Hey,
I am a new member and have searched for the answer to this, but have not been able to come up with an answer. I have an 04 with a SEVERE!!!!!!!!! vibration at highway speeds, Nissan has replaced the tires 4 times and the rims twice, and all they can do is road force balance the wheels and say that's as good as it gets, is thia an inherent problem with the 6spd cars? My max has been in 11 times in 9 months for the problem and I am at my wits end, have contacted Nissan Consumer Affairs........MAJOR joke and have pretty much been told tuff luck. Has anyone here had a similar problem, did you get it fixed? Any help would be awesome!!

 

see tsb on famous shimmy

 

thanks, but this isn't the shimmy issue. The car has a violent vibration at "highway" speeds, the service manager told me that about 6% of the production has this problem. It does have the shimmy, but they have "fixed" that about 4 times. I am trying to get satisfaction from Nissan on this problem, but they do not seem to care. Thanks again!

 

its the shimmy. a bad case of the shimmy.

 

maybe I am wrong, but it is a vibration through the whole car, seems to be a harmonics issue, because at 75 it is slightly noticeable, above that it gets quite violent, bad enough to feel that you could lose control. I have delt with the shimmy, i know what that feels like. It is really sad that the car has this issue, along with the other normal max problems. I heard from a friend that previously worked for Nissan and still has contacts that they are supposed to be coming out with a "heavy rack and steering wheel combo" to address the shimmy, but I really don't think that this is going to help my car. The person also suggested that I change the wheel tire combo, said that the vibration problem is less severe with the 17" wheel cars.

 

I had the same problem. I read your other post and I agree that the problem has surfaced in say 6% of vehicles. The problem is a platform problem, which means that every 6th gen has the same issue. The issue magnifies other smaller , unrelated problems like tire balance, rotor imbalance, "twisted" belts in tires, etc. If what you say is true about a "heavy" steering wheel/rack assembly, that confirms that it is a platform problem, not just a 6% problem. Your "vibration" problem is the exact same issue as you had in the front that manifested itself as a shimmy. If there is a balance problem in the rear, it will shake the whole car violently. If it gets bad enough, it can go as far as to shake the steering column. This would then be a vibration in the whole car that you can feel in the steering wheel as a vibration rather than an oscillation/shimmy.

I mean I had the EXACT same thing going on in my car last week. Nissan DTS balanced and rebalanced for 5 or so hours and it is much better. He has tried to fix the problems that have been magnified by the engineering/structural design of this car. It has do with aluminum being used in the frame/suspension of the car that is not adequately absorbing the slight and not-so-slight vibrations being caused by other issues and transmitting these vibrations into the cabin and steering wheel.

Who did you talk to at Consumer Affairs? The lady I have been dealing with is very non-technical, but she has been trying very hard to get things done. THe DTS they sent to work on my car was VERY nice, very technically proficient, AND he is from your area. I would bet that he would be able to help the situation. PM me and I will try to get you in touch with the people I have been working with in our region.

 

Thanks Nash,
Sent a PM, not sure if you received it, I was told that the issue was platform related also, also that the cars with smaller wheels, (ie more sidewall on the tires) seem to have less issues. Were you able to be there when the factory person was there? The local dealer told me that I would not be able to be there.

 

Dave, how long have you had your Max? What mileage did it start doing this?

 

hey jays,
Bought mine Brand ney July 04, have had the vibration since day one. Did not notice it the first week that I had it as I had not made any road trips. From the second week on though....... I'll just say it has been a real battle.

 

I quess its time for a lawyer. After all the times that that they tryed to fix your ride, they should be giving you a new car.

 

lemon law time????

 

Well the lawyer thing is probably out, can't afford to take on nissan ...LOL I have just moved to Georgia the first of this year and I am not sure what the lemon law entials here. In Florida if you won the lemon suit all you recieved was fair market value less mileage. Black book here in Georgia is 22900 less 600 for the 6spd, which is to say the least is not enough to even pay off the car. I was really hoping that someone has somehow found a way to overcome the problem. Nissan has told me that my vehicle is not elegible for repurchace and basically that I am out of luck. NashMax gave me a couple of pointers from his experience so I will try that route. Has anyone had any issues like this with the 05's?

 

jayz,
did you see any noticeable difference in your ride quality when you changes to the aftermarket wheels?

 

Dave,

Ya, there was some difference as I expected. It ride a little tougher, but not too tough. Its still very smooth on highways...just takes the bumps a little rougher. I would still recommend 19s to anyone.

As for your ride, you need to raise some holy hell. Theres no way they can justify that many trips to the dealer. Even if it involves just getting a lawyer to write a letter....or tell your dealer you are one call away from calling the news stations (sounds lame, but no one wants that coverage). They just want you to go away. Dont let it happen.

Good luck, keep us posted.

 

jayz,
The reason that I asked was I met a woman with a 350Z , she had changed to aftermarket wheels because of a vibration and this took care of her problem. I am in for another round with Nissan Consumer Affairs tomorrow, don't think they are looking forward to it I have been pushing for them to resolve this. Hopefully it will all play out. Thanks to everyone for their help and suggestions!!

 

Bulls*it. They sold you a piece of sh*t and they are telling you that you are out of luck. Small claims court, you don't need a lawyer. BBB. Newspapers. By the way who told you that your were out of luck the dealer or the 800 number? Also call Tripe A. Later Warren

 

I have an SL with the 17's... The vibrations are a problem on mine as well. The Nissan sevice techs could never fix this problem and ultimately blamed it on the tires. Then, they tried to sell me a set of the same ones for $1,180. I told them to F^(% off and will buy my own for half the price when these are worn.

 

SL,
Which dealership have you delt with here in ATL? I really had to push them to replace the tires......REALLY had to push them, it's just to the point now that I think the car needs to be replaced. I have been hoping that the 05's do not have as many problems.

 

If you had a problem with the Goodyear RSA tires, you could of went to a Goodyear dealer and had them replaced for free or a small difference. It all depends on mileage. They have had alot of problems with them. I had to have my replaced twice. 2nd time I paid a difference for F1 tires.

 

Ramberg,
The local Nissan dealer in Orlando made me go to Goodforayear to replace the first set also, the second set was worse than the first ones. That was when I started pushing so hard to the Nissan C/A department. Were you able to aleveate the problem on your car with the F1's?

 

I have 900 miles on my 05 SL, and I am getting the shake between 73-80 MPH. It feels like it is coming from the rear end. The cold tire pressures were off by 1-3 pounds, and I have addressed that. Has not changed anything. I plan to bring the car in this week and let them try to fix it. Couple of quick questions. 1) Is there really a problem with trying on-car wheel balancing? 2) If yes, then does anyone know who does road force balancing around the north side of Atlanta? Thx

 

On my 2ns set, one of the tires blew while the car was standing still. I just had the F1's put on the car a couple of weeks ago. I will be driving down to Florida this week for a couple of maxima meets. I will know how they are by the time I get back. I will let you know. Later Warren

 

Nissan and
900 miles, go directly to dealer. I think we should bring a class action suit againest Nissan and Goodyear.

 

I have an 05 SL and I drive in NYC all day. No shimmy yet but with every bump I cringe and remember these posts. Note the car has the stock rims and struts.

 

On the car makes maintenance a bit more difficult because of haveing to mark exactly how the rim was on the hub, but other than that, the only other real draw back is that you will probably end up with more smaller weights on the rim and that increases the likelihood of having one slung off. Road force can be done by the dealer (do not let them charge you) and on the car will have to be done by a speed shop or old school style garage more than likely. At this point in your ownership experience, I would definitely light up the dealer as Ramberg said. Read up on the .org before you go so that you are aware of what b.s. they will throw back at you. Good luck.

 

Have thought about the class action also, there are, at least seems to be a wide ranging problem with the new generation Max. I make at least 1-2 trips a month to Florida and the trip is always a real "treat" feel like I've been on one of those fat burning machines...LOL

 

Most tire manufacturers make tires that would not be worth a flip on the 6th gen, I think it would just be against Nissan for poor engineering and not finding a better OEM tire manufacturer. The RSAs that have come off my car were within tolerable GY specs, but not the "service" specs that Nissan has come up with for the Max since all of the vibe problems have arisen. Our suspension and frame, with so much aluminum, require perfect tires. Nothing less.

 

egld,
I'm with NashMax, on previous cars I had the tires trued and balanced on the car and it took care of any vibration, hopefully it will completely take care of the situation for you , but you need to stay on them about it. The only other thing that I suggest is that you look closely at your rims before you take the car in and take note of any damage. Everytime that the dealership has worked on my car they have scratched or chipped the rims. Now just call me ****, but when you pay so much for a car you would just hope that they would care a little more.

 

I bought my car at Regal Nissan. Terrible service from the sales guy. The service department was just a little better, but not by much.

I've been going to Gwinnett Place Nissan and the service rep I talk to is very helpful. It's just that they just try re-balancing every time I go and ended up blaming the tires since they could never get the vibrations to go away. I'll go with some Khumo's or some other brand when these tires need replacing to see if that helps.

I love the car, it's just these annoying issues that make me want to get maybe a TL or something else.

 

I looked at a TL before I got my Max, they couldn't get me a 6spd quickly......sad to say this on this forum, wish I would have waited. I've been going rounds with Gwinnett Place myself, have been dealing with the service manager JT there. The second to the last time the car was in there, their fix was to tighten the steering, tighten it so much that the steering would not return to center. ( ie turn the wheel 1" it stays there, turn it 1/2 a turn, the same) the reply was it would loosen up, absolutely no concern for my safety. and then when I went back I let him drive, his comment "that's not right, it shouldn't be that way" I have pilot sports on my car and the vibration still has not subsided,so not really sure if any different tires will help. Hope you can get satisfaction!!!

 

Dave, I own an 04 SL ($31,000 + mods + additions + trying to fix the P.O.S. = $40000+) and have been experiencing pretty much the same problems since I bought my car in mid August. I have gone through pretty much the same experiences you have, with the trembling, thumping, rocking, shaking and rollin; and like you... I'am at my wits end! Not to mention pretty pissed off! There must be something we can all do together to make Nissan stand up to the reputation they have; or rather the reputation I think they would like to keep... What ever that is???
I think we should all get together and organize primarily with the intention of making Nissan Corp buy our cars back, give us new cars, or risk going broke and having there reputation destroyed.
Somewhere on this thread I did see mention of a Class Action... It could be as easy as 1-2-3... if we come together; utilize our warranties, enact Lemon Laws accordingly, and find some really good... mean a** lawyers to take our case(s)...
...But first... "We need a really knowledgable leader lwho seems to know exactly what is happening. Oh I know... NashMax; He sounds like he's been examining this issue closely and might make an excellent person to rally around. Otherwise... I am willing to do the work.
Anyone else interested or who has so good idea of how to get satisfaction from
Nissan Corp should mail me at BRAD_DINK@YAHOO.COM (there's an underscore " _ " between Brad and Dink in my address; it doesn't show because of the line under my email address.)
I,m really tired of this SH*T...
Thanks for your time and attention.

 

I am humbled, but as I have contended on many occasions and to many people, I am not in this for the money or for getting even with NNA. I just want to have my car ride right. I believe that any cash settlements that are paid out to vehicle owners in class action lawsuits ultimately hurt the value of the car worse that just having the problem would. If people believe that it is a simple balance problem and can take it to ______ tire shop and get it fixed, they might still pay a normal price for it. If we go off and sue Nissan and win and bring all this press to the issues we are having, there is no way that the cash award/settlement would be enough to offset the diminished value of the PLATFORM. The only possible way that I think we could come out on top is by getting the warranty extended to cover balancing for a longer period. That would be an oxymoron in itself because most dealerships aren't capable of balancing the tires to the point that the vibration is any better. Having the cars bought back won't help anyone in a state that has a FMV based buyback program.

If class action is what comes out of all this, I will get on board, but I don't want to lead it. I feel like I have too much to lose by winning.

 

I agree with Nash on this one, my one goal has been 1) fix my car , or 2) replace it with one that does not have such a severe problem. We (ie all Maxima owners) have taken such a beating on our cars on their value. I paid a pretty penny and know that when go to sell this car I will lose my........ The class action route will only be a temporary satisfaction that will not benefit any of us.

 

Well Fellas... I guess we'll assOut then. Get use to the shaking, rattling, and trembling.
But... then... again... "Nothing beats a failure- but a try." Gettiing Nissan to balance and align the Max- free of charge sounds good. Although, I seriuosly doubt they will do this; but... we can draft a few letters addressing the issue(s) and possible solutions and see what happens.
I don't think we will get a response though... and not one nearly approaching our desires; they will most likely insist that they are addressing the issues through their existing warranties, the TSBs, recalls, etc... End of Story... Thump! Thump! Thump! Shake!Shake!Shake! RattleRattleRattle... Get The Picture...

 

Sorry you feel that way, I am being a realist have you actually investigated the TRUE value of your car? I have extensively, rather than go through what I am, and have been going through with Nissan Corp. I would rather sell it. As I atated in a previous post black book is only 22900 less 600 for the manual transmission and here is the report that I just pulled up from edmunds

2004 Nissan Maxima 3.5 SE 4dr Sedan (3.5L 6cyl 6M)
Trade-In Private Party Dealer Retail
National Base Price $19,063 $20,405 $22,642
Optional Equipment $2,193 $2,355 $2,913
Heated Front Seats $134 $144 $178
Power Heated Mirrors $97 $104 $129
Power Front Passenger Seat $108 $116 $143
Rear Spoiler $134 $144 $178
AM/FM/Cassette/CD Changer Audio System $134 $144 $178
Satellite Radio System $215 $231 $286
Leather Seats $484 $520 $643
Power Moonroof $484 $520 $643
Bose Audio $403 $432 $535
Color Adjustment
Gray $-32 $-35 $-38
Regional Adjustment
for Zip Code 30097 $40 $43 $48
Mileage Adjustment
16,000 miles $0 $0 $0
Condition Adjustment
Outstanding $587 $599 $680
Total $21,851 $23,367 $26,245


Certified Used Vehicle $28,133

All we would stand to gain in a class action suit would be MAYBE and I stess MAYBE would be a small amount of repayment and the people that have Maximas without any problem would have a car that is virtually worthless. Belive me I really wish that I could just get rid of this problem and make it just go away, and that is what I am trying to do through channels. You have a vehicle with the same problem so you understand. I have delt with this from day one! my car had 23 miles on it when I picked it up, if Florida had a 5 day return period instead of a 3 day I WOULD NOT HAVE THIS CAR at all. Sorry to ramble and vent but each person that has a Max with issues I am sure can relate.

 

This is a follow-up to my 05 SL with 900 miles that has the shake, not a steering wheel shimmy. Good news. The dealer (Gainesville, GA) rebalanced the tires...I was told that they do road-force balancing. And the problem went away. I held my breath as I got on the highway...and..no problem shooting down I-85 at 75 with the occasional stray into 80. I had nightmares about having a lousy outcome like others here...since I do drive about 110 miles/day, I expect to replace the Continentals in the next 18 months. I'd appreciate some suggestions for aftermarket replacements. I have always had decent luck with Michelins for my cars and truck.
Thx.

 

egld,
AWESOME!!! Hopefully it will stay this way for you, the true test will be in about 1000-1500 miles, if it does come back get on them immediately!! I REALLY HOPE YOUR PROBLEM HAS BEEN SOLVED THOUGH!!
Dave

 

I just picked up my 05 SL two weeks ago. I noticed the vibration immediatly after I went passed 70mph. At first I thought the tires had flat spots in them. Now that I got 1400 miles on the car it still vibrates. It is very annoying.

I was just told by the service manager that they can not road test the car past 70mph due to the speed limit being 65mph out hear. He told me that they would rebalance the car but they would not be able to duplicate what is going on because thay are not willing to endanager their technicians. When I asked if I can drive the car while the tech is in the car they said no.

 

I bought my Max at Gwinnett Place Nissan and though the service was not very good.
I've been using Stone Mountain Nissan and they seem to be much better.
They still haven't fixed my shimmy, but at lease I'm treated well.

 

Does anyone know where I can find a list of TSB's for Nissan?