AI Damage2004 Nissan Titan: common problems
Owners of the 2004 Nissan Titan filed 1,046 complaints with NHTSA, most often about powertrain and service brakes. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 1,046
- involving a crash
- 28
What fails most often
- 1 Powertrain 44% of all complaints
- 2 Service brakes 27% of all complaints
- 3 Engine and cooling 8% of all complaints
- 4 Suspension 5% of all complaints
- 5 Electrical system 5% of all complaints
- 6 Engine 5% of all complaints
- 7 Air bags 4% of all complaints
- 8 Fuel system 2% of all complaints
- Powertrain: 464 complaints (44% of all), 5 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Service brakes: 280 complaints (27% of all), 14 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Engine and cooling: 87 complaints (8% of all), 3 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Suspension: 56 complaints (5% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Electrical system: 51 complaints (5% of all), 3 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- 5.6 L · petrol · 8 cylnamed in 4 complaints
- automatic, 5-speed
Drive: RWD, AWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 1,046 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Powertrain | 464 | 5 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 280 | 14 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 87 | 3 | 0 |
| Suspension | 56 | 2 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 51 | 3 | 0 |
| Engine | 48 | 0 | 0 |
| Air bags | 38 | 6 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 23 | 1 | 0 |
| Structure | 23 | 1 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 21 | 3 | 0 |
| Parking brake | 17 | 1 | 0 |
| Latches, locks, linkages | 16 | 0 | 0 |
| Equipment | 15 | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel/propulsion system | 15 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
The B-LSD and ABS warning lights were illuminated. No air bags were deployed. The contact did not sustain any injury, and medical attention was not received. Two passengers in the other vehicle later sustained bodily injuries. A police report was filed.
I had an accident but airbag didn't deploy . Other car involve in accident airbag delployed . Head on collision .
Investigators can not figure out what caused the accident but his vehicle caught fire. We're not even certain the airbags deployed. When I looked at the truck after the accident there was no proof the airbags had deployed and cause for fire is unknown. Updated 01/10/17 updated 09/19/2017
The vehicle was maneuvered to the side of the road and the vehicle caught fire. The contact was not injured. The vehicle was destroyed and a police report was filed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 98,000.
I was driving my 2004 nissan titan from work when coming up to a stop leaving the long driveway to enter the main rd I pushed on the brakes and the pedal dropped to the floor and began vibrating and making a grinding noise like when you step on the pedal very hard and the abs comes on, except the brakes did not…
The contact swerved and crashed into the median but the airbags did not deploy. A police report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed. The dealer was not contacted and the manufacturer denied to assist the contact unless an attorney was present. The failure and current mileage was 80,000. The vin was unavailable.
During prior failures, the abs warning light became illuminated. The contact has reported the failures to nissan with no resolution. The current and failure mileages were 83,000. This is the second complain that the contact has filed.
Consumer also got brakes repaired because when applied consumer felt vibration. Dealership fixed the problem 02/12/2005 and consumer will be returning vehicle because of its recurrence.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 209 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 1% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Titan has 163 complaints (20 years in the data). This year has 1,046, above average.
What to check before buying
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
- Suspension. Wheel alignment, control arms, subframe, even tire wear.
Other years of this model
- Titan 2005891 sources
- Titan 2006430 sources
- Titan 2007139 sources
- Titan 2008133 sources
- Titan 200947 sources
- Titan 201046 sources
- Titan 201126 sources
- Titan 201222 sources
- Titan 201311 sources
- Titan 201410 sources
- Titan 201512 sources
- Titan 2017364 sources
- Titan 2018197 sources
- Titan 2019169 sources
- Titan 2020184 sources
- Titan 2021194 sources
- Titan 202294 sources
- Titan 202396 sources
- Titan 202440 sources
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2004 Nissan Titan?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: powertrain, service brakes, engine and cooling. Total complaints: 1,046. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: knocking, grinding or other noise (10%), vibration (9%), warning lights, check engine (7%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2004 Nissan Titan?
NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 2004 Nissan Titan from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 2004 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.