I had a 2004 Maxima for 10 years and loved the way it drove. I now have had my 2014 Maxima for 6 months and overall I really do not like it. It is sluggish at low speeds, jerks at times at very low rpms, get 2 jerks right before full stop and the steering is horrible at 70 mph. I continually have to correct my steering to keep it straight and it feels too tight at hwy speeds. 60 mph and under the steering is fine. I remember there is another member who had the same problem with the steering issue. I am not happy with it at all.


just my 2 cents

 

I think I'm the other member you mention. Although I have gotten somewhat used to it I agree with your assessment of the steering. The steering leaves a lot to be desired even at 40-50 mph. I came from a 98 SE that I drove for 16 years I never had any issue with the steering on that car. It always felt solid.

I would expect that with the larger and wider tires the 7th Gen would feel like it is on rails. Instead, squirrely is the best way I can describe it. Others are entitled to their opinion but it is a Nissan engineering failure as far as I'm concerned. Not sure if its the extra horsepower but the torque steer in the 7th Gen is wicked.

 

I wouldn't be happy with all that stuff with my 09 SV either. The problems you are having are all fixable. Put that warranty to work at the dealership. If this is a common occurrence then it can be replicated with the service rep in the car. You should not have to be unhappy with a brand new car.

 

The 2 "jerks" right before full stop is most likely the "engine breaking" feature disengaging. The engine slows the car automatically saving your brakes as you slow down and approach a full stop. Just prior to stopping, this feature is disengaged and the car rolls freely to a complete stop without the use of the engine braking feature.

As someone else said, use your warranty and Get the other issues fixed. Also my want to get a rear sway bar to help settle the rear end.

Good luck

 

Another thing that helps with slowing the car down without using the brakes is to drive in Sport Mode because the revs automatically drop down to mimic you shifting into a lower gear, you can actually feel it kill some of the speed as the RPMS drop.

Also if you get an RSB and FSTB along with the Eibach Pro Kit most of your handling woes will virtually disappear.

 

My 2012 SV with the sports package which includes 19" wheels has excellent steering not to far off from my BMW.

 

I bought mine on march 30th, so almost 6 months too, just over 5000 miles.
Pros: Still very quiet and very fast, excellent absorption of uneven surface.
Cons:
-- Replaced driver mirror.
-- Fixed one rattle myself but the car developed a second, somewhere in the passenger front seat belt door column. Dealer replaced entire door trim - no change to rattle.
-- I have at least one wheel bearing that is whining on slow speed cornering, but not when u drive straight. will fix down the road.
-- driver seat began rocking slightly. Could not demonstrate to dealer. Will fix down the road.
-- main engine bearing is clunking when warm and idle. Took to one dealer - said everything was OK, but im sure he just wanted to brush me off. Will have to fix down the road.
All in all been to dealer 6 times trying to diagnose and correct assembly issues.
I think if the bearings were fine and those buzzing rattles left me alone it would be an excellent car. I kind of got used to the CVT, but CVT behavior and el throttle is definitely far from sport feeling. If you want to find out what a good CVT and throttle are SUPPOSED to feel like, go drive a 2015 Subaru Outback (6 cyl). We just ordered one for my girlfriend. Throttle input is IMMEDIATE. No mtherfkin lag. CVT NEVER UPSHIFTS WHILE YOU PUSH THE GAS. NEVER! Engine is kept in much better RPM. To be honest, that comes from the fact that they forced the CVT to behave like automatic. It sounds exactly like automatic when u drive, cept the jerking during shifting. I really hope the 2015 maxima behaves something like that.

 

Wow and I thought I had problems. Thanks to all for replies. Richard66 mentioned the steering is fixable. Is there an adjustment that can be made?

 

Mine is a 14 sport with 19" wheels. I took my car in for the steering issue. The dealer checked the alignment which was fine. Service writer said that other customers have also stated that the steering is "squirrely".

I drove another new 14 sport and it drove "squirrely" just like my car.

Some would say that the steering is very responsive. That is great when turning, not so much when trying to drive in a straight line. When going straight you want stability.

Others have posted that when they had a few passengers or loaded the trunk, like when going on vacation, the car seemed unstable. You would think the extra weight might make it more stable. Some have suggested adding or upgrading the stabilizer bars in the vehicle but shouldn't the vehicle handle properly to begin with?

After a few warranty visits to the dealer it gets old. Especially when half the time the dealer does not seem to care or is clueless.

Don't get me wrong, for the most part I am happy with the car. After driving it for 8 months I have adjusted to the steering.

I would probably feel better about the car it if I was not aware of this forum. Because I see a lot of negative comments about the car and Nissan in general. For the most part the negative comments seem to be justified.

 

Then just get rid of the car man.

 

I don't do a lot of high speed driving which is good because if I did, I would definitely get another car. I purchased the car in late Feb and it only has a little over 4k miles on it. I'm retired so I mostly use the car for local trips around town and travel a couple times a year so I guess I'll have to live with it. I don't think I will ever get used to having to over correct the steering just to make it go straight!

 

I wonder if this is a SPORT only issue. I really like mine at 80mph.

By the way, I am so disapointed with my car, that I went from carwashing it every week and conditioning the leather seats to taking it fishing on dirt roads. Drives great on dirt roads too, so soft. Trunk is surprisingly big for this kind of car. I can fit a lot of stuff there, on top of weathertech mat, leaving food and clothes inside the car. That was the most comfortable 3 hr fishing trip ride I have ever had.
I am still trying to decide though, get rid of the car or leave it at the dealer for a few weeks to get all bearings and the seat and the rattle fixed. That will really have my entire car ripped apart.

 

Believe me, if I wouldn't lose thousands of dollars, I would get rid of it.

 

https://maxima.org/forums/7th-genera...r-7th-gen.html

you guys should talk.

 

^^^^^ funny. All I've got to trade with is a...maxima!!!!

 

Well the transmission having a SLIGHT jerk when decelerating to a stop is the torque converter unlocking. Toque converter on this car locks and unlocks at 11mph, unlike a traditional auto at ~45mph. Better fuel mileage.

My 2010 is crazy solid at 70mph, 60 50 40 30 80 90 110mph....yeah. It's perfect. Couldn't ask for a 3400lb FAMILY SEDAN that handles any better! Nissan says it's a 4DSC - they lie....but it does damn decent for what it is!

Having to constantly adjust steering on the highway suggests an alignment problem. Mine is not and has never been like that!

My suggestion - get a different car. Maximas suck.

 

I have a new 2014 SV since June and now it has 4500 miles. I too noticed the constant steering wheel adjustment. At first I thought it was me not getting use to the feel of the new car, but it seems like it is a common problem from reading a few posts. The steering is worst when I went on a road trip with the car loaded with five passengers and items in the trunk. Another thing it that I start hearing rattles after 2000 miles. Not expecting this from a $30k+ car. The splash guards are useless. I get dirt splashed onto all quarter panels.

 

I can live with it. I would say the steering is responsive but certainly would not call it solid. When you are turning the steering is great. When you are trying to keep the vehicle going straight done the road...... not so much.

I have had others drive my vehicle and they noticed it also. I took it in to my mechanic and he basically said that many newer vehicles have this type of over boosted steering.

It's not an alignment issue. I had mine checked by the dealer. The alignment was fine but they adjusted it anyways. I test drove a new 2014 SV Sport the same day. The steering was "off' just like my car. I doubt this issue is only with the sport model. Probably an issue with the design of the electronic steering control.

I don't believe the Maxima is the only vehicle that suffers from this steering issue. I was considering an Acura TSX and driving that car down the highway feels like you are driving a car in a video game.

 

The guards actually serve a purpose. I drove over smashed up furniture on I95 and my front wheel kicked a piece of wood up towards my rear wheel at a high speed. Instead of blowing out the rear wheel the guard took the damage. The guard was cracked. They basically saved me from having a tire blowout. Nissan wouldn't just put guard hidden there for no reason.