KnownCarProblems2004 Nissan Titan Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 1,046 complaints with NHTSA about the 2004 Nissan Titan, most often about the transmission (44% of complaints, typically around 65,000 miles). It is the most complained-about Titan model year since 2000 and has 5 recalls.
Most common 2004 Nissan Titan problems
Transmission
464 complaints · 44%Half of these problems showed up before 65,000 miles. Parts named most often: driveline, axle assembly, automatic transmission, manual transmission.
: the contact stated the vehicle's transmission came out of the park position and began rolling while at the top of a driveway. A child in the front passenger seat attempted to exit the vehicle during the incident which resulted in the vehicle running over the child. The child was taken to the hospital and suffered…
I have a 2004 Nissan Titan. Had truck in for tire rotation. Service person noticed rear axle seals were leaking. Explained this is a big safety issue because of fluid leaking on brakes. Nissan said they would need to inspect and probably replace brakes when fixing seals, thus admitting they are unsafe.
Brakes
282 complaints · 27%Half of these problems showed up before 30,000 miles. Parts named most often: foundation components, antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip, disc, power assist.
The consumer stated he took the vehicle in to have the brakes inspected after discovering a bulletin on the internet. Two months later the brakes failed, which caused the vehicle to strike another vehicle and roll over. Consequently, the air bags did not deploy.
While applying the brake pedal, the vehicle vibrated uncontrollably and the brakes failed to stop completely. The driver was able to maintain control of the vehicle and drove it to the dealer for inspection. The mechanic informed the driver that the brakes and rotors needed to be replaced and replaced it four times.…
Engine
132 complaints · 13%Half of these problems showed up before 82,000 miles. Parts named most often: exhaust system, cooling system, engine.
I purchased my 2004 Nissan Titan in april 2010, I took the vehicle in for service on may 6, 2010 and was told my exhaust manifolds are leaking. The warranty is 8 yr/ 80k, I have 82k on my Titan. The exhaust fumes leak into the cab causing nausea and dizziness. This is a safety issue. The dealer won't replace them…
Purchased a 2004 Nissan Titan in april 2010 with 82k on the engine. In may 2010, I brought the truck in for a recall. The vehicle had 82,528 miles on it. The dealer discovered that both exhaust manifolds were leaking and quoted my $1800.00 for the repair. I now smell a strong odor of exhaust fumes coming into the cab.…
Suspension
56 complaints · 5%Half of these problems showed up before 60,000 miles. Parts named most often: rear, front, multiple axle.
The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Titan. The contact stated that while the vehicle was being inspected at the dealer for an unrelated issue, the dealer noticed that both front lower control arms were damaged. The dealer stated to the contact that the vehicle was unsafe to drive due to the damage of the front lower…
Tl contact owns a 2004 Nissan Titan. The contact stated that while driving 30 MPH, the rear differential failed. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer who stated that the entire rear axle needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The VIN was unavailable. The current and failure mileages were 59,800.
Electrical
51 complaints · 5%Half of these problems showed up before 78,000 miles. Parts named most often: wiring, ignition.
While pulling my boat to the lake yesterday at approximately 65 MPH on the interstate with my 2004 Titan 4x4 king cab (mileage approximately 78,000), the ABS, slip, and vdc lights illuminated. Before I could reach an exit to pull off, the engine shut down. This happened within a matter of less than 3 minutes. I was…
I took my truck in for the service manager at wallace Nissan, kingsport, tn, to find out if they would repair the broken wire in the wiring harness in the rear door, I was told by the service manager and by Nissan consumer affairs office that Nissan would not repair the broken wire, even though the NHTSA had a recall…
Air bags
38 complaints · 4%Half of these problems showed up before 55,500 miles. Parts named most often: frontal, side/window.
The side air bags of my 2004 Nissan Titan deployed as I was driving. There was no impact, I was driving approximately 30mph on a asphalt surfaced road when the air bags just deployed. Luckily I was only going 30mph so I did not crash. Nissan has been contacted but it seems that they're going out of their way to try an…
The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Titan. While driving approximately 60 MPH, the contact noticed the horn was not functioning. The air bag warning light illuminated on the instrument panel and the cruise control would not engage. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing where the mechanic…
Fuel system
38 complaints · 4%Half of these problems showed up before 62,000 miles. Parts named most often: storage, delivery.
My name is [], I have a 2004 Nissan Titan I've had my vehicle in the shop 5 times from the fuel rails leaking within the last 4 mth. This did not just start the fuel rails have been leaking over the years I just did not know what the smell was coming from. Once the pressure build up it stops leaking that why I could…
The contact owns a 2004 Nissan Titan. The contact stated that whenever he filled the gas tank, he noticed that the fuel gauge would not surpass the 3/4 full mark. There were no warnings before the failure. The vehicle had not been diagnosed by a dealership at the time of the complaint. The current and failure mileages…
Body and structure
23 complaints · 2%Half of these problems showed up before 38,000 miles. Parts named most often: body, frame and members.
Drivers side door mechanism freezes. Door can be opened from the inside but will not latch and close properly. This cause the driver to hold the door closed or to lock themselves in the car, to try and defeat the latch mechanism. Nissan dealer has been contacted, but they claim no manufacturer responsibility, although…
Tl contact owns a 2004 Nissan Titan. While the vehicle was parked the contact was unable to immediately open the front passenger side door due to inclement weather. When the door opened the contact was unable to close it. The failure always occurred whenever it was extremely cold. The manufacturer stated that they…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2004 Nissan Titan recalls
Engine: engine and engine cooling
Risk: This could cause engine stalling increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the ECM relay inside the ipdm assembly. This service will be performed free of charge. The safety recall began on december 6, 2010. Owners may contact nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
Full defect summary
Nissan is recalling certain model year 2004-2006 armada, titan, infiniti qx56 and model year 2005-2006 frontier, pathfinder and xterra vehicles. The intelligent power distribution module (ipdm) assembly contains an engine control module (ECM) relay that has a diode for electrical current noise reduction. The ECM relay may allow silicon vapor to form and, over time, the silicon evaporates from the diode molding which causes silicon oxide to develop on the ECM relay contact due to arcing.
Seat belts: rear/other
Risk: In the event of a crash, a seat occupant may not be properly restrained increasing the risk of personal injury.
Fix: Dealers will replace the rear center seat belt with a new one free of charge. The recall began on june 11, 2007. Owners may contact nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
Full defect summary
On certain crew cab model trucks, the seat back shape may be such that there may not be sufficient webbing on the retractor spool for the rear center seat belt to release from the automatic locking mode (alr) after it is engaged and the seat belt is retracted. If this occurs, there may be difficulty in pulling the seat belt out of the retractor thus preventing its usage.
Electrical: electrical system
Risk: If the wires for the seat belts and speaker wires break and make contact, there is a possibility that the pretensioner may deploy. If this happens when the seat belt is retracted, it will not be possible to use the seat belt. If one of the wires on the right side harness for the seat belt tension sensor breaks, the passenger side front air bag will not deploy as designed in a frontal collision increasing the risk of a crash and personal injury.
Fix: Dealers will replace the wire harness cover with a different type that prevents over bending of the harness and the harness will be rerouted free of charge. The recall began on february 19, 2007. Owners may contact nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
Full defect summary
On certain king cab trucks, the wires in the harness were routed through the rear doors and into the body. These wires may break due to over bending of the harness as the door is opened and closed. The harness contains wires for the driver seat belt pretensioner and for the front passenger seat belt which is part of the occupant classification system. Wires for the rear audio speakers are also contained n the harness.
Transmission: column shift assembly
Risk: During its use this could eventually result in failure of the portion of the assembly that holds the lever in the park position. This could result in a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the shifter. The recall began on september 27, 2004. Owners should contact nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
Full defect summary
On certain pickup trucks equipped with a column shifter, the shift lever assembly for the column shifter may have been damaged during assembly.
Seat belts: anchorage
Risk: This could result in an increased risk of injury if the area is struck in a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the outboard rear seat belt assemblies with new ones. The recall began on september 27, 2004. Owners should contact nissan at 1-800-647-7261.
Full defect summary
Certain pickup trucks fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 201, "occupant protection in interior impact." an area on the rear pillar where the rear seat belt upper anchor is attached may not be sufficiently energy absorbent.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
Questions about the 2004 Nissan Titan
- What are the most common problems with the 2004 Nissan Titan?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: transmission (464 complaints, typically around 65,000 miles); brakes (282 complaints, typically around 30,000 miles); engine (132 complaints, typically around 82,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2004 Nissan Titan have?
- 5 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from October 28, 2010 (engine). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2004 a bad year for the Nissan Titan?
- It is the most complained-about Titan model year since 2000, with 1,046 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.