The jerking when shifting gears has gotten progressively worse over the years. In the beginning it only happened every once in a while. Since it didn't happen often in the beginning I did not pay it much attention. As time went on, sometimes it was very hard to move from park to reverse. I had it checked a few times over the years. The transmission was the only part of that car that was a constant problem. Nissan would never accept that there was a problem from the manufacturing part of the car.

The transmission died on the 14th of October. If the class action suit is still open to join I would like too.

Car shifts perfectly except when first cranking and shifting from reverse to drive. It delays shifting sometimes up to 2 minutes, having to reeve up engine to get it to shift into drive. Jerk is so hard I am beginning to be afraid I am going to have whiplash or the the transmission is going to fall out of the car! After driving for awhile, it will shift smoothly into drive after parking....until it sits for a couple of hours and the the delay in shifting and hard jerk begins again. Bought car brand new and has been garage kept. Any help is appreciated. I cannot afford to buy another car.

I've had the hard jerking clunking transmission problem for quite a while. It would mainly occur when downshift from 2 to 1, and sometimes on upshift. Usually under hard acceleration. I found that it was likely the solenoids, got quote of $900. Under advice of another honest mechanic, put 6 oz of Zmax micro lubricant. Shifts very smoothly now and only get a minor clunk if hard accelerating when engine /trans is cold. Apparently deposits build up on the solenoids causing them to stick, and the Zmax removed those deposits. I added an additional 4 ounces after a month just for insurance. Good luck and I hope this solution helps many of you. Final note, make sure you have clean, clear pink transmission fluid first. If not, have it flushed and refilled first.

Purchased the vehicle new in 2004. Had all maintenance and other repairs done at the dealer where it was purchased. The transmission began to have shifting issues around 120,000 miles. This car was in perfect condition, and was always very well maintained. it was taken to the dealer for diagnosis and was informed the transmission needed to be replaced. The repair was quoted at $3500.00. The car was then taken to a Independent repair facility where a NEW NISSAN trans was installed. Now only 20,000 miles later the vehicle is having the same problem again. These transmission are obviously faulty. A class action lawsuit needs to be pursued.

I just purchased this vehicle knowing that it had a transmission issue, I couldn't turn down the price, but it is quite infuriating to fund out that Nissan also knows that this model has transmission problems. Rough shifting, a horrible jerk that make you feel like you were hit from behind by a 757, and I dare not turn in front of someone because the car make not take off immediately.

I found service records from the two previous owners, I am owner number three, and the last owner had paperwork from our local Nissan dealer informing them that they needed a new transmission. They did not suggest rebuilding it or repairing a few parts. They said the car needed a new transmission. I wasn't very angry until I started researching transmissions and found all of the complaints on the internet about this year Maxima.

I previously stated that I found the service records form the past two owners, I mean everything from the first oil change at 7250 miles. This car is set for service at 7250. I cannot believe that a company as huge as Nissan would be acting as if this issue is not a manufacturers defect. There is no way that thousands of people are having the same issues with the same year and model car. I even found the original owners manual that gives new owners instructions on how to break the car in after purchase. I purchased this vehicle for the purposes of saving gas, my primary vehicle is a Chevy Suburban, which I found out that GM has been ignoring a major issue with that model.

I have to have the Maxima repaired regardless, but it is very discomforting to know that another major auto maker is failing to step up and admit that their vehicle has a problem, especially the way the price of Maxima's has risen in the last few years. I guess there is no such thing a quality and honesty in the auto industry anymore.