Skip to content
Transmission and drivetrainPart report

2004 Nissan Altima Transmission and drivetrain Problems

Complaints
17about this part
Share
6%of 276 total for the year
Median mileage
61,500miles
Trend
StableComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are within 25% of the 3 years before.

NHTSA recorded 17 complaints about the transmission and drivetrain of the 2004 Nissan Altima, 6% of the 276 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 61,500 miles.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“On my way home I was going about 25mph, the car started losing power and started to stall. I pulled over and took about 15 minutes and started it back up and it started fine. I made it to napa and one of the guys took a look at it and said it was the accelerator pedal because obviously it wasn't moving. So I got that and had my father put that part on and put it into drive and it still did nothing. I park it back in the driveway as I normally would with the little power that it did have, and the transmission just made a loud thump. …”

NHTSA complaint #10587556, filed 2014-05, 200,600 miles

“We purchased a 2004 Nissan Altima from crate lake mazda, medford, or jan 31,2009. Two weeks after we had the vehicle it started to buck and act like it wanted die when you stopped at a light. We went back to the dealer and the sales person that sold us the car and were told there was no warranty we had to pay. We took it ta a mechanic and then went back to dealer and he didn't seem interested in helping we were made to feel it was our fault. I then called Nissan and found out that were 2 recalls out on this car. …”

NHTSA complaint #10262651, filed 2009-03, 58,000 miles

“2004 Nissan Altima 5 spd manual clutch. Last wednesday I was driving my car and noticed the clutch was getting lower and lower to the floor. I made it to my destination but when I returned to my car to leave, I pressed on the clutch and it just stay down on the floor. After the car cool it seemed to work properly the next day but now it is hard to go into 1st gear and there is a grinding noise to go into 2nd all other gears seem okay. Currently I have only searched online to see if anyone else was having this problem and there appears to be many. …”

NHTSA complaint #10339613, filed 2010-06, 50,000 miles

“Nissan Altima 2004. Has around 91,000 miles. Transmission jerk a little, like it was jumping into gear. Car shut off with no warning while going down a hill. I was able to put the car in neutral while coasting and restart the car. Three days later the engine shuts off again. The vehicle was at a light. This time it took several tries to start the vehicle. At a busy intersection it stopped again the same day but was able to restart. I took the car to a dealership (car is in germany due to military). They told me they would call me back. I have not received a call. …”

NHTSA complaint #10212391, filed 2007-12, 91,520 miles

“I rented vehicle for the weekend and used it for 1 day. I drove it down state to champaign 250 miles and made a stop. When I got back in the car and started it up, it hesitated to change gears but did, so I turned and drove the car home to chicago. The weather temperature was very fridget outside . When I got to chicago the vehicle stopped I could start it up but it would go into gear. The engine sounded very fine there was nothing else noticeable, no loud noises in the car. I called enterprise aaa towed the car to the enterprise rental place. I rented a smoke color vehicle. …”

NHTSA complaint #10155955, filed 2006-04, 70 miles

Related service bulletins

Transmission and drivetrain: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
2025114%
2024410%
202313%
2022413%
202134%
2020179%
201994%
20182411%
201713334%
201623542%
201516117%
201420919%
201350622%
201214935%
20116828%
20107319%
2009956%
2008808%
20076213%
20067910%
200511511%
2004176%
2003344%
2002394%
200164%
200096%
199978%
199865%
199787%
199678%
19952715%
199433%
199311%

Other parts of the 2004 Nissan Altima

Engine cooling
109 complaints
Body and structure
42 complaints
Electrical system
32 complaints
Engine
30 complaints
Air bags
11 complaints
Steering
11 complaints
Brakes
10 complaints
Other or unknown
10 complaints
Suspension
10 complaints
Fuel system
9 complaints
Exterior lighting
6 complaints
Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
6 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2004 Nissan Altima

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 30, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology