wsu

Lightonthehill posed a consideration on the "SE or SL" thread/poll that led me to thinking about whether or not the strut problems are more common with SE's than SL's, as he speculates. Might there be a connection between the stiffer, "sport tuned" SE suspension and some of the strut problems?

To analyze the poll results, readers should keep in mind that it is not the number of SE or SL problems that are posted that is the most meaningful per se. To determine the answer to the question regarding if the strut problem is more common in SE's or SL's, one must divide the number of SE strut problems by the total number of SE respondees and do the same division for the SL responses so that we can arrive at THE NUMBER OF PROBLEMS PER OWNER for the SE's and the SL's, respectively.

us024077

Would have been nice to divide this up between 2004 and 2004 models as well.

And remember...the struts issue is NOT a Nissan problem per se. The supplier of the struts to Nissan just build a bunch of really bad ones. Nissan does not design the strut. The give the strut manufacturer the specs for the strut (length, travel, "strength" etc) and the strut manufacturer designs them, Nissan approves them, and then they are built.

If there is a design flaw that is not immediately noticeable, or the manufacturing is bad, don't blame Nissan out of hand.

NismoMax80

iTrader: (6)

what also defeats the purpose of this thread is that the # of miles is not taken into consideration.

at 5000 miles I voted no on the original poll. then at 10,000 miles I needed my strut replaced. now I have the new model struts.

that is another variable (how many miles on the new struts for those that have them?)

accordingly, you should find out what part # strut is on all 05s. the new 04 strut became available after 05 production began. so are early 05 builds the same strut as 04? or is the setup totally different requiring a different strut all together.

this poll is better IMO but will still not be completely accurate. SL should have different struts, but who knows?

JayMAX22

Only one was bad - front on the driverside - had about 10K miles

Jayzmax04

Bad struts are out there. Nissan now acknowledges this and will fix at no charge. End of story.

anthunny

I live in Canada, and the guy said dont follow those US forums, cause he has never heard of strut problems!!! They're made down south, and shipped back to us, correct?

Also my driverside is gone for now, but will that mean my other 3 "old" ones would go to? i dont wanna go back & forth a few times to replace it for the "new" ones.....

install30

How hard do you drive your Max's? I don't exactly baby mine, but I don't race it from light to light like some people.....

NismoMax80

iTrader: (6)

um, we only have struts in the front. the rear suspension is provided by shocks.

everyone please read the stickies: http://forums.maxima.org/showpost.ph...54&postcount=4

again read the above sticky I made.

I "baby" my Max also and avoid bumps, holes, etc. spirited driving does not cause struts to fail. a poor design by McPherson (i think) is the culprit. Nissan has made new ones but are supplying them on an as need basis.

anthunny

^^ damn oops...lol, are the shocks alright for our car thus far?

rnupetroop

30000 and not a noticabel problem just yet.

Glude

iTrader: (5)

I have had my front strut replaced twice. My warranty is up and my front struts are feeling like crap once again.

04BlackMaxx

I think some people have Strutophobia: The incorrect belief that one's struts are bad, sometimes leading to replacement of struts 3 times or more. Leads to a permanent fear of struts, believing they will need replacement.

-AoW-JP

ROFL, so true.

My 98 had bad struts when i traded it in. 80k miles of NYC driving. Lets face it these factory struts are not real performance parts. I know there are some defective parts but I've had no issues yet. Then again I only have 500 miles on my 05 SL. I'll keep ya posted. Be sure I wont take advantage of a warentee with a strut problem. There are to many superior products out there.

bigcozz

I have had my struts replaced 2 times I hope finally they will last. I think the whells have alot to do with it the 18" are very stiff riding. But then again I live in nYC and the potholes are like craters.

-AoW-JP

NYC here too. I drive for a living. I see NYC, Bronx, LIC, and Bklyn everyday. Bilstein or KYB. I can't wait for my struts to go.

SilverBelle04

The guy that told you that doesn't know what he's talking about. My front passenger side one was replaced about 4 months ago without a problem in Ottawa.

maximaman2oo4

IVE HAD A **** LOAD OF PROBLEMS WITH MY STRUTS. had them replaced twice already at 5k and 8k miles.. both front struts. after having that done i found that my rear stablizer bar was bent and both of my rear bushings were deformed. (it was making a really loud screach when i went over bumps) Nissan was blaming the box i have in my trunk which weighs a good 150 lbs... so i took the box out infront of them and had them drive the car. Would u look at that it was STILL making the noise, unbelievable. After all of this work my car is back up and running smooth hopefully it will stay that way for miles to come

wsu

While I agree that the mileage consideration could give us more meaningful information, the limited ability of the polling and threads on this site preclude us from establishing a poll that could be revisited and changed at later mileage increments without being convoluted or cumbersome or from offering enough poll responses to gather ongoing mileage data.

Given these constraints, I don't necessarily agree that the lack of a mileage option defeats the purpose of the thread. If one considers that we are taking a "snapshot" of a sort, it can be considered that all of the respondees' data are somewhat equal with respect to having different mileage. If so, the lack of mileage data is not as compromising as one might otherwise conclude.

Some important information to know would be:

1. Does the SL has different struts than the SE?
2. Are the SE and SL struts the same, but just tuned differently?
3. Did Nissan change struts from the 04 to 05 models (or at any other time)?
4. Who makes the struts and what are some of the load specifications?
5. Are the SE and SL struts the same, but installed differently?
6. Was there a faulty lot of struts from the strut manufacturer? The frequency and relative ease with which Maxima owners are getting their faulty struts replaced suggests that Nissan is well aware of what the problem really is.

msoemax

Well, from the bad strut poll and this poll it seems rather obvious there is a problem with the struts. Right now on this poll it's 50/50. On the bad strut poll it's slightly higher than 50% failure if you ignore the i don't know results.

I don't care what anyone says...this is a big problem...50%? Come on...

wsu

You are right on target...50% even 10% or 5% is WAAAY too high of occurence. I don't know how the NTSB makes the determination for a recall, but to me 50% sure strikes me as in the range of warranting a recall. Hopefully, we don't have to wait until there is a serious injury(s) or even a fatality(s) before something more decisive is done. I sure hope the Nissan bean counters aren't doing a cost/benefit analysis of a recall and replacement versus paying out to settle injury or death lawsuits due to manufacurer gross negligence.

NismoMax80

iTrader: (6)

i was under the impression Nissan would render a recall if the cost of replacing every Maxima with new struts did not outweigh the cost of accidents/injuries caused by the struts.
I'm sure if a wreck was possible b/c suspension relied solely on the strut or they became damaged enough to cause one, then there would be a recall. since it seems they only cause an annoyance and can be detectable when inspected, a replacement on an as need basis is sufficient.

The struts are "Independent MacPherson struts" the 05 was suppossed to be made with a different strut. even if not, to continue making them now even after a new one was created, would be extremely negligent.

one diffence listed between the models for suspenion are:
Front spring free height
SE model : 350 mm (13.78 in)
SL model : 360 mm (14.73 in)

according to one dealer there are 2 different struts:
one type for 4 sp. SL: 543027Y025 (right) 543037Y025 (left)
two types for 5sp.:
(one for leather package) same as SL 4speed
(one for w/o leather) 543027Y425 (right) 543037Y425 (left)
type for manual is same as 5sp w/o leather
I assume the 5 speed SL would be the same as 4 speed and SE 5speed leather.

remember the redesigned strut for the 5sp w/ leather is the same # but ends with a 6 instead of a 5. i do not know if others were redesigned b/c i have leather and know the new part # from Nissan for my car.
543027Y026 (right) 543037Y026 (left)

So the poll needs to differentiate between the 2 struts made: SL and SE leather vs. NE w/o leather and Manual

but yes the SL vs. SE is still a factor due to different springs and wheels and other suspension. but you lose your constant variable once you include the 5 sp and 6 speeds that have a different strut. then another option if those with the new strut needed another set.

wsu

Thanks for the good information. You have confirmed some of my speculations.

By the way, what is your source for this information (a dealership?)? My interest is in seeking analogous information as the need or interest might arise for other Maxima considerations.

Can you help me to understand why a different strut would be used with a leather package than without? Are there other (package?) differences on a vehicle associated with having leather or not such that the suspension specs are different?

NismoMax80

iTrader: (6)

you would have to ask Nissan why. I got he part #'s from Jerry Rome Nissan's part catalog. I know my part #'s by doing the leg work with Nissan. otherwise I would have the same struts if I hadn't done so. if anyone else wants to find out more info, go ahead and I'll add it.

willdotcom

I have a 4 speed 04 Maxima SL and I took it into the dealer a few weeks ago. They replaced both front struts under warranty, although I said nothing about it. I have 16.5K miles on the car.