Hello my friends,

New to forums! I got me a pre-owned 2014 maxima sv w/premium package about 7 weeks ago. I am loving it however i had a small concern about a sound i recently noticed on my car. When driving at low speeds, around 25-30 mph i hear what seems like a humming/winding sound as i let off the gas pedal. If i accelerate the sound can not be heard. Any ideas?

Dealership was unable to replicate problem

In addition...i am feeling a medium to heavy vibration at speeds around 80. Steering wheel will not shake however but its felt around car well. Balance?? Thanks for the input amigos!

 

I had that same type of sound coming from my transmission when I let off the gas at low speeds. I described it as the sound a supercharger makes (a type if whistle or humming sound). My transmission failed shortly after. Hopefully this isn't the case as your car is new. I'd keep an eye on it tho

 

Thanks for the reply bro...i will keep that in mind. I hope its not the tranny going bad so soon. Anyone else have further input on this? I can't be the only one that hears this coming from their Maxima

 

It could also be a wheel bearing. It appears to be a common issue as well.

 

Today I was coming home from work. I noticed a much louder "humming" or squeaky sound than ever. Thinblue mentioned about bearing problem. How would anyone describe a bad bearing? The noise happens only between 20-30 mph in drive, neutral, or manual mode while slowing down. I don't think its bad tranny...ideas? Thanks in advance!

 

Bad wheel bearings generally get worse over time and can be at any speed above 20mph or so. Since your sound goes away after 30mph it might be something else. Since its a fairly new vehicle I'd just take it to the dealer. Whatever the problem is will most likely be covered under the 3tr/36k mile warranty.

 

I think its the pushing wheel cylinder on the lower left axle of the vehicle.

hope that helps
regard
jordan

-technician

 

Hmmm... Makes me wonder if it was a pre-owned 2014 for a reason. Did they give a good explanation as to why a new car became an available used car so quickly?

 

I had a bad wheel bearing with 0 miles on the car. I noticed it the first day I drove it, but it was so subtle, I thought that's normal even for a new car, and ignored it.
4500 miles later, the wheel bearing is easily audible.
So is the engine bearing.
Getting tired of going to the dealer, and seriously pissed at nissan quality control for letting such a piece of **** off the production lane. These bearings noises were present on a brand new car and could have been detected. I know I would have detected them if I were aware.
Now I am considering not fixing anything, just taking a big hit, and trading this piece of **** for something else. And no, sorry, not going over the line, this IS a piece of ****, and there is no excuse for that many issues on a new car. I have warranty but i'm not gona have entire engine ripped apart, with dealer records publicly available for the next seller.

 

Working in the auto industry as a manufacturer of vehicle components, be happy you aren't in a Dodge. I've seen some scary stuff go down the line that just get let through.
An assembly tech isn't going to know if a bearing is good or bad.

 

I work in retail business analytics, and have a cosy corporate job. Not in auto industry, but I think I have a pretty good personal experience of how these things go down. We calculate the redemption rate, in this case how many people bring the car for repair, and see if its worth fixing something. Note something important here: the actual percent of defective product is completely irrelevant. There are some products that very few people diagnose and will tolerate. The only thing that matters is how many bring the car for repair.
Now, if you are a woman, no offense, there is no way you gona notice engine knocking on idle, when car warm. My girlfriend can't hear the rattles or feel the rocking seat.
I am convinced that QC is not the problem. Nissan is aware of all of these defects and cold bloodedly calculated that its cheaper to fix the cars of the few people that will actually complain.

 

I see your point, as there are issues that have been around from the start.

 

Exactly right and it is cheaper for Nissan to not resolve issues that have been occurring in every year of the 7th Gen since 2009. Customer be damned. Nissan's problems don't end there.

The auto industry as a whole works this way. If a few people lose their lives because of a defect it may be cheaper to just pay for the lives lost than to fix the defect in thousands of cars.

And those of you anxiously awaiting the 8th Gen can expect more of the same.

 

So it's not just Maximas or nissans then that are the problem. I did QA for a certain auto maker and they do try and catch things out the door. If it is a bearing or some other part, remember that a lot of the parts of a car are made by someone else and then assembled by a car company. The bearing and knock issue is terrible but then again it seems there aren't too many failures of engines. This again would be a minimum variance or an acceptable defect if it is not actually blowing the engine. It sucks but it's the way it is. That being said, I love both of my 7th gen max's and wouldn't trade them for the world. It is the sharpest, sportiest car you can get for dollar without the boring looks of an Accord or Camry. Everyone has a list so if this car is not one yours then move on and find a better choice for yourselves. Trade it or sell it and get what you like. After all it is America and we can choose so much :-)

 

Thanks for ideas/input my friends. I took the car in today and went for a test drive with a Nissan tech. He heard the noise. He said mostly likely its something the wheel bearing or even transmission. Either way it doesn't look good. It sucks a CPO is already back. Makes me think trading in my perfectly good running 2012 Pathfinder was a mistake. NOT!!! I love my Maxima...this car is freaking nice even with these issues lol. I will keep you posted on findings and how well of job these guys do.