2004 Nissan Titan Problems, Recalls & Reliability
1,295 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2004 Nissan Titan, alongside 7 recall campaigns and 0 defect investigations. It scores 100/100 on the trouble index — one of the years to avoid for this model. Transmission & drivetrain leads the reports, typically around 64,998 miles.
Avoid this year if you can. The 2004 Nissan Titan sits at the top of this model's complaint rankings. Quieter picks in the same family: 2007–2011, 2018–2021.
Avoid
Where 2004 sits among all Titan years
What owners report
“From differential failure and c clip failure ejecting front drive axle. Leaking rear axle seals as well”— owner report to NHTSA, 2004 Titan
“Brakes have terrible vibration/shudder. Replace at 5000, 9,000, 15000, & now 20000 miles.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2004 Titan
“Two cracked exhaust manifolds. At times i an getting exhaust fumes into drivers compartment. I understand this is a wide problem with nissan 5.6 l v-8s and a big problem with the titans. My local nissan dealer est. Repair at $3,507.50 and he told me the it is not uncommon for both to fail at the…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2004 Titan
“The design of the headlight on/off switch in the shared headlight/turn signal stalk has allowes me to inadvertently turn off the headlights when pushing up or down on the stalk to use the turn signal. It seems the headlight switch provides too little mechanical resistance.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2004 Titan
“Shackle on right side peeled off the frame stud and drove the spring and shackle assembly through the truck bed”— owner report to NHTSA, 2004 Titan
“While driving vcd light comes on and my truck will not go into passing gear. Expectly while taking. Cannot use back power windows also.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2004 Titan
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 1,121 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 60,600 miles. Half of those reports fall between 27,000 and 88,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (7)
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…
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.
NISSAN IS RECALLING CERTAIN FRONT AND REAR LOWER LINKS, P/NOS. 54501ZQ00A, 54500ZQ00A, 551A1ZQ00A, 551A0ZQ00A , 54501EA00A, 54500EA00A, 551A1EA500, 551A0EA500, 54501ZR00A, AND 54500ZR00A, SOLD BETWEEN NOVEMBER 25, 2009 AND MAY 14, 2010 AS REPLACEMENT PARTS…
Fix: NISSAN WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND DEALERS WILL REPLACE ANY AFFECTED LOWER LINK FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 12, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.
CERTAIN HOPKINS AFTERMARKET TRAILER BRAKE CONTROL CONNECTION HARNESSES SOLD FOR USE ON CERTAIN MODELS OF NISSAN VEHICLES WHICH ARE LISTED ABOVE. THE INTERNAL PART NUMBERS WITHIN HOPKINS ARE: 1010476025, 1040376025, 1110476025, 1170376025, 1290376025,…
Fix: HOPKINS WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE ORIGINAL HARNESS WITH A REVISED HARNESS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN AUGUST 17, 2007. OWNERS CAN CONTACT HOPKINS AT 800-835-0129.
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…
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.
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…
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.…
ON CERTAIN PICKUP TRUCKS EQUIPPED WITH A COLUMN SHIFTER, THE SHIFT LEVER ASSEMBLY FOR THE COLUMN SHIFTER MAY HAVE BEEN DAMAGED DURING ASSEMBLY.
Fix: DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND REPLACE THE SHIFTER. THE RECALL BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER 27, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261.
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…
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.
Technical service bulletins
114 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on electrical and engine — are on file for the 2004 Nissan Titan. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2004 Nissan Titan reliable?
The 2004 Nissan Titan drew 1,295 complaints in federal safety records — one of the years to avoid for this model. Its trouble index is 100/100, scored against the model's worst year (2004).
What are the most common 2004 Nissan Titan problems?
The top reported problems for the 2004 Nissan Titan are transmission & drivetrain (479 complaints), brakes & stability (324), and engine (135).
At what mileage do 2004 Nissan Titan problems show up?
Owners most often report 2004 Nissan Titan problems around 60,600 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 27,000 and 88,000 miles.
Does the 2004 Nissan Titan have recalls?
7 recall campaigns apply to the 2004 Nissan Titan. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.