NHTSA Complaint #10609493 — 2004 NISSAN MAXIMA

WHEN SHIFTING FROM PARK-REVERSE OR REVERSE-DRIVE, THE TRANSMISSION HAS A SHORT DELAY BEFORE "JUMPING" INTO GEAR. THIS PROBLEM WAS INTERMITTENT AND SEEMED TO ONLY OCCUR DURING EXTREMELY COLD TEMPERATURES. I HAD A TRANSMISSION FLUSH PERFORMED ($65) THAT SEEMED TO REMEDY THE PROBLEM BUT IT RETURNED WITHIN 5K MILES. SEVERAL MONTHS LATER, THE TRANSMISSION RANDOMLY BECAME UNRESPONSIVE AT SPEEDS OF 20-30MPH AT WHICH TIME THE RPMS WOULD INCREASE RAPIDLY WITH LOSS OF ACCELERATION. ANOTHER TRANSMISSION FLUSH WAS PERFORMED AND THE PROBLEM SEEMED WORSE. FINALLY WHILE DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE AT 70MPH THE VEHICLES TRANSMISSION SUDDENLY "SLAMMED" THEN THE SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT WAS ACTIVATED WITH A NOTICEABLE POWER LOSS. UPON SLOWING DOWN TO EXIT THE HIGHWAY THE VEHICLE STALLED AND DIED. IT RESTARTED BUT THE THROTTLE WAS RESTRICTED. THE VEHICLES GEAR WAS CHANGED TO MANUAL MODE AND IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS STUCK IN 5TH GEAR. AT THAT POINT THE VEHICLE GOT STUCK IN 5TH GEAR AFTER 15-20 MIN OF DRIVING AND THE LOW SPEED POWER LOSS BECAME ALMOST CONSTANT. THE VEHICLE WAS NO LONGER DRIVEN UNTIL IT WAS PUT ON DIAGNOSTICS BY A TRANSMISSION SPECIALIST ($60) AND THE CODE INDICATED THE FAILURE OF 3 SENSORS: CAM POSITION SENSOR, ELECTRONIC ACCELERATION POSITION SENSOR AND TRANSMISSION SPEED SENSOR. THE NISSAN DEALERSHIP WAS CONTACTED TO INQUIRE ABOUT THE ISSUE AND THE ERROR CODES AND THEY ACKNOWLEDGED THIS AS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH NO SUGGESTIONS OTHER THAN REPLACING THE SENSORS. THE ELECTRONIC ACCELERATION POSITION SENSOR REQUIRED A NEW THROTTLE BODY WHICH WAS THEN REPLACED ($115). THE 2 CAM SENSORS ($120) AND TRANSMISSION SPEED SENSOR, AKA TRANSMISSION REVOLUTION OUTPUT SENSOR, WERE THEN PURCHASED ($125). I HAD TO TAKE THE CAR TO A NISSAN DEALER AND PAY ANOTHER $365 TO GET THE NEW SENSORS FLASHED. THE PROBLEM STILL REMAINS. I'M NOW LOOKING AT GETTING THE TRANNY REPLACED. *TR