GregP

Hi All,

I had the transverse link recall done on my car last week. A very painless experience. I was in and out in an hour and a half. I noitced no difference in handling whatsoever. If anyone is interested in pics of the before/after, and basically what the transverse link is, I have posted a few shots on my site..

http://www.greghome.com

-Greg

VQ35DE

Had mine done 7-29-02,took less than 1 hour. No change in the steering or feel of the car. Had gas pedal stopper recall done also.

MaxRPM

iTrader: (1)

I'm going in this Thursday to get mine done, they told me 5 hours which also includes an alignment. I hope it gets done soon as I'll be waiting for it as they do the work. Did you guys get anlignment done as well?

MaxKlinger

I'm sorry if this has been mentioned before, but what year/model is the transverse link recall for?

[maxi-overdose]

iTrader: (3)

should we add this to the stickies? maybe under TSB?

dblrr900

Damnn dood. Did they bang on your stuff or what??? All those nice notches in the metal. If Nissan did that I would be back there raising he11.

My car goes back for the 3rd time to correct the sterring wheel that they cannot get straight from the recall work.

and the 2nd time for the hood shudder problem.



Oh and this is for 2k2 Max.

GregP

The recall affects some 2001 and some 2002 Maximas. The exact VINs are posted on the nissandriven web site. They "checked" the alignment but did not perform one. The car still tracks straight as an arrow (believe me, it's the first thing I checked).

JJL

transverse link has nothing to do with steering
No steering parts are touched during this work

RNK MAXIMA

i got mine done here 2 weeks ago and at first when i got my car back from the dealer after the transverse links replaced, my steering wheel kept wanting to go right until the next few days i took it back and the mechanic drove it and felt the same thing. he finally aligned it and after that it feels great

GregP

Hi JJL,

I'm not sure what you mean about "bang on my stuff". There are no dents in the transverse link. Maybe the photo gives that impression? I don't know. I can assure you, my Transverse Links are "factory fresh". Supposedly, they are stronger than the parts which were replaced.

Greg

wdave

Certainly does - any production variation in the effective length of the transverse link will have a signifigant effect on toe and a minor effect on camber.

MaxRPM

iTrader: (1)

I highly doubt that there are dimensional changes to th "Traverse Link" aka control arms, but to the dude that said it doesn't affect steering, take a look again and you will see that it can totally affect your alignment.

JJL

FACT
No alignment adjustments are touched during repair
FACT
No steering parts are touched during repair
FACT
It is possible , if measured in thousands of an inch that the new control are is slightly smaller or larger
Most of the people complaining that there car pulls left or right are just paranoid and are not testing on a flat road
We at Nissan are committed to your satisfaction.
IF an alignment will make you happy we will do it for you
Have a great day

MaxRPM

iTrader: (1)

Ok it only took them two hours with an alignment and an oil change. No difference then before, nor was I expecting one.

For those in the GTA (Toronto), Alta Nissan in Richmond Hill is a great little dealership, I'll be heading up there from now on.

deadrx7conv

Just because alignment adjustments aren't touched, doesn't mean that it won't change, or that it is even in-spec to begin with. Even something so simple like tire pressure affects alignment.

Multiple productions tolerances: control arm, bushings, vehicle, balljoints,...can all add up and affect alignment. But, remember that Nissan doesn't give us much to adjust anyway. Just because this recall doesn't affect 'toe' directly, minute changes to caster/camber(even if still in spec), caused by the new lower control arm assembly, WILL!
Also, we are assuming that all technicians at the dealership are competent and understand the importance of not preloading the rubber bushings during install.

Sorry, but not to at least check and verify the alignment is bull$hit.
If the recall budgets for an alignment, force the dealer to do it. This is the difference between quality service and hack service.

No steering parts are touched? So why bother with the recall? I guess if it breaks, then you won't have any steering issues, right

dblrr900

if you have to drop the lower control arm then you are going to mess with the alignment. FACT - the dealership needs to realign the car.
FACT - My Steering wheel is still messed up and cocked to the right from the work they did, soooo it messes with the steering in some sort or fashion.

JJL

OK buddy ,not to knock you or anything. But you seem to know nothing about the workings of this car.
I will try to tell you again ,the control arm has nothing to do with steering.
What I mean is this. When someone replaces a control arm no steering parts are touched.I will say again no steering parts are touched during replacement of a control arm.
If you jack up your car look at the control, you see that if you were to replace the control arm you would not have to touch any steering parts.
As for your alignment problem ,no alignment parts are touched.
of course if you complain enough as I am sure you will, they will do an alignment for you.If your car is truly out of alignment it is quite possibly that you hit a nasty bump in the road and messed up your alignment
The only possibility here is that some total Moran worked on your car and did not know what he or she was doing when replacing your control arm .
I truly wish you the best of luck working out your car problems.
Have a great day

Jeff92se

iTrader: (82)

I disagree. Although no steering or alignment ADJUSTMENT SCREWS/NUTS are touched, the control arm is an intergral part of the front suspension. And because of manufacturing tolerances of the control arm, bushings, nuts/bolts and human tampering, an alignment would be highly recommended. ie.. replacing the control arm will NOT affect the settings on the alignment adjustment points BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN THE ALIGNMENT IS THE SAME BEFORE/AFTER THE WORK WAS DONE. You could take off the STOCK control arm and reinstall the SAME STOCK control arm. Take the alignment measurements before/after and it could very well be different. To just ASSUME that the the alignment measurements would be the same after replacing such an intergral part of the suspension is borderline irresponsible.

JJL

Ok Ok you can have it your way
You seem to think that you better then the people who made this car
I guess do to the fact that if unscrew the bolts that held my tires on ,that after I put them back on, I need an ALIGNMENT . I don't think so!!!
The people at Nissan corp. want there customers to be happy and if an ALIGNMENT will do it for you, it shall do done
But is not part of the recall. Why you ask..Well I hope you are taking this sitting down.
Because they know how to build a car and you don't

So because you are one of those people who just cant stop complaining all the time, and seem to be able to build a better car then Nissan,and think you know better,get your
ALIGNMENT
But don't blame Nissan after you hit a pot hole and your integral part,or rubber bushing,or something just got knocked out of whack and then you really need an alignment

It is a free country and you have the right to disagree
so get your alignment and be happy


have a great day

dblrr900

OK JJL -


Help me out then. When I took my car into the dealership for the link fix it was perfect. Honestly I should not have taken it in.

When I got my car back it pulled to the left and the steering wheel is slightly turned to the left. I was told they performed an alignment on the car that day after the work.

I have since taken the car back in 2 more times to fix the steering issue. The alignment is right, but my steering wheel is still turned. It is killin me. the steering wheel is noticable because the emblem is sitting at about 35 degrees to the right.

What do I need to tell them to fix??? I really need an answer, because I am going to go off on these guys.

Thanks.
R

deadrx7conv

They do such a great job building cars. Bankruptcy leads to Renault buyout. What about the $14.4 million lawsuit they just lost?

And yes, even reinstalling the same part can change alignment specs.

And yes, even removing/installing a wheel can cause problems. It should always be installed at the same lug nut to wheel hole and torqued. We are assuming that the wheel/tire combo isn't changed. I've seen rotations cause shimmy/shakes and problem was solved with another tire rotation. You do get an alignment when you purchase new tires, don't you? Because you changed the combo and want them to last.

And, if the dealer gives you a free alignment, guess what, its part of the recall as one of the hidden acceptable charges; so are car washes, full tanks of gas, and numerous other things depending on TSPs, recalls, and the dealer's customer loyalty/satisfaction! You'd be surprised what is hidden and already preapproved, even though they try not to give it to you.

So, the control arm has nothing to do with steering. I see a balljoint connected to it. What pivots on the ball joint? What pivots/moves at the control arm bushings?

Oh, BTW, I was a technician(at the time, held the ASE/Hunter suspension/steering/alignment certs) and I worked with/for the morons at the dealership. I pity the service that some of you recieve from the Nissan network. The service writers were idiots. And the service managers knew nothing. It sucks having to deal with their know-it-all poor judgement. The sales staff were poorly trained and sometimes down right rude. I can't believe that Nissan actually sells car. But, I give Nissan dealerships credit for giving the consumer misinformation. They were fully versed in BS. If the customer even hinted at being misinformed, they'd through their credentials around(just like 1st sentence of this paragraph). Most uneducated(mechanically) took what the dealer said as gospel. Others, complained(most of the time they were correct) and had the right to.

If it had nothing to do with steering, then why is abnormal steering the result?
Defect Summary:
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE PIN AT THE END OF THE FRONT SUSPENSION TRANSVERSE LINK (LOWER CONTROL ARM) COULD BREAK WHERE IT IS MOUNTED TO THE FRAME.
Consequence Summary:
THIS CAN CAUSE A KNOCKING SOUND AND ABNORMAL STEERING. THIS COULD RESULT IN DIFFICULTY CONTROLLING THE VEHICLE AND INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.

deadrx7conv

Make sure that they check the simple things:
Tire pressure
Alignment machine calibration(should be recent or at regular intervals)
Have them loosen the transverse links with the full weight of the vehicle and retorque. Rubber bushings bind(check ride height). Sounds like a newbie tech error.
Then, realign with steering wheel properly locked during adjustment.
Tell them to adjust to "zero cross toe" and not just to within spec. The tolerance(+-) is enough to cause a problem.
Quickie alignments are for everybody. Picky alignments are for customers that return with issues. Tell them not to take any shortcuts.
Have them give you the caster/camber/toe specs. It should easily be printed out. If either side of car is incorrect(out of spec), have them replace that transverse link with another. Assembly lines are not perfect. It is very possible that a couple bad ones made it through quality control, just like the 1st hundred thousand or so that they installed on the assembly line.
This is a good time to see if the technician will go for you with a ride. If it is a good dealer, the tech will drive in one direction and you will drive in the other. You will need to prove that there is a problem. If it is a bad dealer, either noone will go with you or they will use the service writer/manager.... Their job is to give you BS. The techs job is to see the problem and fix it. There is a difference between good and bad dealers. Good luck. I am all done with this thread.

slo-ryde

I have to agree with you 100% on this issue. I went round and round with the dealership over whether or not a front-end alignment would be required after the transverse link recall.

As mentioned here, this "transverse link" is basically the lower control arm.

The part of the control arm that attaches to the frame has a large pin at the front and rear that sits in large rubber bushings. The other end of the control arm has the lower ball joint permanently (or so I was told by the Nissan tech) fused to it. This ball joint connects to the lower half of the spindle assembly. The only other attachment for the front suspension is the strut assembly that attaches to the spindle assembly and is bolted to the strut tower at the top.

NOTE: The front anti-sway bar attaches to the front spindle but is not responsible for keeping the front wheels attached to the car.

When the dealer insisted that wheel alignment was not necessary I decided to take my car to the garage that's done all my wheel/brake/suspension work for over 30 years. I was explaining the recall and the tech already knew about it. He explained that the recall clearly states that the alignment is to be checked as part of the campaign. He also went on to say that anytime a major suspension component is replaced the wheel alignment needs to be checked.

It's possible to remove these control arms and install the new ones and have the front wheel alignment still be in tolerance or at least close. That would certainly be rare.

Now to why I'm posting here, I had the recall done on my car last week and the steering wheel is off center to the left and the car is drifting to the left. It didn't have these problems before the recall so it's safe to assume the alignment WAS AFFECTED. I took the car back today for the wheel alignment and was told by the Nissan tech that the car has to drift over completely into the next lane in less than 7 seconds before it's considered "out of tolerance".

I've never been so disgusted with a service department in my life. All they seem to be any good at is making excuses. He even suggested that I probably knocked the alignment out myself!

I spent 30 minutes on the phone with Nissan customer service explaining what happened today. I'd like to think they'll be chewing on someone's butt over this. At this point it's the only recourse I have.

irish44j

iTrader: (38)

Hate to bring up an old thread, but I just want to point out to any suspension newbies that guys like JJL don't know what the hell they're talking about...so if you happened to replace the transverse link (aka LCA), you need an alignment done. I am doing this tomorrow, which is why I am bumping this thread up...

steven88

iTrader: (28)

agreed...removing control arms, cv axles, shocks, hubs...etc etc....it is highly recommended to get an alignment afterwards...most likely it won't be in the original position...

Firestone Lifetime Alignment FTMFW!!!

SoonerFan

iTrader: (5)

from nissan
Reason for Recall
One of the parts of the front suspension on your vehicle which is called the transverse link may break where it is mounted to the frame. This may cause a knocking sound and abnormal steering. This may result in difficulty controlling the vehicle which, if ignored, could cause a crash.

so this doesnt effect steering huh???

SoonerFan

iTrader: (5)

my question...is a dealership gonna refuse the free recall work on a lowered car?

steven88

iTrader: (28)

they shouldn't...but if they do...just try another one

SoonerFan

iTrader: (5)

If the dealer fails, or is unable to make the necessary repairs free of charge, you may contact the National Consumer Affairs Office, Nissan North America, Inc. at P.O. Box 191, Gardena, California 90248-0191. The toll free number is 1-800-NISSAN1 (1-800-647-7261).

zero2sixtyZ

iTrader: (30)

Thanks for the bump of the thread. I never really read this recall in detail, and I purchased my car used this year, so I don't know if it has it done yet or not. Interestingly enough, my steering has been f'd up since I bought the car (and after 3 alignments that the dealer performed). Hopefully, this might have some positive outcome.

boondoxmax

iTrader: (1)

Check your vin # with the recall. My 02 didn't need to have the recall done. Only things done on my 02 was the crank senors, rear window wind noise tsb, and the Data Dots.

Deckdout2

iTrader: (151)

So this doesn't apply to any 03's, right?

zero2sixtyZ

iTrader: (30)

I verified my vin to fall under the recall. Is it too late to have it done? They can't charge for it, right? Do dealers charge for TSBs? I'm interested in having the DataDots too, but I just want to know if I should expect a charge for it.

nismopc

iTrader: (3)

It is at the discretion of the dealer if they want to charge for a TSB. Since it is technically not a recall (because not enough people reported it and complained about it), they do not have to offer to pay for it.

boondoxmax

iTrader: (1)

The dealer has to do the link cause its a safety recall and they can't charge for it. I am surprised you car doesn't already have the data dots done cause every used max I've seen on the lots in MASS. has had it done. If your car doesnt then you may find a dealer willing to do it as long as your having some other work performed so they can at least make money.