It's been a long while since I have posted anything on here, but this site is the greatest resource for Maxima information anywhere, so I'm back.

Anyway, I have a problem: Yesterday, I took my max to BigO Tires to replace one of my rear tires with a used tire and get an alignment. They did everything, drove my car, and told me it was still pulling to the right. They looked at it and told me that my rack and pinion was failing. The guy looked it up and said that it would run me roughly $1600 dollars to repair.

When I drive my car, it occasionally pulls when I step on the breaks, but after the alignment yesterday, it seems to not pull very much.
Is my steering really going out or what? I was thinking about taking it to the dealership to get a better opinion.
Is it safe to drive with a failing rack and pinion? I am a broke college student who can't afford almost 2 grand in repairs.
My max is a 98 GLE with 187000 miles, and it is lowered on H-techs. Does lowering make the steering fail faster?

Anyway, thanks. Any help/suggestions would be great.

 

Did they happen to say what part of the steering was failing? Inner/outer tie rods? Control arms? Ball joints? Sway bar end links? Theres a few separate pieces of the steering and suspension that can cause pulling to one direction. The steering rack itself is the most expensive part of it all.

 

Definitely get a second and third opinion. Once you know exactly what the problem is, post up in your regional forum and see if anyone can help you at a price you can afford.

 

The steering rack itself cannot cause a pull.
If any component of the steering system was lose, the alignment should have been rejected by the tech.

Post your alignment specs so we can have a look at how your front end is setup.
Unequal camber may be the cause. If caster is off, it means bent components.
What is the condition of the front tires?
Have you checked your air pressure?
You mention it pulls when you apply the brakes, have you made sure your calipers are not binding? Inspected the brakes lately? Even the rear brakes could cause a pull if one is not working. Unequal braking will be felt in the steering no matter what axle it's on.

 

There's lots of other things to get at before jumping to a bad-rack conclusion. Did the shop at least mention these things?

 

i had same problem in another car not on my maxi but the problem was the disk and my brakes is ur disk is bad or not even it will pull to one side try driving slow like at 5 mph or so and brake slowly if its ur brakes u will find out other than that it can also be ur tie rod ( i am not a mechanic but i replaced all that and it wasnt doing it anymore

 

A leaking rack needs replacement. A pull toward one side does not mean you need to replace the rack. Are you losing PS fluid? Does the steering seem vague?

If your only symptom is a pull under braking, get your brakes serviced until the problem is solved and forget the steering rack. Or maybe you need a new rack bushing or tie rod. But not a new rack.

That cost is probably based on them buying a very expensive replacement part and flat-rate for rack replacement. If it's clear that the rack needs replaced, get other prices. I'll bet you can cut that bill in half.

 

Tech was either lying or doesn't know what he's talking about. Get another opinion but there's no way I'd take it to the dealership for this. This is exactly the sort of crap most of them specialize in to get people to perform work that isn't necessary.

As dave said your problem is not caused by a bad rack. More likely a brake issue since it occurs under braking mostly.

 

Check tire pressure/tread wear. Rotate the tires and see if the tires are problem and if not, you can eliminate them as being the source.
Take the wheels off and inspect the rotors and brake pads.
Jack the car up and take a look at the components as mentioned above.

 

Also maybe check for tire stagger. Make sure that your tires are all the same size. I know that seems kind of basic, but even a different diameter will cause a pulling condition.

 

Thanks for all the help guys. Later today I will post up my alignment specs, like somebody mentioned I should do.
Its not pulling EVERY time I put on my brakes, just occasionally, which is kinda weird. It also drifts right a little bit when I let off the gas and coast.
My PS fluid is not leaking either, so I guess that rules out the steering rack. Im hoping its just a steering bushing or something. I am also going to check out my brakes, and maybe order some new pads and rotors and put them on myself, which ive done many times before.
Im relieved to hear its not the rack. Ive heard that if you have a bad rack, the steering will stay turned after you make a turn, which my car is not doing.

Thanks again guys.

 

My tires are definately the same size. Different diameter tires will cause a bit more than just a pulling condition.

 

What if you don't have abs?