NHTSA Complaint #10428334 — 2004 NISSAN MAXIMA

PRIOR TO MY MAXIMA'S TRANSMISSION GETTING STUCK IN 5TH GEAR, THE CAR HAS HAD ROUGH TRANSMISSION SHIFTING FROM 1ST TO 2ND GEAR WHILE ACCELERATING AND 2ND TO 1ST DECELERATING. BUT THIS USUALLY OCCURRED ONLY AFTER THE CAR HAS BEEN DRIVEN AROUND FOR ABOUT 7-10 MINUTES OR THE CAR BEING WARMED UP ALREADY. THERE WERE NO ERROR CODES OR CHECK ENGINE OR TRANSMISSION LIGHT, UNTIL THE CAR WAS STUCK IN 5TH GEAR. WHEN THE CAR WAS STUCK IN 5TH GEAR, I WAS ACCELERATING FROM A STOP LIGHT AND ALMOST GOT INTO AN ACCIDENT. THE CAR BEHIND ME ALMOST STRUCK ME FROM BEHIND WHEN MY CAR LURCHED FORWARD FROM 1ST GEAR TO 5TH GEAR. THE CAR COULD NOT GAIN SPEED FAST ENOUGH COMING FROM THE STOP LIGHT AND THE CAR BEHIND DID NOT EXPECT MY CAR TO ALMOST STOP ABRUPTLY AS IT SHIFTED FROM 1ST TO 5TH GEAR ON IT'S OWN. SINCE THE CAR WAS STILL COVERED UNDER WARRANTY FOR JUST UNDER 1000 MORE MILES, I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP TO HAVE IT REPAIRED. THEY ONLY REPLACED THE CAM SENSOR CIRCUIT. THE CAR DID SHIFT THRU ALL IT'S GEARS FOR ABOUT 3 MONTHS. THEN STARTED HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM OF ROUGH SHIFTING FROM 1ST TO 2ND AND 2ND BACK TO 1ST. BY THEN THE CAR ALREADY WENT PAST THE WARRANTY MILEAGE LIMIT TO HAVE NISSAN COVER THE REPAIR. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP AGAIN BUT SINCE THERE WAS NO ERROR CODES AND THEY DID NOT LET THE CAR WARM UP TO REPRODUCE THE ROUGH SHIFTING, THEY SAID THEY COULDN'T DO ANYTHING. EVENTUALLY, 2YRS AFTER THE DEALERSHIP CHANGED THE CAM SENSOR CIRCUIT AND GOT THE CAR MOVING BUT STILL HAD THE ROUGH SHIFTING, I HAD SAVED ENOUGH MONEY TO HAVE THE TRANSMISSION LOOKED AT AGAIN. THIS TIME I TOOK IT TO A GARAGE THAT SPECIALIZED IN NISSANS. AGAIN, SINCE THERE WERE NO ERROR CODES, THEY JUST REPLACED THE MOTOR MOUNTS, CHANGE TRANSMISSION FLUID AND RADIATOR MOUNTS. IT'S BEEN ABOUT 2YRS AND NOT THE TRANSMISSION IS GETTING WORSE ON THE ROUGH SHIFTING....STILL NO ERROR CODES. *TR