I have a 95 Maxima with a "whang,whang,whang" sounding noise coming from the front end. I first noticed it after having the tires rotated from the rear to the front on the same side. The noise is proportionate to the speed of the vehicle and is most noticeable at low speeds. Right now it is not very loud and once I reach highway speeds I can't detect it. My son had a 97 Mazda with the same sounds from the rear end, only louder. I thought it was the wheel bearings but a brake mechanic said it was a "bad" tire. Sure enough, when he had the tires replaced, the noise stopped. The tires of both vehicles appear/appeared in good shape with good even tread and have/had approximately 40-50K miles. Mine are Goodrich Excentias and his were Cooper. Could this be belt separation or what? If it is belt separation, is this considered a factory defect or just my bad luck? Thanks for any input.

 

Sounds like tread noise or a belt that has broken. If you took road hazard on the tires you can have them replaced. If not, then it's out of your pocket!