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.

- Memphis, TN, USA

The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that while driving approximately 10 to 50 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. After restarting the vehicle, the contact was unable to shift to any gears. The vehicle was later towed to an independent mechanic. After diagnosis, they advised him that the transmission failed and needed to be replaced or rebuilt. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and they offered no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 105,000. The current was approximately 130,000.

- Lithonia, GA, USA

The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that while accelerating to 20 mph, the vehicle jerked harshly. The vehicle was not inspected by a dealer or an independent mechanic. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure and current mileages was approximately 174,200.

- Auburn, AL, USA

The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that while driving various speeds, the vehicle jerked while shifting from first to second gear. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was found that the body valve had failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 115,000.

- Anderson, SC, USA

Original owner 2004 Maxima SE 3.5 transmission shifts in jerking motion problem affecting 3rd gear. Hard jerks as trans.downshifts engine revs-up while trying to upshift out of 2nd gear.

- Snellville, GA, USA

In heavy traffic, the 2004 Nissan Maxima transmission was knocking and slipping, had excessive high RPM's causing the car to "burn rubber", and jerked heavily when shifting. A rating severity of 10 is given due to having had 4 near miss (possible) accidents in a period of 20 minutes. The car was sent to the repair shop and items were replaced that the mechanic said would fix the problem (engine mounts). The car was driven again and displayed the same defects. The car manufacture was notified of these defects on 3/7/2013. These conditions pose a safety hazard not only to myself but also to my passengers (which are family and friends), other drivers on the road as well as innocent pedestrians that may come in contact with my car when I finally do have that serious life threatening accident due to my transmission defect.

- San Diego, CA, USA

The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 mph, the vehicle jerked forward when switching gears. Additionally, the vehicle stalled intermittently. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnosis. The mechanic stated that the transmission would have to be replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 110,000.

- Alexandria, LA, USA

Car starting shifting extremely hard when changing from 1st to 2nd gear thought I was rear ended. Proceeded to research and came across many owners of this make model and year having the same issue and now as I change gears to park it idles for a few seconds then changes extremely loud and make a banging noise. I'm extremely worried for my safety due to the fact I commute back and fourth to work far distances and I bought this car at the Nissan dealership with confidence my car only has 101,000 miles and its a 2004 so it hasn't been abused.

- Lancaster , PA, USA

The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated while driving 15 mph, the vehicle changed gears and jerked very hard. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection and they stated the transmission needed to be flushed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 89,000.

- Lancaster, PA, USA

On that day I was driving to work and out of no where the car stop running I hit the gas but it was doing nothing.

- Philadelphia , PA, USA

The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that while attempting to make a right turn the transmission malfunction with out any warnings and he was unable to continue driving. The contact stated that the failure had occurred once before and the transmission had to be replaced. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but did not offer any assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 108,190.

- Gilbert , AZ, USA

The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that while driving 45 mph, the vehicle jerked abnormally. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection and they advised the contact that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired and the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 78,000. The VIN was unavailable.

- Donaldsonville, LA, USA

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.

- Avondale, AZ, USA

The transmission throws itself into 5th gear and the whole vehicle jerks when it happens. Now it happens every day, the fluid is clean aswell as the filter, this is an ongoing problem with the Maxima of that generation. I am an employee of Toyota and I really think this is unsafe and I know Nissan knows about the issue but will not do anything because of the price of what the recall may be but this needs to be addressed.

- Miami, FL, USA

Transmission will rev high, bang into gears 1-2, 2-3, 3-2, and R-, causing the car to jerk. Very unsettling. Common problem to this model vehicle. Very fearful of causing an accident 1 day.

- Cambridge, MA, USA

The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that while driving 50 mph, the vehicle suddenly shook violently. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The technician diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 75,000 and the current mileage was 76,500.

- Irving, TX, USA

The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45 mph, the vehicle hesitated while accelerating. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal repeatedly and the vehicle lunged forward independently. The vehicle was taken to a mechanic for diagnostic testing. The mechanic advised that the speed and ABS sensors would have to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired however, the failure persisted. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 10,000.

- Detroit, MI, USA

The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50 mph, the transmission slipped gears and the vehicle jerked. The contact also stated that a loud clunking noise was heard and the engine revved rapidly. The failure occurred multiple times. The vehicle was taken to three authorized dealers and they were unable to duplicate the problem. The technicians informed the contact that the motor mount needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the defect. The approximate failure mileage was 50,000.

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Maxima. The contact stated that while driving 20 mph and attempting to accelerate, the vehicle began to jerk and the rpms increased to 6000. The accelerator pedal also became unresponsive. The failure recurred numerous times. The vehicle was taken to a dealer for diagnosis and the transmission was flushed however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was returned to the dealer and the throttle body was replaced. The failure recurred. The dealer then informed the contact that the transmission would need to be replaced. The manufacturer had not been notified. The failure mileage was 100,000 and the current mileage was 107,000.

- Detroit, MI, USA

The car is jerking/bucking violently when shifting from reverse into drive and again when shifting into first and second gears. It is also jerking when downshifting from second to first gear. At first, the shifting problem was an occasional occurrence, however, it has progressively gotten worse. Now it is almost constant. After researching this problem, I have found that hundreds and hundreds of '04-05 Maxima owners are experiencing the exact same problems. This is quite obviously a Nissan manufacturing defect that should be corrected by Nissan Corp.

- Phoenix, AZ, USA