I have Searched many threads for a solution to this problem with no avail so i am posting a thread now. I have been experiencing some vibration since i bought my 2002 max in october. when i test drove it i thought it just needed a slight alignment because it had a slight drift to the right. the day after i purchased my max i was involved in a work related accident and was not allowed to drive for a month and a half!!! (i almost lost 2 fingers at the machine shop i worked at where i sharpen inductrial paper knives, and other cutters including the blades from zambonis ) By the time i was back on the road half of my warranty was up and i had not realized i had a problem yet. School had started so most of my time was going to that and i was not able to get that alignment until my warranty had passed. i got the alignment and it was fine for a day. then the vibration was back. the vibration is now so extreme my car doesnt just drift to the right anymore...sometime it seems like the suspension just lets go and my car will jerk from left to right fairly violently (and this is at around 50...i dont even want to describe how scary it is to drive on the highway) my experience with my 5th gen has been very dissappointing thus far not to mention scary in recent months . does anyone have any idea what is causing this issue?

 

when does it occur?

what speed?
acceleration or slowing down?
turning?

 

it occurs all the time (braking, coasting, and accellerating) when i am going over 35 or 40 cornering even feels a little "shifty". it seems to vibrate a little less when i turn right so i thought it might have been my front right wheel hub so i jacked up my car while it was in neutral but didnt feel or hear any grinding when i spun my front right wheel.... so i am at a complete loss

 

wheels not balanced
warped rotors
bad tie-rod bushings

 

i hope thats the problem... thanks

 

yeah.. have u just changed over from winter tires or gotten new tires?.. are you lowered?..and does it go away when u go over 80 or get worse?...and.. sooner kinda mentioned it.. but when u brake does it get more intense or is it always the same vibration, not dependant on braking speeds and acc. speeds?

 

it doesnt go away over 80 it gets WAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYY worse it has had the same tires since i got it but they are still good and it is completely stock and it is the same during braking (maybe slightly worse during braking but it is so bad already i dont notice it getting worse) and it gets worse the more i accelerate

 

except for when i daringly raced a camaro earlier in the week (tied. he had me off the line but i caught up in the end ) i havent dared to go over 90 in the past 4 or 5 months

 

im gonna go with severely warped rotors...cause vibration at speeds and worse when braking.

BTW, with our cars, the rotors arent actually "warped"...there is just material transfer from the inferior pads. once it gets this bad, you have to replace rotors and then get better pads (hawk hps) so it doesnt happen again

 

it does pull to the right as well would that be from the rotors as well or would that be the tie rods or the tie rod bushings?

 

pulling is an alignment problem

 

i got an alignmtent and i drove 6 hours up to vermont and mid way throught the drive up it was pulling again

 

Bad tires buddy! check your balance! sounds like the belts are coming apart inside the tire! What brand tires? Are they made in China?

 

Rotate tires from left to right and front to back unless they are directional in that case front to back.

 

so much poor information posted in here....

 

in reality.. it could be all of that ..tires and alignment and all.. but my vote is for 'warped' rotors.. get some brembo blanks and hawk Hps pads.....easy DIY

 

what wouls be the best performing rotors for the money....im thinking aftermarket because i have begun modding my max slowy now that i have decided to keep it.

 

could be bent rims. I had that problem on my jetta and just couldnt figure out what was causing the shaking. Turned out I had 2 bent rims....problem solved

 

read my post one above yours.. brembo blanks.. dont buy into cross drilled.. slotted.. blah blah bs.. its not needed.. a nice set of brembo blanks is what your looking for..and also like mentioned hawk HPS pads.. just read up on them they need to be bedded and have a process involved with that ..

 

OEM replacement rotors (same as brembo blanks for cheaper) + HPS pads

again, the rotors arent the problem so why spend more for them...the problem is the pads...spend your money there

 

If the prblm was warped rotors it would only be noticeable when braking! Warped rotors aren't noticed well accelerating, or cruise! Only 2 things possible: wheels out of round or bad belts in your tires! A wheel/tire balance will find either problem! Good Luck youngster!

 

sorry wrong. if they are really bad, it was cause a problem at higher speeds without braking...they are not spinning straight.....

 

I thought people bought Brembo blanks because they were better quality and possibly wouldn't warp as easily. Is that not true?

 

i think people buy them because they are brembo...they arent any better than OEM replacement...and as stated above, the rotors dont actual warp...pad material gets transfered from inferior pads making the rotors uneven

 

Ok so seriously I'm not trying to sound like an idiot here but are you saying I can buy the cheapest rotors I can get from NAPA but use Hawk pads and I won't have any problems?

 

Correct

 

yup

 

got my pads and rotors done yesterday and i got a 4-wheel alignment. car stops great now and doesnt shake from braking but it still shakes almost just as bad above 50 mph. it still pulls to the right as well. i am bringing it back tomorrow. any ideas what the issue is?

 

Tires #1, wheels #2. Just have them pull the wheels off the car and check the balance. That will show where your problem is.

 

but would the the wheels being unbalanced make it pull?

 

I would say yes. I had 4 brand new tires installed on a 2002 Subaru Outback and the car was exhibiting the same behavior you described. I had them check everything with the car, align it about 5 times, etc. It turned out to be bad tires.

 

Have then check the balance, and when they spin it check the rims (both inside and outside) for bends.

 

new issue*** last night a new noise seemingly related to this same issue occurred. when ever i take a sharper turn/ corner my car makes a grinding/humming sound. its actually really scary and can be really loud depending on how sharp the turn is. i am not driving my car as of now and am getting extremely dissappointed because i have not truly been able to enjoy this maxima as much as the old 4th gen i used to have.

 

any ideas WTF is wrong with my max?

 

themaxipad ... your grinding and humming sounds like a bad bearing perhaps .... does the humming sound seem to increase as your speed increases? if so I believe thats the wheel bearing on its way out.

 

this doesnt sound like a bearing. i do believe i have a bad bearing but this sound is not from it. it sounds almost like a large SUV with bad brakes. that loud like deep squealing. but its only when i turn left whether i am braking or not.

 

Either a wheel bearing going out or it might be worn out brake pads. When your pads get down to metal, it sounds like the whole car is about to grind itself to pieces at any given time. Did you get the wheel balance checked yet? Results?

 

i just got new pads and rotors all the way around on monday so its not the pads

 

ITS FINALLY FIXED!!!!!! just pulling out of the garage today i knew my car was riding great. within the first 10 seconds of driving my max i had the biggest smile on my face you know the smile you get the first time you drive a maxima and you wive it some gas.....i finally had that moment in my 5.5 gen and i am so happy with my car. im glad i didnt decide to trade it in for a WRX.


the problem: extreme vibration while driving.

partial fix #1: new pads and rotors all around

the second and final fix: new tires (i apparently had extremly bad and flat-spotted snow tires)

the damage: close to $1,400

was it worth it?: every penny!

 

we told you

glad you got it fixed