diamondgirl

Straight up front let me say that I have no idea what your are talking about, but I am very interested in learning more. I do however, have a few years on both of you and I can't help but think that this is not a tire related issue. Yes the car is not holding an alignment. Yes the car has a shimmy. But there has to be an uderlying cause. And my shimmy is worse when I go through curves. What would be the benefit of tightening the rack? That's what they were talking about doing to my car to day. I honestly believe that there is a defective part on this car and many others like it. If Nissan gets enough people complaining about the same thing they will be forced to do a recall correct? So all these people on here are having the exact same problem and being forced to deal with unhelpful solutions. Is there some sort of diagram I could look at to get a visual of how the rack and pinions suspension all works. Because I am not going to continue to deal with this if its a design flaw. I will persue the lemon law option. My car only has 8500 miles on it.

04BlackMaxx

Yeah, well...in my personal experience, balance is the #1 culprit...have them verify its dead on. Make sure all the tires have the same pressure. Theres really not too much else you can do because many ppl have been to the dealer over and over and over to no avail. For me, it became an issue after getting new tires, and as the tires broke in it stopped pretty much, but when the tires are cold it still vibrates a little. It seems to be an inherent characteristic of the car, unfortunately.

Monotaur

Ok, my wheel shimmies at around 45-55 MPH and generally does it worst when I'm coasting (especially on really smooth roads), although it still shimmies slightly when driving normally. Question though, how much does the wheel wobble for you guys? It doesn't wobble for me much, but maybe an eighth of an inch back and forth when I hold it extremely loosly (although I can sometimes feel it while grasping the wheel softly).

Also, my steering while appears to be a few degrees off center (and is starting to really bug me). Could these two things be related? Perhaps an alignment is needed?

Thanks...

EDIT: I've already approached the dealer with this and (as he was tired of listening to me complain...) he just told me to go have my wheels balanced, even after looking at the TSB... this helped a little, but the wobble is still there.

04BlackMaxx

My car mysteriously lost its alignment and I paid $90 to have it readjusted. Toe was off on both tires. camber and caster were dead on and so were the rears. I needed that wheel straight though. The shimmy I experience om occasion is always when the tires are cold, and it is only between 60-70MPH and id say 1/16 of an inch at most...If i hold the wheel with both hands its eliminated. I dont really care about it because its so minor, and the car warms up and it stops completely. I also have to be on a very smooth road to notice it.

diamondgirl

I can feel it as early as 35 mph. Each time after the car has been balanced and aligned it gets better for about 1000 miles. It started on the front right and now its the entire front end. The first time they aligned it at 3500 miles I was told I had thrown weights off. Drove it for about 500 miles same problem only worse. Its like each time I take it in its being given a prescription for a sympton of a much bigger problem. Mysteriously, I have no paperwork from the dealer. I asked today for copies off all service transactions that had taken place on the car. They do have to turn that stuff in to Nissan Corp to get paid for warranty work correct? My steering wheel has an ovious shimmy. My profession works in units of millimeters so I can't tell you how much the variance is but I can tell you how bad a drink wiggles in the cup holder. My problem is now bigger than a shimmy in the steering wheel and also includes a vibration under the driver and passenger seat. The service manager said he could feel the vibration in his feet today. We were on interstate and I took them all the way up to 90 MPH. The service manager said they get more complaints from people in the southeast because our roads are so good. So road quality really is not an issue on the interstates in Georgia. I notice no improvement at any time: whether the car is warmed up on not. Anyone on here that has experience working for Nissan Corporate as a service technician or know anyone to seek advice from? And thanks so much for everyones input and notes. This has really been very helpful. I appreciate this forum of communication.

diamondgirl

By the way Black Maxx. I have a Mother of Pearl Loaded SE. They just changed the laws in Georgia, a little loop hole, that allows window tint to extreme degrees. Due to the fact that people were being descriminated against and ticket when moving from other cities with varing laws. I tinted the windows all the way around to 15%. The car looks unbelieveable. People stop me and comment on it everywhere I go. It made more of a difference than any aftermarket product I could have added.

BadBlackMaxSL

iTrader: (1)

When mine shimmies, not only does the steering wheel shake but I can feel the shaking of the wheels through the floor and into my seat. I don't think the the damper has anything to do with that. I read where one guy had a loose axle nut and that caused the axle to shake and give him the shimmies. Could this be an axle problem which then causes other problems with the struts, tie rods, etc? On my car it feels like the problem is on the passenger front- how about the rest of you? Can you feel on which side it comes from or is it the same on both sides?

I would love to be a fly on the wall in the Nissan engineers' office while they discuss how to fix this problem to see what the REAL issue is.

BadBlackMaxSL

iTrader: (1)

[QUOTE=diamondgirl]I can feel it as early as 35 mph. Each time after the car has been balanced and aligned it gets better for about 1000 miles. It started on the front right and now its the entire front end.


Well, that's 2 for the front right.

Also D-girl, get your hands on ALL the paperwork for the service they did to your car. I think we will all need this later to show how much of OUR time was wasted dealing with this problem.

My Max was born on March 2004, is that when the bad batches of parts were put on these things? My 2002 Acura TL didn't shake at all, smooth as silk. I've had my Max for 19 days and I'm already starting to regret it.

diamondgirl

Well, I will check back in with you guys tomorrow and let you know what kind of BS I get fed. I am still of the strong opinion that something is causing all these shimmy problems besides tires and misalignment. Tires unbalanced and misalignment are just effects of a much bigger problem in my opinion. What really sucks is that if they can't pin it down and correct the defective tie rod or whatever the case may be, the situation is going to do nothing but reoccur. Gotta hit the hay. Stephanie

glennjr

This may be a little long so forgive me. RSA's replaced today for the defect. THe store Just Tires brought me back to the machine they were balancing the tires on because they were having a problem. 2 tires they spun were perfect, then they showed me the other 2 and I could see a noticeable hop while both of them were spinning. They said it could be a multitude of things the worst being bent rims. I bought the car used so I cannot attest what the first owner did to it but there are no nicks or scuff marks on the rim. I doubt he would have driven on two flat tires for any length of time considering he paid for the chrome rim option. I told them about this being a ongoing problem and mentioned the hunter high speed balancer which they did not have. I then drove directly to the dealership and explained what Just Tires told me about the 2 tires hopping. I asked the service manager if the high speed balancer was necessary based on what I read here. He admitted they are hard to balance without the hunter especially with mine being 18's, but said it can be done. This particular dealership does not have the hunter and said the warranty will not cover the price to get it done elsewhere. He asked for one more shot balancing them (3rd) and if it does not solve the shimmy he said he would send me to a place that has the hunter and charge me $58 which is Nissans cost. Even though I think it is bs that I have to pay a dime for something that is not my problem I just want to be done with this once and for all. Again sorry about the length and I will keep all posted.

Proceedbob

TSB uses the cone that indexes in the center hole of the rim, Goodyear used the fingered clamping device: http://www.hunter.com/pub/product/ba...3T/3203T-7.htm Using the center hole assumes that it's in the exact center of the rim, this is not always the case, the clamping device holds the wheel assembly by the lug holes as does you car. I paid for it and am glad I did as I could have taken it back to the dealer forever and not solved the problem.

dvigeant

You guys aren't alone... The '05 Altima's are having the exact same problem. I personally have been dealing with this "shimmy" issue for 6 months on an '05 3.5SL Altima. Same exact BS from the dealerships. I've had alignments, 3 sets of tires, multiple balancing(including Hunter Road Force). I've had independent shops look at the tires and strutts and noone can seem to figure it out. My only comfort is that there seems to be many like me with the same problem and I hope one day we find a resolution.

glennjr

Bob...You have the RSA's correct? You took the car to goodyear to get balanced? What did they charge you? Thanks in advance.

Proceedbob

Yes RSA's, took it there for possible tire warranty, they ran the tires on a Hunter machine looking for defects, they noted the wheels were out of balance and the tires had no out of ordinary problems. The only difference was the method of clamping the wheel to the machine. $60.00 well spent.........

diamondgirl

5/23/04: Got my car back on Friday after they proceeded to add weights to the rack. Shimmy and vibration is now worse. The service manager, which has been awesome to deal with by the way, drove me back to work prior to the work being done. I told him I had been doing some research on the shimmy subject and just asked him straight out what he feels the problem truely is. BAD, BAD NEWS!!!!

He said that he honestly believes there is a design flaw. He believes the problem to be two fold. The first being the limited turning radius of the car. The second being the rack and pinion steering. Since the car has independent suspensions this type of steering works better than the stiff rod kind, but Nissan and I later found out several other manufacturers, have all had the same problem with the shimmy and vibration. I am sick. I really cornered him while we were in the car alone and told him I was in hopes that the issue had been resolved and they were fixing the cars as they came in for service in lieu of a total recall. Not so. The issue was not address on the O5 models, nor is it to be slated for discussion in the 06 models. So, I am now open for suggestions on which model car to shop for without this type of problem. Thanks to everyone.

queenzkid

I would like to know what part we need to change, whether aftermarket or OEM, to make this go away. Is it the Steering rack that needs to be stronger? Is it the struts that are weak?? Why can't nissan just issue a service notice or something? They will totally lose business because of this. Whether it's a lot or a little, they will certainly be affected by this. I will advise any people I know about this, for sheezy!!!

jinsatx

Diamondgirl,

I have two 05's, one of which had a shimmy and brake pulse problem and one that didn't. The one that did was fixed by the dealer by balancing all four tires and resurfacing the rotors. They did such a good job that there is no hint of shimmy at any speed up to 110mph (tested on a desolate stretch of highway) and no brake pulse at all until I force the anti-locks to react. Based on this and other people's experience with the 05's, I don't think there is a desgin flaw that Nissan is ignoring and it has nothing to do with the turning radius or major problem in the rack and pinion in all cars. Have you had your tires replaced or checked for being out of round? I had that problem on my Mustangs and they shook horribly until I got them to get me a good set of tires in round. Also, have you owned the car since new. Seen many a car get screwed up based on hard to see suspension damage caused by an accident or curb/pothole damage. I know it's just my opinion, but I don't see a design flaw here. Nice line from the service guy to get you off his back, but I'd take it to a couple of more dealers to see what they can do. Good luck to you in finding another vehicle without this or possibly some other problem that is reported daily in other forums by disgruntled owners. Based on what I've heard, the new Acura TL has a worse shimmy problem and many more problems than the Max. At least at the Acura owners websites I visited while researching a possible purchase. Also, as others have mentioned, there are lemon laws that cover this recurring type of problem and before I got rid of my car at my own loss I would use the lemon law like a couple of people at this forum who had a really bad problem car. I'd especially go this route if I could get a certified Nissan dealer service manager to testify that he sees the problem as an unfixable design flaw. Armed with that service manager and a couple other service managers from where you take your car to be checked again as backup, I'd say you'd win your case hands down. Also, after your win, I'd expect a recall notice in my mail for a permanent fix for my two Max's whether or not they have that problem.

lobewiper

The hopping problem to which you refer is almost certainly not a balancing issue, but rather a tire mounting one. Unless the tire bead and rim are coated with a soapy solution at the time of mounting, it is possible for the tire to seat into an out-of-round position on the rim. While a tire so mounted can be balanced--with enough weight--it will still cause your car to shimmy because it is turning in an elliptical orbit, instead of a round one. Therefore, do not allow a tire-wheel unit to be installed on your car if you discern noticeable wheel hop. Let us know the results.

raudimax

My 2005 SL has the Shimmy's. I took it to a Nissan Dealership in NJ and they only balanced the tires. Now I have another appt for them to use the Hunter. Lets see if it works.

Any other 2005's with this issue.

I have 15K miles.

MIKEDINERO2000

I foresee in the future that there will be one hugh recall when the solution comes out. Been in and out of the dealer for the same reason. Heard all the same stories. Even went to a different dealer and still the same answers. $27.5k for and 05 MAX and this is what I get. I wonder if the 07 will have these same problems. Nissan needs to fix this problem or I am going over to Lexus.

dmwiecz

I have an '04 Max w/ 50k miles on it. Back when I first got it and discovered this forum, I noticed people talking about the dreaded shimmy but didn't notice it on my car. Now that my car is out of warranty (of course!) this shimmy has appeared and seems to be getting worse. When braking at highway speeds, it's very visably noticeable - passengers have commented on it! My understanding is that there's no definite fix that anybody has found and anything I attempt at this point would have to be paid for out of my pocket. Correct? Thanks.

Monotaur

If it happens while braking (and especially if you haven't replaced your rotors yet), then I'd say it is your rotors being warped and not the shimmy. You might be able to have them turned (if you haven't had this done yet), or just buy some from the group buy here on this forum from Auto_Max95 (I think that's his name?). I bought some from him quite a while ago, but haven't replaced mine yet.

!PrjctMax!

iTrader: (38)

Yes, my brakes on my 04' max with 17500 miles are like the brakes on my dads car.....a 96' camry!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They "vibrate" the whole car while braking from "high speeds." And I have also heard that Nissan's brakes aren't all that great, so when I save up the money, i'm probaly going to get the Brembo blanks, Hawk Street Pads, and S/S lines; all from the group buy section, and will run me about $500, which isn't that bad for pretty nice "performance" brakes!

dmwiecz

So the shimmy that most people have experienced happens all the time, not just while braking? If mine is only happening when I'm braking, then it might have something to do with the brakes/rotors, etc.? Just want to make sure I've got this right. I have an appointment at the dealership later this week and want to get them to take a look at it. Thanks.

cwepruk

I have no braking issues, but I do have a slight shimmy at 40-50 mph.

I haven't been driving much faster than that lately (city driving). My car has about 4K miles on it (2005).

MaxFan

I've watched the forum. People did all sort of thing and still couldn't fix the shimmy. So I gave up the ideas of tires change, dealer visits, road-forced balancing... I got shimmy big time. It moves 1/4 inch left&right, mainly around 50MPH. After so much time observing the symptoms, I found a fix for myself: just the damn tires pressure. I kept my front above 33psi (cold, parking overnight) and I don't see the shimmy anymore. Every 4-6 weeks, i can feel a slight shimmy coming. I just check the pressure and add back 1 or 2psi. I'm shimmy-free for the last 12 months. I can re-produce the shimmy anytime, just let out some air off the front tires. So i'm sure about that.

raudimax

Maxfan I have mine at 33 should i bump the PSI higher than that to like 35...

Lets see if that works.

haasem

I agree with you. I bought my second Max six weeks ago. I have already had it in for service. I pointed out some things that were not up to Nissan quality (like the shimmy). The "Service Advisor" gave me the deer in the headlights look. And sent it for a road test. Two miles out and back. How in the world did they get the shimmy experience in that short period I will never know? The TSB even says to drive at speed for 20 minutes.

The made me feel like a pain in the a$$. If I wanted poor quality I would have bought a Saturn. It’s a shame.

Anyway they balanced the tires. Half of the "stability" problem as I call it is fixed. BUT, I still get a shake. The car shifts from side to side at highway speeds. It is the kind of thing where you need both hands on the wheel and both eyes on the road. It drives like an old car. It drives like a car with bad shocks. I don’t I have but 5,000 miles on it.

haasem

Can you elaborate on the shimmy? My Max is all over the road. I do notice it when using the cruise control. If I tap the break it’s HANG ON!

I am going to the dealer on Wednesday. I want a better description to give them.

dmwiecz

The best description I can give you of my situation is this: There's no shimmy as long as I'm not braking. However, if I brake, there's a vibration/rattling of the entire steering wheel and column. How noticeable and severe the vibration is depends on how fast I'm driving and how hard I'm braking. If I'm going more than 50mph and have to brake somewhat hard, I feel like I need to hold the wheel with 2 hands. It sucks! If your shimmy is also more pronounced when you brake, let me know what the dealership says on Wednesday and if they're successful in fixing it. Thanks.

Monotaur

This has got to be a case of warped rotors. The infamous "shimmy" happens while cruising at 45-65 MPH (not braking). I'd definately have your rotors checked (or replaced). How many miles are on your car? Have you ever had any work done on your rotors?

dmwiecz

50k miles on my car and never had any work done on the rotors. This problem has been around for at least a year, but it was very subtle at first. It has gotten increasingly worse to the point that I can't stand it anymore now. I plan to take it in this week and ask them to look at the rotors.

Monotaur

Yeah, I'd say that this is most likely your rotors being warped. I'm sure that you could get them checked somewhere else besides your stealership and it probably wouldn't cost as much.

MaxFan

50K miles ! Have you changed the pads ? My old '97GLE would show that problem around every 40+Kmiles. That's when I know I need new pads. And everytime you put on new pads, you need to re-surface the rotors. It would be good to go for another 40+Kmiles.

dmwiecz

I did have the brake pads replaced once when the car was still under warranty because they were squeaking like crazy (probably around 10k miles). I don't think I've had them replaced since. I religiously take my Max in for the routine scheduled maintenance though so my mechanic has supposedly been looking at the brakes. We'll see. I do have a mechanic that's not at the dealership who is honest and much cheaper. Anybody have any idea approximately how much new rotors would cost if I needed them? I'd like to avoid sticker-shock when they tell me. Thanks.

MaxFan

I don't think you would need new rotors. So they replaced your pads @10k which is 40k ago. They might put the value-pads on instead of the originals. I think value-pads don't last as long. So 40k is about the useful life. Just need a resurfacing and new pads. You should be good to go again. On my good old '97Max, it would shake the front end like crazy while braking at highway speeds (when it was time for new pads). I changed the pads 3 times over the time I had it, without changing the rotors.

Majestic303

I am the point now of doing as your doing, trying the tire pressure. I had my car (2004 Maxima SE) for over 8 months now and had the shimmy since day 1. I experienced the braking shimmy as well, but that was quickly fixed by replacing the front rotors.

After 6 months of the same dealer saying nothing is wrong and road force balances galore, new tires, switching of rims, etc... i went to another dealer and they dealt with it. Ended up where they FINALLY did the TSB (TWICE!) and warrantied out the steering rack assembly.

The car drove REALLY smooth when i first took it out, but now after a month, the shimmy is back, at the normal detected speeds between 50-70 (atleast for me). So back to the dealer it goes! I'm gonna try the PSI adjustment and see if that fixes the issue. I know in the TSB it recommends a PSI of 32, but i'll mess around with it and hopefully it fixes it!

Just waiting for the recall... (i don't suspect that'll happen anytime soon though )

MIKEDINERO2000

I can see a recall or a lawsuit coming. This ridiculous! This a major issue. But they may be considering it might be cheaper for a lawsuit then a recall. This may be something like the Firestone issue that Ford had. It could get real ugly and real expensive for Nissan if somebody happens to die and the cause is a steering shimmy.

MaxFan

After a month, you may loose a bit of air-pressure. I bet if you just add 1 or 2 psi, it will be smooth again.

Teamfoster

I just got an 04 with 35k miles. When I test drove it and got to 50mph it had the shimmy. When I hit the brakes from 70mph to 45mph it was hard to hang on. Dealer said he knew it had a problem and it was due to the tires. They just got the car on the lot and didnt go thru it yet. I came back 2 days later and they had replaced the tires. I test drove it and didnt notice the shimmy. I picked it up the next day. all was good till I went on a 200 mile road trip. I found that when I got off an exit going from 75 down to 40 or so the steering wheel would shake left to right like mad. If I kept it under 50 I didnt have a problem. Called the dealership when I got home and he says the roters or brake pads could be bad. Im going in next thursday to get it fixed. (if Im lucky)

-Adam