My 2012 has about 8k miles on it and I have noticed pretty much the entire time that I get quite a bit of vibration/grinding/road feedback through the steering column. Reading some forums on here some have said they think it is the Goodyear Eagle tires. Had dealership look at it today but they didn't find anything wrong. Do others have this same experience? If so what have you tried to reconcile the issue? Is new tires the only option?

 

I also have a 2012 with the Goodyear RSA tires and 4500 miles with no issues. In fact, at this time I can not find any fault with these tires but time will tell. It appears to me that your tires were never correctly balanced or you may have lost a balance weight. Have the dealer check the tires for balance.

 

Has happened to me with the Stock tires after my Eibach Kit hit 500 Miles on it or so. Definitely a Wheel Balance Issue. I went to Good Year..although they charged me for a Wheel Rotation and Balance..after both was done..it was good as new!

 

vibrating wheel is usually balance or alignment issues

 

Excuse me..I meant Wheel Alignment & Balance!

 

The Maxima has, in general, more high-frequency wheel vibration than most cars. This goes hand in hand with the car's superior steering feedback.

Strong vibrations can suggest a problem. If they occur in a straight line, the cause may be a bad wheel bearing or misaligned wheel balancing weights. I've also had vibration caused by loose lugnuts.

 

Hi,

I purchased my Maxima in October of 2012 and noticed the poor ride quality right away. I traded in a 2009, so I know what this car is supposed to feel like.
I had vibrations that could be felt both through the body and through the steering wheel. When I informed the dealership about this I was told that there was a service bulletin about the car sitting for too long on the lot and that I would need to drive the car for 30 miles on the freeway without stopping and it should resolve the issue. I did this and still had the same problem. I called the dealer right away to let them know that this didn't fix the issue. This was Strike One!
I then brought the car in for a balancing. This also did not resolve the issue. Strike Two!
I then requested that they swap rims and tires with one of the other 12 maximas on the lot. They agreed but suggested that I drive the other car to make sure it was ok. I drove 5 cars that day and they all had the same issue to a greater or lesser degree. I found one that seemed to be somewhat ok and we made the swap. Although this set wasn't as bad, the car still wasn't right. Strike Three!
I took it back and they balanced this set of tires. As soon as I left the dealership to drive to work the problem was worse than before they balanced them. I called them right away and let them know. Strike Four!
By now I have contacted Nissan USA and have given the dealership very poor service ratings. You would be amazed how quickly you get a call from the dealer when you do that.
I was asked to bring the car back a 4th time for a "Road Force Balance". Which by the way is what they told me they did the last time. So I did and this time they informed me that I had 2 bad rims. I got the car back with 2 new front rims and a slightly better ride. I'm still not satisfied. Strike Five!
I will be calling the dealership again and meeting with the Regional Nissan Rep. I will also be calling the better business bureau and asking for an arbitration case.
I am convinced that Nissan has a manufacturing and quality control issue with the 18 inch rims that come on the car. As I said earlier, I drove 5 new Maximas and they all had the same issue.
PS. My 2009 Maxima had 19 inch rims and that car was solid as a rock.

 

My 12 SV Premium had vibration issues immediately after purchase. I did not test drive the car as I have owned eight Maximas in 20 years. Dealer balanced/ aligned/ rotated the car to little positive effect. Drove 2.5K miles and then leaned on my dealer- all four tires were flat- spotted and they sent me to a local Goodyear dealer where four new RS-As cleared up the problem, no cost, no more vibration. Great dealer and a really decent guy at the Goodyear shop.


denoose

 

looks like I may need to do the same. I just got mine a week ago and took a trip to Louisiana. I got here last night and half of the drive I felt vibration in both front seats and a very sensitive vibration in the steering wheel.

 

Nissan USA is sending a specialist out to meet with me next week. We'll be taking a nice long drive. Hopefully this will be all the convincing I will need to do. More to follow.

 

Any update? I just switched to the 19's and having the vibration issue. My 18's were smoother with the worn RSA's!

 

The Specialist came out and I met with him last wednesday the 10th of April. We took a drive and he confirmed that there was an issue. They have had the car at the dealership since then. Step taken so far.
1) Hunter Road Force balancer (3rd time) The found 1 tire that had sidewall issues and another that had tread pattern issues. Both were replaced.
2) Upon Road testing after the tires were replaced the Specialist thought he heard bearing noises so both front bearings are being replaced.
I should have the car back tonight. I'll keep you posted.

 

I put on new tires..still having vibration issues. I give up really..getting tired with some of these issues on the Maxima..time to upgrade. (For me atleast)

 

Ok. I have the car back and I'm really not happy. I give up on Nissan. Most of the driving I did the first couple of days after getting it back was just around town and in traffic to and from work. What makes this a pain in the a$$ is that the vibrations are very subtle and not consistent. I knew within minutes of having it back that the issue was still there but I was also driving on very bad Milwaukee roads. Nissan USA called me and I let them off the hook and told them to close the ticket. I had driven the car to Chicago with a friend and even let him drive down to see if he felt anything. He didn't and neither did I frankly when I drove back.
So, I'm thinking Woooo Hoooo! problem solved, right? Not a chance. Today I had to drive out to a meeting in New Berlin, WI from Wauwatosa and the vibration was back and not in a small way. So, I'm starting the paperwork with the BBB and getting an Arbitrator. I am done with this. I want to add that it does look like they put 4 new tires on the car along with different rims. Notice I did not say new rims. I had 2 new rims on the car and they are no longer on it?? Another mystery. What else could it be? Bent drive shafts? What ever it is, I'll leave it up to the BBB to decide if I should have to deal with this or if I'll have better luck with another car. That's the end of this RANT. Wish me luck!

 

Ive always had this with my car also I cant freakin stand the vibrations!!!

 

My car has done it the whole time, frankly i have just got used to it

 

Hi everyone,

I just got a call from Nissan North America this morning. They have offered to give me a new car or repurchase this one. I'll have to weigh out the advantages or disadvantages of both offers but either way, I am happy that they have been so easy to work with.

No lawyers, no BBB, just a letter stating my case with all the service dates letting them know that the issue is still not resolved. Phew! I thought I was going to be in for a battle.

I'm leaning toward letting them repurchase the car and I'll just go get a new Camaro ZL1! Yes, it's mid-life crisis time.

Peace!