My wife and I just bought a 2001 Maxima SE 5 speed today. However, on the ride home, we noticed abnormal rumbling sounds when passing over bumpy sections of road, which seemed worse during turns. We've tried to think what it sounds like. Thunder? A shoe in the dryer? Rubber rubbing against metal? Not exactly sure how to describe it, but it was loud enough and strange enough to make me worry. A lot.

Anyone heard of anything like this before? Will it hurt the car to continue to drive it? What could cause this problem and how complex might the fix be (I assume any fix would be covered under warranty)? Should I start looking into Washington State's Lemon Law? Any advice would be appreciated.

Disappointed in Washington,
Andy K.

 

I can tell you that I dont recall anyone complaining of this, but did you test drive the car before you bought it? Just asking.

 

I'm ashamed to say that I didn't test drive the particular car I ended up purchasing. I test drove another Maxima, but the one I drove away with was a dealer trade (I wanted a particular car that wasn't on the lot). I test drove a GXE (OK, I also made a mistake not test driving the exact trim level I wanted), so I initially thought, maybe this is the "stiffer suspension" on the SE. However, the rumbling is just so grating and jarring that I find it hard to believe it's "normal". Correct me if I'm wrong...

~Andy

 

I had a similar problem after rotating my tires. Well, I forgot to lock in the jack completely & that's what was causing all the noise.
It might be the same with your car. Check it out. If it aint the jack, then go file a Lemon lawsuit.

 

problem. if so, its an easy fix and there is a TSB on it. your strut could be popping. That was common on early 2K's but honesty I havent heard of it lately on new models...

 

Check the lug nuts (if you haven't already. Dealer prep was so poor on mine I had to redo all 4.

Dave

 

My GLE rumbles, too. Its been rumbling since 300miles. My passenger front strut is poping over dips. Before it just pops over sharp pavement breaks. The drive side doesn't the same but only over sharp breaks. I guess thats why I complain of such a stiff ride. Not what I expected from this car, but Its my fault for buying a first year production car. My struts are going

Times like this I really appreciate my warrenty.

 

My SE 17" tires were inflated to 45 psi by the dealer. What should this feel and sound like? I know the ride will be firmer, but could it cause the rough and noisy ride I described?

To see if 45 psi was the source of my problems, I reduced the pressure in the back tires to 35 psi and the front to 37 psi. That seemed to reduce the problems somewhat, but didn't completely solve them. I wasn't sure how far to go, though. The armrest placard says 30 psi for the back, 33 psi for the front. Are these the minimum safe values? Or are they the recommended values? Where do others here keep their tire pressure?

~Andy

 

it's a brand new car. just bring it back to the dealer and ***** about it...you're all good~

 

33/30 is the recommended. The tires pressure on the sidewalls of the tires are the Maximum the tire can hold. 45psi might give a stiffer ride but I don't think it will contribute to the extra rumbling.

 

I bought my GLE a month after production started. No strut problems for me. No stiff ride. No noise. Well, these shi77y goodyears have alot of road noise. Can you believe one of these tires is bad after 19k miles?

 

I guess irvine78 and I are the only one who believes its not your problem. Not for you to figure out. Take it back to the dealar you bought it from. Let them figure it out and fix the problem.

 

No rumble, but I've heard popping when the suspension bottoms out in the back. The front is making noise too, but it may be due to a bad pothole, although I've heard of it b4. Either ways, I would take it back to the dealer if I were u. There's no reason u should have to deal with these things if u just bought the car. Good Luck.

 

my tires were way overinfalted - 40 psi - brought them down to recommended numbers and the noise went away - it may be just tire noise - 17's tend be noisy on certain roads.

But gotta agree with some of the others, get it checked out just in case.

 

Some ideas:
1.)As mentioned before, the tires being over inflated.
2.)Check the spare tire, it could be loose.
3.)Check the jack, as previously stated.
4.)Check for loose exhaust parts/shields/mufflers/pipes.
5.)Make sure that the rear parcel shelf is seated correctly. When I took out the CHMSL, I forgot to reseat the parcel shelf and it rattled over bumps during turns. I sounded like glass sliding around.
6.)The struts need to be adjusted.

Anyway, congrats on the purchase. Enjoy the ride. Driven.