov
Man 6-spd, 6 cyl, 3.5 L
Maxima · Front wheel drive · Regular gas
City
18 mpg
Highway
27 mpg
Combined
21 mpg
Miles per gallon. Yearly fuel, EPA$3,050
This one on fueleconomy.gov

SourceEPA fuel economy data, fueleconomy.gov. EPA, checked Nov 4, 2026.

True cost to own

The loan, fuel, insurance and upkeep, a month and over 5 years

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What it really costs to own

What the 2004 Nissan Maxima costs a month and over 5 years: the loan and its interest, fuel worked out from the EPA's figures for the version you pick, and your own insurance, registration and upkeep. A cost a mile, a link that reopens your numbers, and the breakdown copied to your phone in one tap.

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Every year of the Maxima

20 Worthy, 2 Maybe, 4 Pass, of 29 years on file

Owner complaints for each model year, this one outlined. Tap a year to open it. The newest 2 are not judged yet. Bars are totals, so older years stand taller; the verdict compares every year at the same age.

Before you buy this one

5 checks, with a close look at the transmission and drivetrain

Built from this year's numbers. Whatever the data says, the car in front of you is the one that counts.

Run the VIN at NHTSA to confirm every recall was fixed.
This year has 2 recalls on file. Recall repairs are usually free at a dealer for the brand. Ask the dealer to confirm before any work is done. Look up a VIN at NHTSA.
Ask the seller for the service records.
Look closely for any work on the transmission and drivetrain. It is the part owners complain about most for this year.
Have a mechanic you trust inspect it before you pay.
Ask them to look hard at the transmission and drivetrain. It is usually costly to fix.
Look at a vehicle history report.
It can show reported crashes, flood or salvage titles, and mileage that does not add up.
On the test drive, pay attention to the transmission and drivetrain.
Feel for slipping, hesitation, harsh or late shifts, and shudder at low speed.

Going to see it? Take the checklist52 checks with the bad signs to look for, saved on your phone.

Check this exact car

The verdict is about the model year. These checks are about the one in front of you. Most are free or a few dollars.

VIN for these checks

Copy it, then paste it into each check. Nothing is sent until you open one.

Official checks on this VIN

Open recallsFree
NHTSA
Safety recalls on this VIN that are not fixed yet, from the last 15 years.
A recall already fixed does not show.
Check recalls at NHTSAnhtsa.gov (opens in a new tab)
Theft and total lossFree
NICB VINCheck
Whether an insurer reported it stolen and not found, or wrote it off as a total loss.
Only insurer records. Five checks a day.
Open NICB VINChecknicb.org (opens in a new tab)
Title brandsA few dollars
NMVTIS, the federal title system
Salvage, flood, junk and rebuilt brands from any state, and the last miles on the title.
No repairs, service or recalls. Sold by approved sellers listed on the site.
See the approved sellersvehiclehistory.bja.ojp.gov (opens in a new tab)
Title statusVaries by state
The state motor vehicle office
Whether the title is branded in that state and, where the state offers it, whether a lender still has a lien.
It will not name the owner. Each state asks its own way, and some only by mail. Ask to see the seller’s title too.
Find your state’s officeusa.gov (opens in a new tab)

What a paid report adds

A history report such as Carfax or AutoCheck pulls in more of the car’s past than these checks can:

Crashes and damage reported by police, insurers or shops, even when it was fixed.
Service visits that shops reported, with the miles each time.
How many owners, for how long, and the states it was registered in.
Whether it was a rental, fleet or lease car, when that was reported.

It only knows what was reported to it. A clean report is not proof of a clean car. Ask the seller first: many dealers hand one over for free.

Red flags in a history

Salvage title
Usually an insurer called it a total loss. In most states it cannot be driven on the road until it is rebuilt and inspected.
Rebuilt title
A salvage car that was fixed and passed a state check. It can be fine, but it is worth less, can be harder to insure, and needs a careful inspection.
Flood damage
Water can ruin wiring and sensors months later. Be wary of a flood brand that vanished after a move to another state.
Lemon or maker buyback
The maker bought it back over a defect it could not fix. Ask what the defect was and how it was fixed.
Odometer rollback
A mileage reading lower than an earlier one, or a title marked not actual miles.
Many owners, fast
Three owners in two years can mean a problem each one passed along.
Gaps in the records
Years with no service or registration. Ask why: it may have sat, been off the road, or been rebuilt.

Title words and rules differ by state. Not legal advice.

Before you pay

Pre purchase inspection
Have a mechanic you choose, not the seller, put it on a lift and look it over before you pay.
Insurance quote
Get a quote on this exact car before you sign. Ask your own insurer and one or two others.

Model year	Owner complaints	Verdict
1995	169	Worthy
1996	106	Worthy
1997	112	Worthy
1998	118	Worthy
1999	176	Worthy
2000	377	Maybe
2001	181	Worthy
2002	220	Worthy
2003	206	Worthy
2004	1426	Pass
2005	948	Pass
2006	576	Maybe
2007	129	Worthy
2008	79	Worthy
2009	339	Pass
2010	275	Pass
2011	106	Worthy
2012	107	Worthy
2013	62	Worthy
2014	96	Worthy
2015	1	Not judged
2016	142	Worthy
2017	106	Worthy
2018	36	Worthy
2019	18	Worthy
2020	22	Worthy
2021	3	Not judged
2022	5	Worthy
2023	1	Not judged

The verdict on the 2004 Nissan Maxima

Value signals

What owners complain about

Seller kit

Write your offer

When problems show up

Will it outlast the loan?

Recalls

Seats

What can happen

The fix

Windows, wipers and visibility

What can happen

The fix

Crash ratings

2004 Nissan Maxima 4-DR. w/SAB

Fuel economy

Auto (S5), 6 cyl, 3.5 L

Auto 4-spd, 6 cyl, 3.5 L

Man 6-spd, 6 cyl, 3.5 L

True cost to own

Every year of the Maxima

Before you buy this one

Check this exact car

Official checks on this VIN

What a paid report adds

Before you pay

Pre purchase inspection

Insurance quote

Seats

What can happen

The fix

Windows, wipers and visibility

What can happen

The fix

Auto (S5), 6 cyl, 3.5 L

Auto 4-spd, 6 cyl, 3.5 L

Man 6-spd, 6 cyl, 3.5 L

2004 Nissan Maxima 4-DR. w/SAB