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please help car keeps pulling

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Old May 11, 2004 | 04:09 PM
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please help car keeps pulling

Hi i bought my 2000 gle back in august. Car had a slight pull and dealer seemed to have corrected it with an alignment. slowly the problem came back. i had 3 different brands of tires on the car so i thought that could be the problem. I recently changed all 4 wheels and tires. Still the same problem and it is really getting to be a pain. i could be driving straight and the car really pulls to the right. i understand that there is a crown in the road but it always happens even on the straightest of roads. what could be causing this and what should my course of action be. my car is under warranty but i would rather pay a good place and have it done right than leave my car at nissan for 3 days and have to come back. sorry for the long post any replies are appreciated
Old May 11, 2004 | 04:27 PM
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could be radial pull....what kind of tires did you put on it?
Old May 11, 2004 | 04:43 PM
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i pt bfgoodrich kdws. all balanced and mounted perfectly. the problem was there before i upgraded tires and wheels
Old May 11, 2004 | 04:57 PM
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Originally Posted by rookie514
i pt bfgoodrich kdws. all balanced and mounted perfectly. the problem was there before i upgraded tires and wheels
have you owned the vehicle since new and if not, was there a carfax report that pointed to anything funny? blubyu2k2 has stock wheels that cause his car to pull right no matter which wheel is where. with his axis wheels, there is no pull at all. since you said you replaced the wheels and tires and the problem was there before and after, it has to be a another issue with the frame most likely.
Old May 11, 2004 | 06:06 PM
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i bought the car used from kings nissan. carfax came up clean. how would i fix a problem like this
Old May 12, 2004 | 03:30 AM
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Originally Posted by rookie514
i bought the car used from kings nissan. carfax came up clean. how would i fix a problem like this
take it to a body shop that has a free estimate and see if they tell if the frame is not straight and get a quote.
Old May 12, 2004 | 05:30 AM
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Get a wheel alignment. It's part of regular maintenance for me.
Old May 12, 2004 | 07:46 AM
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ok thanks for all the replies. say the frame is bent should i take it up with nissan since i bought the car certified preowned. i have warranty until 3/06
Old May 12, 2004 | 07:56 AM
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I owed a 99 Quest. the minivan pull to the right on a 360 degrees. Belive me GET RID of the car, the Quest frame was damage from factory and nissan didn't want to take responsability for it. It got to the point that I make jokes and still make jokes about it. Good luck but I think you have trhe same problem I had.

I change it for a 01 Max SE
Old May 12, 2004 | 08:07 AM
  #10  
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Don't go tradding in the car just because it pulls to the right
This is a common problem with Nissans POS control arms. Chances are one of the control arms are bent or the bushings inside the one of them is worn. If one is bent, the place that did the alignment should have picked up on this. I would take it somewhere and have them check the control arms. I have had the same problem on my 98 Altima. The right rear control arm is bent and my car pulls hard to the right.
Old May 12, 2004 | 08:19 AM
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lols.....i have the exact same problem ever since i got the car....strange thing was before i changed my tires...it pulled to the left....but after i changed the tires it only pulls to the right.....had alignment done three times......still didnt fix the problem....so i just gave up and got used to it. it's still a pain at times. =/
Old May 12, 2004 | 01:09 PM
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First thing I would do is check for frame damage.

If you know what to look for you will be able to tell if the car had any major body work. Look inside the gas door for non-factory welds. Look inside the trunk where the rear quarters are welded to the inside of the trunk for non-factory welds too (looking for a rear clip). WHile in the trunk pull up the spare cover, look to see if the trunk floor is bent or dented or also non-factory welds. They're easy to spot if you know what they look like.

Generally look around the car where panels, facias, and doors meet up for uneven spaces (gaps). Also look for gaps that are too wide or too close.

If you can look under the car (say on a lift) look for bent framing in the reinforcing channels like this:




If the frame checks out, then I would go to a decent alignment shop. I don't think rear-toe can be adjusted on the Max at all but rear-toe out or in can cause a pull.

Up front, bad toe or castor can cause a pull. Some cars today can't have front castor adjusted (not sure if this applies to Max). If castor is out and can't be adjusted, then a control arm is bent.

That's about all I can think of for now.

Good luck.
Old May 13, 2004 | 08:38 AM
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hey thanks for all the replies. i hope its not the frame and that just need a new alignment
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