2004 Nissan Maxima Review

Name: 2004 Nissan Maxima Review
Brand: Nissan
Price: 1574 USD
Rating: 4.6 (688 reviews)

+59

Used Maxima for sale

See Cars for Online Purchase See All for Sale

Appraise This Car

Nissan Maxima model years

Nissan Maxima for Sale

See Edmunds pricing data

Has Your Car's Value Changed?

Used car values are constantly changing. Edmunds lets you track your vehicle's value over time so you can decide when to sell or trade in.

See pricing history

Edmunds' Expert Review

by the Edmunds Experts

Pros

Roomy interior, lots of upscale options, sweet V6, available with a manual transmission.

Cons

Some small, oddly arranged controls.

What’s new

The Maxima has been fully redesigned for 2004. It now rides on the same underpinnings as the well-received Nissan Altima. This year's Maxima is longer, wider and more powerful than the previous version.

Edmunds says

Although it's now more upscale than ever before, the Maxima remains one of the best combinations of performance, luxury and value in the midsize sedan segment.

Cost to Drive^{Cost to drive estimates for the 2004 Nissan Maxima 3.5 SE 4dr Sedan (3.5L 6cyl 5A) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $4.58 per gallon for premium unleaded in Ohio.}

Monthly estimates based on costs in Ohio

$265/mo

$187/mo

Avg. Midsize Car

Calculate my fuel costs

Consumer reviews

Read what other owners think about the Used 2004 Nissan Maxima.

5 (76%)

4 (14%)

3 (7%)

2 (2%)

1 (1%)

4.6

688 reviews

Write a vehicle review See all 688 reviews

Most helpful consumer reviews

Nissan Maxima

kirsten_046, 05/08/2012

2004 Nissan Maxima 3.5 SE 4dr Sedan (3.5L 6cyl 5A)

I was so excited when I bought this car I've always had a Nissan and they never let me down. I loved the double sun roof and the previous owner had "tricked" it out so it was all fancy. I bought it with 130,000 miles on it which was quite a bit but it was running well! But then after about 20,000 miles the key kept getting stuck in the ignition, the CD player skips everything and cuts …

2004 Maxima transmission problems

thecuda, 06/18/2012

2004 Nissan Maxima 3.5 SL 4dr Sedan (3.5L 6cyl 4A)

I have a 2004 Nissan Maxima with the serious transmission problems, drivers side window motor and one motor used to control the driver side power seat is out. We have been owners of Nissans for more than 22 years. At one time all of my childrens (3) has a Nissan. We will switch to another brand and never own a Maxima again. My daughter had the same problem with her 2004 Murano.

Nissan Maxima Brakes, ABS, Floorboards, Sunroof, Nissan Corporate, Faulkner Harrisburg, Star Nissan Greensburg

lilliasea, 11/30/2012

2004 Nissan Maxima 3.5 SE 4dr Sedan (3.5L 6cyl 5A)

I purchased a 2004 Nissan Maxima after extensive research as a left over in January 2005. The car was garaged 95% of the time and serviced by the dealership until the warranty expired. Traveling from South Carolina to Pennsylvania, the ABS and Brake lights illuminated. Standard brakes were still operational subsequently I drove the car to the Faulkner dealership in Harrisburg. Here the … mechanics determined there was a fault code indicating an entire ABS replacement. They also found rust on the floorboards under the front wheel wells. Add this to a sunroof motor failure just days prior to the ABS brakes failing. Stranded in Harrisburg I did a little research and quickly identified a TSB on Maxima brakes. Nissan owners posted on this subject frequently as well as rust under the floorboards and sunroof failure. I shared my findings with the dealership when they called to announce the nearly 5K in repairs needed for the Maxima. The Faulkner dealership then directed me to call the Nissan Corporate Customer Assistance. I explained the situation and that the car was indeed 8 years old but had merely 60K miles most of which were highway. The interview process was consistent from the dealership to the customer service representative to the final mediator. I realized I was repeating information on the car for three days. The global narrative included; The car received regular maintenance from the Star Nissan Dealership (I would not recommend this dealership) The Star Nissan Group sold and maintenanced the car until warranty expiration. The Star Nissan mechanics failed to notice any of these issues even though they had the car on the rack for 10 days repairing the air conditioning just five months prior. I personally detailed the car four to five times a yearwashed the undercarriage as well. The day before Thanksgiving the corporate mediator, Glenda, called to announce Nissan would not be providing any repair assistance. Unfortunately, I was also very ill and lacked the energy to pursue the matter. It was essential to repair the brakes so I could make it home and get to a doctor. It is important to know that I loved this car. I selected every option and waited until I found a black on black fully loaded Maxima. This car was serviced more than any other vehicle I have owned. From the 261 lb/sqft torque to the responsive engine this car made me happy..until it didnt. As it turns out, we had a dysfunctional relationship. I gave and gave and Nissan left me sitting. If you have read this and still purchase a Nissan and especially a Maxima remember you were warned.

Awesome Vehicle / Bad Transmission

OK, 10/21/2010

2004 Nissan Maxima 3.5 SE 4dr Sedan (3.5L 6cyl 5A)

I purchased this car in October 2008, with 62,000. The car is very roomy, sleek, and sexy. By the way it is very fast for a V6 sedan. Everything was fine until about 85,000, and I noticed a jerking when driving after awhile. I took it into the dealer, and they said that they feel the jerking, but the warranty that I purchased didn't want to fix it right away, they recommended that I do a …

See all 688 reviews of the Nissan Maxima

Write a vehicle review

2004 Maxima Highlights

Trim:

3.5 SE

Base MSRP Excludes Destination Fee	$27,100
Engine Type	Gas
Combined MPG	21 MPG
Cost to Drive	$260/month
Seating	5 seats
Cargo Capacity All Seats In Place	15.5 cu.ft.
Drivetrain	front wheel drive
Warranty	3 years / 36,000 miles

See all features & specs

Safety

Key safety features on the Maxima include:

Alarm

NHTSA Overall Rating

The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration offers independent analysis.

Frontal Barrier Crash Rating
OverallNot Rated
Driver5 / 5
Passenger4 / 5
Side Crash Rating
OverallNot Rated
Side Barrier Rating
OverallNot Rated
Driver4 / 5
Passenger4 / 5
Combined Side Barrier & Pole Ratings
Front SeatNot Rated
Back SeatNot Rated
Rollover
Rollover4 / 5
Dynamic Test ResultNo Tip
Risk Of RolloverNot Rated

IIHS Rating

The Insurance Institute of Highway Safety uses extensive crash tests to determine car safety.

Small Overlap Front Driver-Side Test
Not Tested
Small Overlap Front Passenger-Side Test
Not Tested
Moderate Overlap Front Test – Original
Good
Moderate Overlap Front Test – Updated
Not Tested
Side Impact Test – Original
Marginal
Side Impact Test – Updated
Not Tested
Roof Strength Test
Not Tested
Rear Crash Protection / Head Restraint
Poor

People who viewed this also viewed

Nissan Altima
4.0 average Rating out of 6 reviews.
Starting at $26,000

See Nissan Altima Inventory

Kia Stinger
4.3 average Rating out of 6 reviews.
Starting at $36,690

See Kia Stinger Inventory

Toyota Camry
4.0 average Rating out of 21 reviews.
Starting at $26,420

See Toyota Camry Inventory

2004 Nissan Maxima Review

Edmunds' Expert Review

Pros

Cons

What’s new

Edmunds says

Cost to Drive^{Cost to drive estimates for the 2004 Nissan Maxima 3.5 SE 4dr Sedan (3.5L 6cyl 5A) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $4.58 per gallon for premium unleaded in Ohio.}

Consumer reviews

Read what other owners think about the Used 2004 Nissan Maxima.

Trending topics in reviews

Most helpful consumer reviews

Nissan Maxima

2004 Maxima transmission problems

Nissan Maxima Brakes, ABS, Floorboards, Sunroof, Nissan Corporate, Faulkner Harrisburg, Star Nissan Greensburg

Awesome Vehicle / Bad Transmission

2004 Maxima Highlights

Safety

People who viewed this also viewed

Related Used 2004 Nissan Maxima info

Vehicle reviews of used models

Shop similar models

Shop used vehicles in your area

Popular new car reviews and ratings

Research other models of Nissan

Research similar vehicles

Other models

Join Edmunds

2004 Nissan Maxima Review

Edmunds' Expert Review

Pros

Cons

What’s new

Edmunds says

Cost to DriveCost to drive estimates for the 2004 Nissan Maxima 3.5 SE 4dr Sedan (3.5L 6cyl 5A) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $4.58 per gallon for premium unleaded in Ohio.

Most helpful consumer reviews

Nissan Maxima

2004 Maxima transmission problems

Nissan Maxima Brakes, ABS, Floorboards, Sunroof, Nissan Corporate, Faulkner Harrisburg, Star Nissan Greensburg

Awesome Vehicle / Bad Transmission

2004 Maxima Highlights

Safety

People who viewed this also viewed

Related Used 2004 Nissan Maxima info

Vehicle reviews of used models

Shop similar models

Shop used vehicles in your area

Popular new car reviews and ratings

Research other models of Nissan

Research similar vehicles

Other models

Join Edmunds

Cost to Drive^{Cost to drive estimates for the 2004 Nissan Maxima 3.5 SE 4dr Sedan (3.5L 6cyl 5A) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $4.58 per gallon for premium unleaded in Ohio.}