10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
15,134 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2004 Nissan Quest:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

problem #38

Jun 102011

Quest 6-cyl

  • 94,400 miles
Warning lights "slip", "tcs off" and "service engine soon" would intermittently remain on well past ignition -- usually after the engine had struggled to start. Dashboard "tcs on" switch did nothing to remedy this. Sometimes, even when the van was being driven at 25 to 55mph, these lights would suddenly pop on and the engine would stall out, depriving me of most of my steering and braking capabilities with traffic right behind me. In my area, the main highway is heavily traveled, full of curves and often narrows to 2 lanes with very limited shoulders. The engine dying unexpectedly on this road is a safety hazard not only to everyone in my vehicle but to oncoming traffic as well. I am frequently followed by fully-loaded logging trucks and semis, whose drivers would find it extremely difficult (if not impossible) to avoid hitting me, especially if I were in a spot where I could not coast all the way off the road. After reading numerous online complaints of others having the same engine problem, I wrote to Nissan reporting the danger, suggesting a recall. (file #7197243) they refused to cover repair because my warranty had expired. Told me to take my Quest to a dealership, who wanted $104 just to hook up their diagnostic equipment, plus the actual repair costs. The problem -- a faulty camshaft sensor -- was subsequently fixed by a local shop. The mechanic there told me that the mechanics' "crystal ball" hotline was reporting frequent failures of this component -- in addition to a tsb Nissan put out on the problem. (so, they are aware!) given the importance of this sensor for safe operation of their engines, shouldn't the company address the high failure rate of the ones installed in their vehicles, regardless of mileage? I hope you will look into this before lives are lost as a result of Nissan's refusal to acknowledge and deal with this safety issue.

- Port Angeles, WA, USA

problem #37

Mar 122011

Quest

  • 90,000 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Quest. The contact stated that while driving approximately 20 to 25 mph she noticed that in became difficult to shift gears. Also, when she tried to accelerate to higher speeds there was hesitation. The vehicle was then inspected by a independent mechanic and they advised her that it may be a valve inside of the transmission. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000. The VIN was unavailable.

- Lanham, MD, USA

problem #36

Nov 012010

Quest

  • 31,000 miles
There are major problems with the shifter/transmission on my 2004 Nissan Quest van. The problems started a few years ago when parked on a slight incline and the van wouldn't shift into reverse. I called the dealership and they advised me to pull forcefully on the shifter to make it shift. It did shift but this has continued to be a common problem. After about a year of dealing with this, the shifter started to not engage in the correct position indicated on the dash and I would have to play around with it to get it to engage in the correct gear (it looked like it was in drive according to the base of the shifter, but was actually still in neutral). There were other symptoms such as having to push the shifter firmly in to park to remove the key. Fast forward to today and I finally discovered what has been happening. I went to shift in reverse on an incline and had to very forcefully pull the shifter into reverse. After doing so, the dash and the base of the shifter are mismatched by a whole gear.

- Aiea, HI, USA

problem #35

Aug 052010

Quest

  • 78,000 miles
1. check engine light, transmission hesitance, transmission loss of gear and grinding. Also while in drive vehicle will roll backwards. 2. infrequent, but in three years of ownership a failure occurs once every three months. 3. no repairs have been done.

- Zumbrota, MN, USA

problem #34

Apr 202009

Quest

  • 65,000 miles
Transmission held car to 20mhp then after shifting back and fort it goes back to normal. Engine dies here and there, when break pedal is pressed car steering wheel shakes. This almost cause an accident. Dealer took this car many time and they tell me. That they can't duplicate the noise. Researching online I found many complaints about this car and most of them says that the transmission brain is faulty.

- Fall River , MA, USA

problem #33

Dec 042008

Quest

  • 28,000 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Quest. While driving approximately 45 mph on normal road conditions, the contact depressed the accelerator pedal followed by an extremely low power response. The RPM's suddenly increased. The contact experienced erratic shifting between gears and hesitation. The failure recurred several times and the vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, they could not duplicate the failure. The mechanic recommended that the transmission be flushed, although it was not covered under the service warranty. The vehicle has not been repaired. The failure mileage was 28,000 and current mileage was 31,000.

- Jeffersonville, IN, USA

problem #32

Jan 292008

Quest 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 64 miles
I currently lease a 2004 Nissan Quest. My lease is up in August 2008 and my transmission broken down on me in January 2008 @ 63,700 miles. The warranty on the vehicle covers 5 years or 60,000 miles. As you can see, I am over the miles by 3,700 but the product should not have broken down at only 4 years of age. Emma lancaster (customer service rep. North american) and the Nissan corporation were not helpful in solving this problem of replacing the transmission at no cost to me. After waiting 2 weeks for emma to return my call with a status of the situation, she informed me that I must supply proof that I had all necessary maintenance done on my vehicle. I then submitted receipts from independent station owners indicating that all necessary maintenance was performed. After waiting yet another week for an answer from emma and Nissan, emma informed me that Nissan would not pay to replace my vehicle because I did not have my vehicle serviced at a Nissan dealership. However, two weeks prior emma lancaster admitted to me that the transmission should not have broken down at this point in time. End result: I paid $3,600 to fix a transmission (which took one month to replace and repair) and paid $1,200 to lease a rental car (another $ amount that Nissan will not reimburse me for) until the transmission on my Quest was installed. According to Nissan all parts of the 2004 Quest are discontinued and they had to send out to have a new transmission built. I will never lease or purchase another Nissan product and will spread the word to other consumers not to purchase any Nissan vehicle. The products are unreliable and the customer service is horrid.

- Succasunna, NJ, USA

problem #31

Jul 302007

Quest 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 37,000 miles
I have a 2004 Nissan Quest, we have experienced numerous problems including the power sliding door opening at 60mph.(Nissan put in a rubber bumper on the door) the power drivers window wont go back up after using auto down(Nissan unable to find a problem) transmission starts off in 3rd gear from a stop almost causing accidents.(3rd time we have complained and hasn't been fixed yet(Nissan does not know why it is happening).

- Williamstown, NJ, USA

problem #30

Mar 152007

Quest 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
We have been complaining about transmission problems since about 23000 miles. The most recent incident occurred on 15-17 Mar 2007. On arch 15 my wife was driving at highway speeds and she turned from one road on to another and heard a clung. As she drove on she felt the engine was working hard and heard loud unusual noises. Looking down, she saw that the automatic transmission gear shift had moved from drive to low without human help. Over the next two days the transmission was sluggish, and was reported in person to the dealer that Saturday on March 17. I asked a representative to come and drive the van on the spot to experience the sluggishness, the representative declined. The transmission remained sluggish throughout the weekend, until I took it in for inspection on March 19. During March 19 & 20 the technicians could not find anything wrong.

- Fayetteville, GA, USA

problem #29

Nov 122006

Quest 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 14,920 miles
On three incidents, the engine will rev however the vehicle failed to accelerate as though it was in the wrong gear. If the engine is restarted then the problem clears itself however that may not be possible when driving on a highway. Took the van to the dealer with several copies of complaints filed by others, however they are not able to replicate the problem therefore nothing was done. Nissan should seriously look into this problem and not address the problem because they cannot replicate the problem.

- Hilo, HI, USA

problem #28

Sep 102006

Quest 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 19,000 miles
My 2004 Nissan Quest SE with 20,000 miles failed to move when in (D) gear and accelerator applied. While in a traffic jam, the engine revved but vehicle experienced no forward motion as if in neutral. About 5 seconds later the vehicle lurched forward, and we almost hit the vehicle ahead of us. Minutes in the same traffic jam, the vehicle went into this "neutral" mode again. I put it in park and back into drive, to avoid an accident, and the vehicle moved sluggishly forward, then proceeded normally. This happened once more that day.

- Brooklyn, NY, USA

problem #27

Jun 012004

Quest 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
Grinding noise upon initial start of day and several failures upon initial start; sluggish and feels like it'll cut off on incline and acceleration. Upon several complaints when auto was a few months old regarding not going into gear and slowing, Nissan put in some computer chip relating to the transmission. They claimed they could not duplicate problem and slowing probllem continues. Also problems with defective interior equipment such as middle row side lights falling out recessed housing, no tension in arm rests, skirts on middle seats don't stay attached, middle pass side door hard to open, rubber on door pulling apart, middle door, drivers side, looks off track, etc.

- Marietta, GA, USA

problem #26

Mar 192006

Quest 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 2,000 miles
: the contact stated there are multiple problems associated with the vehicle. First being, the brakes made a noise when applied. Second, while attempting to accelerate, the transmission remained in third gear. This would not allow the vehicle to accelerate properly, at any speed. Thirdly, the sliding door on the passenger's side opened while driving. The contact was able to close the door, although it took much force to do so. Lastly, the driver and passenger side vents had hot air flowing through them. The temperature gauges were adjusted; however the hot air still flowed. As a result, the air conditioner was turned on in order to maintain a comfortable temperature. The vehicle was taken to the dealer numerous times for inspection and solutions to these problems; however the problems could not be duplicated.

- North Babylon, NY, USA

problem #25

Jan 012004

Quest 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 100 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Quest. There have been several problems, such as unidentified noises that came from the rear of the vehicle. When applying brakes at red lights the car will respond by accelerating. When driving through turns or an intersection the car responded in third gear instead of first. The doors vibrated as if they will open by themselves. The vehicle has been to the dealer numerous times, which was most often deemed normal by the Nissan dealer. Also, the steering wheel made noises. This was discovered by Nissan after complaining three times, and a manufacturer's representative who duplicated the problem and found a broken plastic piece within the steering. This vehicle was under lemon law investigation. The dealer was unable to provide any explanations as to why these problems occurred. There have been multiple corrections, at least ten times. Recently there was a recall on the second row seats, but recall repairs could not be performed until December 2005.

- Miami, FL, USA

problem #24

Apr 152004

Quest 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 100 miles
The consumer noticed when the doors were shut, the lights illuminated as if the door were open. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and they reported it was fixed. The problem returned when consumer drove the vehicle home that day. There was a problem with the hatchback door lock. When closing the door, the consumer had to bang it hard to get it closed. The sliding door was having problems as well, it must be slammed in order to close it. The dealership has attempted to fix the problems with the doors. The tire problems began about 2 weeks after the purchase of the vehicle. Tire lights are coming on, indicating that the tires are loosing air. Owner advises that one time the tire light would come on about every block. The vehicle was taken to the dealership after this. The tire had a nail in it. There is also problems with the transmission. When shifting from park to drive, it is very difficult to shift. Owner received a recall letter about this last year and in January of 2005. The recall number is not available. The dealership states that this recall is closed. The dealership won't look any further into the transmission. There is a problem with the front passenger seat, you could see the metal in the seat. The radio has been replaced three times. It is now needing to be replaced again. The car has a bad smell, like rotten eggs. The smell is coming from engine. Dealership reports it is coming from a computer chip and it still smelled after replacement. The same smell returned and then the owner returned the car to the dealership, they kept it for two months. The dealership replaced the catalytic converter. The owner advises that there is still a bad smell. The dealership reported the smell must be sulfuric acid. The owner went to the doctor in regards to the bad chemical smell that burns. The vehicle had problems with the battery. Owner paid for car rental. The drivers seat moved when the consumer applied the brakes.

- Laurel, MD, USA

problem #23

Sep 152003

Quest 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 444 miles
Nissan Quest 2004 service engine soon light on and problems with steering. The service engine soon light had come on 3 times, creaking was felt in the steering wheel and or the front end, sounds were heard coming from the engine compartment, computer tire monitor indicated a flat tire and or low tire pressure during cold weather, the vehicle would run for five minutes then go up to 4 degrees higher (over inflated), when the weather was warm, the setting would then be above 40 psi which was dangerous to drive if not adjusted (incorrect results on the display), SRS light had come on after recall campaign #04V103000 was performed, driver's side power window was intermittent, sliding doors made loud bump noise when opened all the way, especially on inclines, heat outlets located on the floor behind the first row seat can't be controlled by the passenger rear controls, the dome lights were not working, the door rattled, the drivers side front window would not move, the window switch has an open circuit, the vehicle was jerking upon acceleration at 30 mph, rear heater was blowing cold air, there was a heavy grinding noise when the vehicle was first started after sitting for more than one hour along with the power steering, transmission fluid leaked a reddish/purple fluid on the garage floor, the interior lights were inoperative and there was an evaporation leak.

- Laurel, MD, USA

problem #22

Jan 032005

Quest

  • 23,291 miles
Nissan Quest 2004 would not accelerate beyond 20 mph. Passenger side power door opened on its own; vehicle lost power on incline. The vehicle made a loud noise, but a bracket on the exhaust was fixed to correct the nosie.

- Ruckersville, VA, USA

problem #21

Sep 152004

Quest 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 4,200 miles
Vehicle lost power whenever it would drop down to a lower speed or come to a stop position. Vehicle was taken to the dealer who informed the consumer that vehicle was putting itself into a safe mode. Consumer was instructed to place the vehicle into park, switch off the vehicle, and restart it when this problem occurred. Vehicle had been to the dealer on 4 separate occasions, but dealer was unable to correct the problem. Manufacturer has no solution for this problem.

- Bristol, CT, USA

problem #20

Nov 012004

Quest

  • Automatic transmission
  • 8,900 miles
While engaging the vehicle into drive it seemed like the emergency brake was applied, and when the gears shifted, the vehicle jerked back and forward.

- Charleston, MO, USA

problem #19

Oct 212004

Quest

  • Automatic transmission
  • 9,700 miles
Transmission was jumping gears. Consumer was backing out of the driveway and vehicle suddenly went into neutral by itself. Consumer took the vehicle to dealer, but was told that they could not duplicate the problem. Dealer was not sure what could have caused the problem.

- Marietta, GA, USA

Read the next 18 complaints »