yeshivishmaxima

My 1999 Maxima Gxe Vibrates (the Steering Wheel And The Whole Car) At About 75-80 Mph And It Vibrates More If I Go Faster If Anyone Knows What Could Be Wrong, Please Tell Me. At Lower Speeds It Drives Perfectly. Also If You Leave The Steering Wheel Alone It Pulls To The Left. I Just Bought The Car With 56,000 Miles For $7500.

UTIMaxima

iTrader: (2)

Get an alignment and wheel balance.

yhtan76

Most likely is just the balancing or maybe the wheel itself is bent. Pulling to the left could be the alignment.

Gears & Crosses

You could have a worn out tie rod end (inner or outer). You could check it yourself or when you get your front end aligned ask them to check out the front suspension/steering. A good shop won't align your car if the parts are bad.

I had a driverside outer tie rod end go out on me,
Gears

Supermax95

iTrader: (2)

alignment, balancing....my passat used to do that but then i realized that the rear tires were so bald that there was wire coming out of the tires, and i was going like 128.....scary stuff.

imports_only1

first of all, you should check the tire pressures. if one is underflated, it'll cause the car to vibrate and pull to that one side. if that doesn't solve it, get the tires balance and rotated. if that doesn't solve it either, do an alignment on all 4 sides. if that doesn't solve it either, check your front tie rods and bushings...and the entire front suspension while you're at it. if all fails, buy a new set of tires. good luck.

larryseibel

iTrader: (8)

A Common Belief Is That An Alignment Or Loose Suspension Will Cause A Vibration At High Speeds. This Is A Total Myth. Your Vibration Is Being Caused By One Or More Of These 3 Things

Tires Out Of Balance
Bent Rim
Bad Tire...ie Cupped,broken Belt

Alignment Problems Will Cause A Vehicle To Pull, Uneven Tire Wear,or Bad Handling But Will Never Cause A Vibration

Worn Suspension Parts Can Cause The Same Thing As An Alignment Or Can Make Noise But Will Not Cause A Vibration Either. I Work On Cars For A Living So There Is A Little Peice Of Information For You.

njmodi

iTrader: (4)

Can items like worn bushings, tie-rods, a bad CV joint cause vibrations - I have a similar vibration - that appears over 75mph. I have had my tires rotated front-to-back (so a bad rim/tire would move together) - had the wheels balanced by two different shops - but I still have the shimmy above 70 - its slight but annoying. I'm getting some "new-to-me" wheels/tires this week - so I'll see if that changes anything.

Thanks for the good info.

imports_only1

My old '93 Honda Accord once had a bent left axle and it created a humming sound and caused the front end to vibrate at high speeds. Replaced that axle and no more humming sound or vibrations.

kcryan

iTrader: (1)

wheel weight missing?

imports_only1

that's why tire balance is 2nd on the check-list.

Gears & Crosses

...

I couldn't disagree with you more Larry. Don't believe this folks.

Sorry,
Gears

acj

I would just have the tires balanced first as they probably do need it and it doesn't cost very much. Hell, I used to balance the tires on my truck a few times a year (of course I was running 36" super swampers...).

Zack342

iTrader: (89)

its going ot blow don't say i didn't tell you

RichMax

iTrader: (2)

I have had a vibration for the longest time too...
However, no one has pointed in the direction I have been pointed in.. brakes.
I have, in the last 4 months, had all my tires replaced (so mounted and balanced, o course) an alignment performed, and I still have a vibration. I haven't had the tie rods or CV joints looked at, but I have also had diagnostics performed at a Nissan dealership pointing out that very issue (and spent several hundred dollars in the process) Nada.
Anything else, though, guys- I would love to hear it.

imports_only1

I don't see how would your brakes can cause the whole car to vibrate at high speeds. If the rotors are warped or pads short on life, it'll only be noticable when braking. If the dealer told you it's the brakes that's causing the vibration, I think you've been taken for a ride.

njmodi

iTrader: (4)

Actually - warped rotors can cause vibrations at higher speeds. I had a bad vibration problem - replaced my front rotors/pads - problem gone. The problem stems from the fact that the pads are always in contact with the rotors - even when the brake pedal is not pressed...

gto400no1

iTrader: (5)

im gona have to say your problem is probably that you need to have your wheels realigned. i have the same problem and have had my car realigned and still no change, almost positive i need a realignment. and that is about the speed that i have the problems at as well.

larryseibel

iTrader: (8)

let me clarify myself...also a bent axle or junk transmission will cause a vibration. asuming that your tranny is good and you havent been in an accident where your axle could be bent then take my advice from before. bad tires,bent rims or out of balance wheels.

meccanoble

iTrader: (22)

like wise. Shop wouldnt do alignment cause the inner tie rod (driver) was bad. But sounds like wheels may have a little bend or tire has a bubble? or maybe just not blanced properly. My friends honda accord did this with bad tires and his maxima also does this and it had a bubble in it.

good luck.

maxim240sx

on my 240, my friend locked up the front brakes ones and it caused a flatspot on my front tires(approx. 1/10th in.) deeper than the rest of the tread. This caused horrible vibrations on the highway,but it wasen't that noticable on the road. So the first thing to do would be to check out the tires,you would be able to see the flatspot if it was substantial. Especially if they are elcheapo tires like the ones 4 for $100 at walmart. Plus I had bad tierod ends, so I replaced them and it made no difference in the vibration. The only thing that fixed the problem was to get a new set of tires.

chenzarino

iTrader: (2)

Rotate, Balance, Align. Enjoy!

ScarfaceTHX

My car also shakes uncontrollably from 70 mph+. The steering wheel shakes, the car shakes, you can even hear the tires (especially in a turn).

Got the wheels rotated and balanced last weekend. Now the problem is twice as bad.

The car drove just fine when I got it. The tires are new with 80-90% tread. I haven't hit anything....

chenzarino

iTrader: (2)

Does the steering wheel look crooked when you are going straight? If so, you need an alignment. If not, you need an alignment.

yeshivishmaxima

The Problem Is Solved, Needed Balancing
Did It Friday, $12.00 In Brooklyn, Ny
No More Vibrations Even At 90 Mph On Garden State Pkwy!!

Thanks For All Posts!

maximariceboi

iTrader: (32)

cool..y did u go all the way down to brooklyn? can go to other tire shops or somethin in nj?..heh..owell..at least its fixed i guess

maximomo

iTrader: (2)

This is NOT a total myth! I had high speed vibration that I couldn't get rid of with anything I had replaced or balanced until I replaced the strut mounting bearings on the top of the strut. Of course, the 3 things you listed are the most common and should always be done before looking elsewhere.

Gears & Crosses

Thanks for the back up Maximo I forgot about that one even though it happened to me on my Mustang (upper strut bushing went bad).

I started changing my driver's side CV joint today and looked in the Haynes manual about vibration problems.
This is straight from the Nissan Maxima Haynes manual (page 0-26) in the Troubleshooting section:

Suspension and steering systems
#71 Shimmy, shake or vibration

1. Tire or wheel out-of-balance or out of round.

2. Loose or worn wheel bearings.

3. Worn tie-rod ends .

4. Worn lower ball joints.

5. Excessive wheel runout.

6. Blister or bump in tire.

This isn't the end-all list but a good place to start, in order. Also keep in mind that you could have more than one problem at the same time (like in my case). My worn outer tie rod end (start of vibration) caused the inside of my tire to "cup" or wear unevenly (second, smaller vibration problem).

I hope this helps,
Gears

larryseibel

iTrader: (8)

i would like to add that if you have a suspension problem like worn or broken ball joints/tie rods then the least of your worries is a vehicle vibration. you will notice a loud bang over bumps and vehicle will pull.if not repaired and one of these items break then you will lose control of the steering so hopefully you are not traveling at a high rate of speed. if your only concern is a vibration then i would lean toward a tire balance and check the trueness of the wheel. let me reiterate myself when i say that an alignment problem will NOT cause a vibration. this is one of the most common myths about automobiles.

9maxima5

iTrader: (7)

Well guys i had this same exact problem. I had my motegi rims on and every time i went on the highway it vibrated at around 75, but on normal street it was fine. I decided to put the old rims back on the stock one and everything is fine now. I believe the rim was crap but It is all done now. Hoping to get new rims soon..