2009-2010 Alignment pulls right?
08-31-2010, 06:21 PM
#1
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2009-2010 Alignment pulls right?
Ok awhile back a customer came in and we lowered his 2010,
come to find out he had some issues with the car pulling to the right before we lowered it.
I called my guy at Nissan and he said its a common issue,
even tho they aligned it perfect it still starts to pull to the right,
there is a TSB but there isnt a fix, neither my tech at Nissan can confirm a fix,
he said its becomming more of an issues,
my question , how many 7th gens owners has this issues,
weather or not you have lowered or 20 inch wheels, please check in this thread with your thoughts.
my customer isnt too happy and im not a Nissan dealership but he wants his car straight,
hes gone to my wheel alignment shop and non of the caster or toe is off.
the tires are new and everything is balance.
come to find out he had some issues with the car pulling to the right before we lowered it.
I called my guy at Nissan and he said its a common issue,
even tho they aligned it perfect it still starts to pull to the right,
there is a TSB but there isnt a fix, neither my tech at Nissan can confirm a fix,
he said its becomming more of an issues,
my question , how many 7th gens owners has this issues,
weather or not you have lowered or 20 inch wheels, please check in this thread with your thoughts.
my customer isnt too happy and im not a Nissan dealership but he wants his car straight,
hes gone to my wheel alignment shop and non of the caster or toe is off.
the tires are new and everything is balance.
08-31-2010, 06:45 PM
#5
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Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 43
its very slight and hardly noticeable in city driving
on the highway in a straight line doing 80, a constant tug
its hella annoying
some guy made a thread about this earlier and said the rsa's were to blame; supposedly he bought new tires all around and it went away
i've got two new balkans on the front but it still pulls, and i'm not spending cash needlessly for something so minor
on the highway in a straight line doing 80, a constant tug
its hella annoying
some guy made a thread about this earlier and said the rsa's were to blame; supposedly he bought new tires all around and it went away
i've got two new balkans on the front but it still pulls, and i'm not spending cash needlessly for something so minor
08-31-2010, 08:18 PM
#7
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Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: a meadow south of Atlanta
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Not on mine.
I annoy my wife by taking both hands off the wheel when blowing my nose (with no traffic nearby, of course), and the car tracks straight as an arrow. That is unless I am on a normal road, which will always be tilted away from the centerline to enable water to drain off the roadway. A roadway tilt will always make any properly aligned car tend to pull toward the lower side (usually the right side) of the roadway.
After 20 months of driving, I have had one tire rotation, no tires rebalanced, and no realignment done. The tire treads are wearing very evenly, and will last another year or two. My car runs like it was on a smooth, level glass surface, with no sign of pull or tire imbalance up to speeds the mod does not like to see in print here.
Even the brakes operate very smoothly, with not the least sign of warped rotors. I was never able to say that about my 2000 SE or my 2004 SL. In fact, these are the best brakes on any Maxima I ever owned, including my favorite two 1985s.
I am already feeling sick at heart to know I will be giving this perfect vehicle up when the 8th gen arrives in spring of 2013 as the 2014 Maxima.
I annoy my wife by taking both hands off the wheel when blowing my nose (with no traffic nearby, of course), and the car tracks straight as an arrow. That is unless I am on a normal road, which will always be tilted away from the centerline to enable water to drain off the roadway. A roadway tilt will always make any properly aligned car tend to pull toward the lower side (usually the right side) of the roadway.
After 20 months of driving, I have had one tire rotation, no tires rebalanced, and no realignment done. The tire treads are wearing very evenly, and will last another year or two. My car runs like it was on a smooth, level glass surface, with no sign of pull or tire imbalance up to speeds the mod does not like to see in print here.
Even the brakes operate very smoothly, with not the least sign of warped rotors. I was never able to say that about my 2000 SE or my 2004 SL. In fact, these are the best brakes on any Maxima I ever owned, including my favorite two 1985s.
I am already feeling sick at heart to know I will be giving this perfect vehicle up when the 8th gen arrives in spring of 2013 as the 2014 Maxima.
09-01-2010, 12:31 AM
#10
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Location: Las Vegas/San Diego
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I took mine in, had them change out the foam insulators, check the alignment and everything was normal and it still pulls slightly to the right at higher speeds
09-01-2010, 05:21 AM
#11
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Join Date: May 2010
Location: Marietta, GA
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My max also tracks perfectly - never had the slightest balance issue with the RSA tires either. This could make an interesting subject for polling. There have been many threads about tire related problems, but I wonder what percentage that really is?
On another subject, I'm amazed with the smoothness of the brakes on this car. Like Light says, these brakes feel as good or better than those on any other car I've driven.
On another subject, I'm amazed with the smoothness of the brakes on this car. Like Light says, these brakes feel as good or better than those on any other car I've driven.
09-01-2010, 06:06 AM
#12
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Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 32
Exact same issue, except I bit the bullet and replaced the stock RSAs with Pilot Sports....have had four alignments and it still pulls slightly to the right.
09-01-2010, 10:44 AM
#17
yep i have this same problem, I went for a wheel alignment and noticed the car still pulled to the right alittle bit, went back and complaint cause i figured maybe they didnt do it right, Car doesnt pull as much to the right as it did, but still pulls alil , guess this is a common problem
09-01-2010, 01:50 PM
#20
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Have had this problem since purchased with rsa tires. Although it is parked for winter i did put on Toyo winter tires on org. rims just in case the weather permitted and i did not notice the pull to the right. When I reinstalled my rsa's mounted on 350z\08 rims felt the pull again. Went to dealer they aligned by slight over compensation, was better, but again I am feeling the annoying pull to the right. Was thinking of purchasing new tires come 2011 summer. Now with this thread I am very concerned. I have been driving for 35 years and never felt that constant annoying pull to the right because of the road tilted to the right. Someone mentioned there is no center on the steering, i tried to explain it to my service guy by drawing him a pyramid and showing him the point on top. I find when the car has been parked for a 6 hr. period of time or more it will pull even more till I presume the ps oil warms up then it is not so bad. Try touching the brakes gently as you come to a stop without your hands on the wheel and it takes off to the right.(when it is cold car wise not weather) Love my Max but this is one problem I wish I did not have. Only 20,000kms(12,500miles) on my baby, if I can get a clear concensus that installing new tires will help (because of soft Toyo snow tires) i will purchase new summer's come 2011. Good luck guys.
09-01-2010, 03:05 PM
#21
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Posts: 105
My car is lowered with new rims and tires. I noticed this pull to the right before I lowered it, but it is more apparent now. I have had it to my alignment guy twice and both times all the figures were within normal spec. It is only noticeable at speeds of greater than 60mph. I am glad to hear that other people are having this pull to the right. I thought it was just my Eibach lowering springs that caused the problem.
09-01-2010, 04:16 PM
#22
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Location: Raleigh, NC
Posts: 452
I notice mine pulls to the right pretty bad to the right. When I first bought it they looked at it and re-mounted the tires. It still happens but only when the specific tire is rotated to the front. So it only happens 50% of the time 
But very annoying when it does happen.
Light - contrary to yours my rotors already have very noticeable vibrations with 38k. I have noticed this for the past 15k miles or so.
Everything stock...
But very annoying when it does happen.Light - contrary to yours my rotors already have very noticeable vibrations with 38k. I have noticed this for the past 15k miles or so.
Everything stock...
09-01-2010, 06:00 PM
#23
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so this seems like a common problem and Nissan isnt saying a word to fix this issues ?
I think its time you guys need to make a poll and petition to North America Nissan.
Again I only bring this up because of a customer having this issues ,im tryin to find out more about this.
I think its time you guys need to make a poll and petition to North America Nissan.
Again I only bring this up because of a customer having this issues ,im tryin to find out more about this.
09-01-2010, 07:14 PM
#25
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Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 43
something sort of interesting to add:
my wife's '09 altima does the same thing. it's not quite as noticeable, but i feel as though that is because of the weight differential. either way, it begins to merge, always to the right, always after about the same amount of time. w/ the maxima, it is a bit quicker to merge when driving at the same speed on the same road. with both cars, it is hardly noticeable doing 40 around the city.
on the highway it becomes somewhat exaggerated with the maxima. can't really let off the wheel for more than a few seconds without fear that you're going into the lane next to you pretty quick.
'09 S w/ ~32,000 miles on it. two new tires, recently had an alignment performed. had the tires rotated and balanced just to see if it would change anything. it didn't.
Last edited by magicaljerry; 09-01-2010 at 07:22 PM.
09-01-2010, 08:09 PM
#26
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Location: a meadow south of Atlanta
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I haven't noticed it mentioned in this thread, but with the '04 Maxima, it was finally determined that, with many '04 Maximas, no alighment machine would properly align that car except the Hunter 9000? It was the Hunter something or other. I don't know if that plays into this situation or not.
09-01-2010, 09:19 PM
#27
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Location: Staten Island, NY
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I have had no such problems with My 7gen, I can take my hands off the wheel at regular street cruising speed, like 20 or 30 mph and the car stays straight, and on the highway the steering is very responsive and doesnt give me much trouble, it stays on whatever path I need it to be.
09-01-2010, 09:52 PM
#28
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I went into the dealership to get my tires rotated and balanced. They told me that there was some recall on the spring tubing and that they will replace it. So a day later i picked up the car and the car no longer feels right the steering is out of line and car is pulling to the right on highway speeds plus hearing some tire noise. This only started after they rotated/balanced my tires and also they supposedly did an alignment. Very unhappy at this point. But would like to get to the bottom of it. Going in the morning to a different dealership to get realigned. The car only has 19k on it. I dont understand how and why nissan technicians dont know how to correct problem. They are telling me that everything is fine and that its just me. I know my car and how it felt before the inexperience technician touched my car. At first the technician told me that the car didnt need an alignment after him replacing the tubing on the spring. After numerous talks with the service advisor they finally did an alignment and I dont even know if they did because the car feels the same and it still pulls to the right. I took a copy of the alignment report and he was able to change camber from what it shows me ( i thought that you dont have camber control on this car so how did he manage that. At this point i am super pissed off that you think the dealership is the best place for you to take your car and it turns out to be the worst. Any advice would be very appreciated.
09-03-2010, 12:36 PM
#29
Those with alignment problems, how are your tires rotated, if they are doing front to back then that may not alleviate the problem, the tires still have the same wear pattern, if your car naturally pulls to the right then your tires wear pattern is to the right, might want to try cross the tires.
Mine does not pull, or maybe it does but I don't have the time to drive up and down the same street 50 times, and I also know better
Mine does not pull, or maybe it does but I don't have the time to drive up and down the same street 50 times, and I also know better
09-03-2010, 01:29 PM
#30
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Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 105
Those with alignment problems, how are your tires rotated, if they are doing front to back then that may not alleviate the problem, the tires still have the same wear pattern, if your car naturally pulls to the right then your tires wear pattern is to the right, might want to try cross the tires.
Mine does not pull, or maybe it does but I don't have the time to drive up and down the same street 50 times, and I also know better
Mine does not pull, or maybe it does but I don't have the time to drive up and down the same street 50 times, and I also know better
09-03-2010, 09:00 PM
#31
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Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 5
i just bought my car about a week ago and noticed this about 5 days in i have under 600 miles and the car is deff pulling to the right
and its not just me. I think we need to take the next step and address this is nissan. Does anyone know the next step.
and its not just me. I think we need to take the next step and address this is nissan. Does anyone know the next step.
09-07-2010, 09:00 AM
#33
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This may not be directly an alignment issue, although different alignment specs might be able to band-aid compensate for it to some extent. Or make it worse if "corrected".
That suggests to me that the VDC is somehow getting involved; perhaps something about the steering wheel position sensor or its indexing is amiss, causing the RF brake to be applied when it shouldn't be. I think there was an article in Brake & Front End that mentioned this as a possibility if alignment is performed on a VDC-equipped vehicle and that sensor not re-indexed.
I would hope that Nissan was sharp enough at this point in time to get things like bushing stiffnesses and small steering effects basically right.
What happens with the speed-sensitive steering assist when it switches over?
The only other thing I can think of offhand is that somehow one drive wheel is getting more than 50% of the drive torque nearly all of the time. At higher speeds, there's more power involved so it shows up more.
Norm
I would hope that Nissan was sharp enough at this point in time to get things like bushing stiffnesses and small steering effects basically right.
What happens with the speed-sensitive steering assist when it switches over?
The only other thing I can think of offhand is that somehow one drive wheel is getting more than 50% of the drive torque nearly all of the time. At higher speeds, there's more power involved so it shows up more.
Norm
Last edited by Norm Peterson; 09-07-2010 at 09:05 AM.
09-07-2010, 09:53 AM
#34
so this seems like a common problem and Nissan isnt saying a word to fix this issues ?
I think its time you guys need to make a poll and petition to North America Nissan.
Again I only bring this up because of a customer having this issues ,im tryin to find out more about this.
I think its time you guys need to make a poll and petition to North America Nissan.
Again I only bring this up because of a customer having this issues ,im tryin to find out more about this.
09-07-2010, 08:07 PM
#36
I'm riding on the stock suspension w/ approx 8k miles and the car definitely pulls to the right when going at speeds above 75mph. I've taken several trips to Canada and it was very annoying to constantly have to correct the steering...especially on an 8-hour drive.
09-07-2010, 09:13 PM
#37
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Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 234
My 2010 Maxima S also pulls to right. It was an issue I noted on the test drive with 45 miles on the clock. It seems to come and go; sometimes I'm convinced the problem is gone, sometimes it's obvious even when the road is tilted to the left.
It'll also pull to the right under acceleration. I've had the car aligned once already with a small improvement. I'm not sure what to do next. I thought there might have been suspension damage from the delivery from one dealership to the other (the first 40 miles), but it sounds like this issue is common.
What's the TSB that mentions the pull?
It'll also pull to the right under acceleration. I've had the car aligned once already with a small improvement. I'm not sure what to do next. I thought there might have been suspension damage from the delivery from one dealership to the other (the first 40 miles), but it sounds like this issue is common.
What's the TSB that mentions the pull?
Last edited by alexdi; 09-07-2010 at 09:20 PM.
