Hi all,

This is my first post here, before posting I searched the forum but could not see a similar problem (maybe I missed it).

I'm a relatively new and very proud 2002 Maxima GLE Owner. I had my car for 3 months and love my Maxima.

But I have a problem that I noticed right after picking it up from the lot: it pulls to the right. I took it back to the dealership a and the top mechanic drove it but claimed it was OK. I accepted his view and drove it for a couple of months assuming I needed to get used to it. However, 2 weeks ago I took it in and the car was aligned. I picked it up and guess what: it still pulls noticebly to the right. I am about to take it back again but I am very upset -I bought a new car so I won't spend time in dealerships!

My question to you: did someone experience something similar and if so, how did you resolve it?

Thanks for your input,

Vadim

 

Spending time at the dealership, haha. You should get used to it. This my 3rd Maxima and all I can say I spent a lot of time at the dealership.

I need to take my car in now, to get knocking sound fixed that comming from right front side. Also clutch needs to be fixed.

About your alignment problem go back and tell them to align your car correctly. Also, have you gotten your traverse link recall done?

 

I have the same problem in my 2k3 the minute I took it from the dealership. I told them and they said that it had been sitting in one spot for a while so let it break in and it should go away. Well 975 miles later and nothing. Let me know if you find something out. I am constantly calling the dealership service but I can't seem to get anyone.

 

I'm pretty sure what you are experiencing is torque steer. Do a search on it, and you will find a lot of threads with it. Plus, what some people have done to try and fix it....fstb, tire pressure, etc.

 

I second torque steer. When ever you have that much torque in a front wheel drive vehicle **** happens. Get use to it or by a rear wheel drive setup.

 

I used to have the same problem, but it started going away after putting the FSTB on.

It went completely away after i had to replace one of my front tires (puncture) and occassionally checked my tire pressure.

 

I don't recall anywhere in his post Vadim saying it was 'upon accelerating'. Once moving, unless really stepped on, torque steer is not an issue.

 

Since he said "pulls," I assumed that it was under hard acceleration that it was moving to the right. Had he said "drifts" instead, I would have assumed that it was under normal acceleration/constant velocity and would have suggested an alignment problem.

 

And, it can be argued that drift is a gentle motion while a pull is a more pronounced action....

in either case, we need more info VADIM!!!

 

the pressure in my tires was something like 8lbs difference between the front two tires (I forgot exactly, but it was something like 28lbs in one and 36lbs in the other).

keep on them about the alignment but also check tire pressure.

 

Hello again all,

Wow, what a great forum! -I didn't expect so much input so soon.

Let me correct myself -the pulling or drifting, if you will, happens mostly on the freeway (60-70+) and regardless of acceleration. Even on a straight road that inclines slightly to the left, if I let go of the steering wheel the car will go straight for a few seconds and then drifts clearly to the right (as if someone was pulling the wheel).

In the alignment printout the original Toe was 0.48 degrees which is about 5X out of range (0.0-0.1 degrees) but it seemed to be fixed now (0.07 degrees ), at least on paper. The left Toe was slightly out and seemed fixed now. The Camber seems OK, I don't have caster info on it (I am not technical -just reading ranges from my printout)

I am going back for another alignment but I am trying to cover all the bases and not accept everything they might tell me (when I originally complained to the sales manager he said all new cars pull to the right and this is normal!)

Thanks again for all you input,

Vadim

 

It could be a number of things. Torque steer, tire pressure, or most likely uneven roads. The dealer told me it's due to uneven roads, their built that way for drainage purposes.

I checked with my bud who's a civil engineer, she supported his claim saying that's how most roads get built. There's a slight decline, it's very minimal but you can still notice it.

Does this happen when you accelerate? Does this happen even when driving in parking lots (flatter surface)? Need more info.......

 

Just one more clarification:

The right Toe is the one that was 0.48 degrees (5X out of range) - how does this happen on a new car?


BTW: My Maxima had 6 miles when I bought it, so it was not driven around too much.

Thanks,
Vadim

 

I also assumed the roads incline (mostly right) for drainage purposes but I tested it on a freeway driving in the LEFT lane and looking at the car in front it was clearly tilted slightly to the left (which make sense for left lane drainage).

The problem is not so noticable in lower speeds (under 30-40) so testing in a parking lot is not a good indication.

Also: my tires are correctly inflated so we can rule this out, but I might ask the dealership to rotate them anyway.

Thanks,
Vadim

 

Doh - okay, so forget what I said previously. On the highway this morning the 2k3 was pulling to the right more than usual, and the dealer found that the toe-in was out-of-spec (this on a car with 975 miles on it...). Now that it's fixed, I find that the car rolls straight unless it's on a road that's visibly slanted; then it'll slowly sidle off to whichever side is down. Much better now though.

 

I remember in my mom's 84 S-10 Blazer, the alignment was pretty bad, and in stop and go traffic, going anywhere from 10-20 mph, it would pull over to the right. Mind you, the tires were brand new, there were no accidents on that SUV, and there were 4 brand spankin new tires on it, and it still pulled! We finally took it in for service, and firestone (of all places) did fix it.

I was testing my max the other night driving in stop and go traffic doing about the same speed and up to 50 and I did notice a "slight" drift, but not continuous to where I had to move the wheel straight again. So I guess everything's peachy here.

 

If the aligment is truely correct then the problem is with the tires. I have noticed my I30 drifts when the tire pressure is not exact or if the back tires are on the front.

So do this, make sure you have an accurate pressure gage, one with a dial, and check the tires. If that doesn't do it, rotate the tires and see what happens.

 

Vadim, your best way to see if your car has a problem is to test-drive a new 2k2 or 2k3 so you can compare. After driving a 93 Grand Prix, I have noticed that Maxima maybe a little more sensitive to road imperfections.

Let us know your observations. Ydachi.

 

Severel things can cause a pull. Most roads especially in rainy areas have a crown that helps with drainage. Hence the reason for the car drifting to the right. That is normal. The question though is what is abnormal pull or drift. If the car feels like it is pulling or when you let go and it goes staight to the right that would be pretty abnormal in my opinion. Things that can cause this are bad alignment, bad suspension parts, bent rim(s), bad radial tire. I recently put a set of Michelin Pilots on my car and had a problem with radial pull. I since had the tires replaced and all is fine. To test that theory you would rotate your front tires from side to side. If the pull is in the opposite direction you have a bad front tire. If the pull did not change then rotate the two rear tires from side to side. If it still doesnt change then it is something other than tires.

Sounds like if the car was new and always did this then it is possible a tire could be bad. I had a friend that bought a Mitsubishi Montero that had a bad pull off the lot. Finally convinced the dealership to change out all foour wheels and the problem went away.

Hope this helps

 

I had the same drift to the right after having new tires installed. Turns out my tire pressure was different on each of the front tires. After I correct this the problem resolved.

 

I'll bet it's the tire pressure.

the difference in just a few psi makes a big difference.

then again, you would think Nissan service would have
checked that.

oh wait....we're talking abuot nissan service here.

Good luck new guy!

and let us know how it turns out.

 

Ofcourse tire pressure plays a major roll here. but all my tires pressure are equal, but my max still drift to either side of the road. Uneven pavement should be the reason why. I believe our Max is really sensitive to the road.