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According to two separate techs, Nissan is aware that on the 09 and 10 Maxima, there is bad vibration/shimmy issues with the Goodyear RS-As, the front driver and passenger seats have moving/shaking issues, and there is a recall on the front strut insulators. I have had and will be taking my car in again in the next two weeks to address these issues.
According to the techs, Nissan came out with a new TSB on the suspension that if anyone brings the car in under warranty complaining about suspension noises/sounds, etc, which I have begun experiencing, that Nissan is to inspect and replace the front struts/insulators, whether or not the car was under the initial recall period of being manufactured from 08/03/09-08/14/09. Nissan has told me that my car was not apart of the recall yet my door sill says my car was assembled in August 2009 (got it in the middle of Sept 09) so it has to be related!
To be honest with you, I think your making too much about the trunk issue. There are a lot of sedan trunk lids that don't pop up all the way and so the Maxima is hardly alone. I've got the spoiler on the trunk which weighs it down even more so you can imagine how much of a pain it is to lower and raise the thing.
The rest of the issues are legit though and you just have to keep complaining and demanding Nissan does something. Aparently, if you make enough stink about the problems with the tires, and show you spent money on balancing/alignments with no resolve of the vibrations (especially at high speeds), like I have, some Nissan dealers are swapping off the RS-A for Michelin Primacy's MXV4s which has gotten rid of the vibrations/ride quality/noise level issues of the crappy Goodyear's, but keep in mind, this seems to be a dealer specific thing and I don't expect my dealer to do it though the techs told me their dealerships have been allowed to do this and I have heard from some owners online that their dealerships did this as well.
Also had it as the steering wheel tilt motor went out after 14 months. There is a Nissan SB out on it (mechanics left it in my car) They have known about the motor problem since the new 09 model came out. They are just hoping the cars get through the warranty period before the motors break so Nissan would not have to cover the problem under warranty.
I had 2 Acura TL's and switched to the new Maxima because the TL body style was not for me and the Maxima had good performance "allegedly" I have been dissappointed and wished I kept my 2005 TL. This car doesn't handle anything like the Acura. It is mushy in corners. Power in it is definitely really good and the transmission smooth, but with the vibration issues and the motor on the steering wheel I am pretty much done with them and will be switching when the lease is up.
The only way your going to solve the vibration issues is by replacing the Goodyear's with a high quality Michelin or Bridgestone tires. The guys online who have done so have completely gotten rid of their vibration issues once new/different tires were put on.
Sorry to be the barer of bad news!
Don't get we wrong, its a sharp looking, powerful car but the price tag and the stealership treatment just don't add up to the luxury divisions. If they are going to charge luxury divisions prices then they need to offer the same quality and customer service/experience or its just not worth the high price tag.
It's not a fair criticism that the Maxima doesn't stand up to those brands unless you include a comparison of cost with similar equipment. Factor that in as well, and the stated deficiences still leave a good value in what is admittedly a "tweener" segment.
Last comment: Living in SW PA, RWD is not an option for me. Few cars out there can provide this setup in FWD format.
You can get a fully loaded TL with tech package and a premium package loaded G37 for around 38-39k which it near the same price and performance power as the Max but your getting much better service and treatment from the Acura and Infiniti dealer then you are from Nissan. Heck, even a loaded ES350 can be had for 38-41k which is around the Max's price range.
If you start talking about the German luxury makes then yes, loaded up similarly you are talking low to mid 40k's but not with the Japanese luxury makes.
Like I said, its not really a issue with the car itself, its more of an issue with the manufacturer and what they are charging for it and their poor customer service treatment on an expensive vehicle.
Have a 2010 Maxima. Very happy overall with the performance of the car and the price with 0 percent and low $30K range for the Premium Package it is hard to beat.
I will say..some minor issues overall with design/fit/finish.
I am having major problems however with the wear on the leather seats. Seems to have tiny "hairs" or pieces of leather coming out of the perferations. Had cover replaced to have them occur again. Nissan rep is now saying that it is "just the way the leather is".... while the dealer and rep agree it looks like crap escpecially on darker leather ..there is supposedly nothing to be done.
As I said ...great car for the price but if the "fit and finish" are no there this car's interior will look like crap in 2yrs.
Anyone else having issues with the seats in this way?
G.
After getting my Maxima back after a convenient 2 hour oil change, i got in it.. and almost within seconds of driving home, I noticed it SOUNDED different. Almost like a new intake was installed, with a louder BUZZ coming from when I accelerate. Like it's stuck in 1st/2nd gear, RPMs aren't going higher than ~2500. I can't notice it's performing any different but it certainly SOUNDS different. I've had other new cars before but haven't noticed a significant change after a "break in" period.
I plan on calling the dealer service dept.--but i expect, "oh that's normal." So i figured i'd reach out. My rationale is your car is like your body, you KNOW when something's up.
Any help would be great. Thanks
Again, I don't think I'm going crazy.
I am happy with the engine maybe could be a bit better gas mileage.
An update on the seat issue I am having. They replaced seat once already as I stated and now are saying it is "just the nature" of perforated leather that it is showing fabric coming out of the holes. Then they offered me a 2yr free maintenance program for my car. Nissan customer service is trying but the factory will not admit bad materials and they have seen it on many cars.
I wonder what my seats will look like in 2-3yrs. My 2002 Volkswagon leather seats will probably look better than my Maxima at that point.
I doubt I will by another Nissan product as the seats piss me off each and every day.
So just keep in mind, if your like me that has the mid level SV, the seats are not as high of quality in material then the premium package seats. I do think though that is crappy of Nissan to do. When a car costs as much as the Max does in all of its trim, the premium package quality of vinyl/leather should be across the board in all trims!
I initially had some problems with the car, but Regal Nissan in Roswell, GA fixed them all. I cannot say enough good things about Regal. I had the following problems, that were fixed:
1. Wind noise from lower left windshield area. Dealer discovered an improperly assembled rubber seal.
2. Front strut noise. Dealer installed insulators.
3. Vibration at speed. Fixed by replacing GY Eagle RS-A's with Michelin Primacys.
4. Low speed CVT vibration. Fixed by TSB application.
I was disappointed that a new car had so many initial quality problems, but thanks to Regal, they were all resolved.
A note to Mikemaxima126: I discovered that the Maxima has a "sound generator" behind the rear intake. It is basically a pipe attached to the intake that resonates. Apparently Nissan installed this as an afterthought because they thought the engine was "too quiet". I have fiddled with it to see how easy it would be to remove because I'd prefer it to be as quiet as possible, and it doesn't seem to be very securely attached to the intake. It is possible that during your service, the sound generator was dislodged when the air filter was checked or changed, so it is either vibrating or not plugged in properly causing induction noise.
I'd also check that the air filter is properly installed and the air filter cover is correctly in place, and the metal clips securing the filter cover are clicked in place. After opening, the filter cover is a bit tricky to put back together, and you may have some air leaks causing the noise.
They have engineered such a phenomenal vehicle and then negate all that engineering effort with a crappy set of tires. You'd think that Nissan would be tired of all the warranty effort that goes into rebalancing and messing around with the RS-A's.
You wouldn't by chance know of any national tire chains or dealers that are honoring that RS-A for Primacy swap do you? Mine have just over 15k on them and they are wearing really good (all four are at 9/32nds). I'd love to get rid of them.
I couldn't agree with you more. It wouldn't cost Nissan that much considering they must already have a deal with Michelin for tires since the Altima 2.5SL comes standard with Primacy's. But I'm not holding my breath b/c Nissan is still advertising the Maxima as the true 4DSC and the new Juke has RS-As on it so I don't think Nissan will get rid of them even though they should!
3 out of 4 of the ComforTreds on the Altima had to be replaced under warranty to get the Altima vibration free.
It seems that GoodYear have quality control problems with some of their tires. On the other hand, we just put GoodYear Forteras on our Honda Pilot and
they are perfect.
I know that Discount Tire do used tire trade-ins. If GoodYear are at a point where they will allow you a warranty return on the RS-A's they should give you an RMA or return authorization number.
If you get a multiple-brand tire dealer like Discount Tire to handle the warranty for you, you won't have to apply the credit toward the ComforTreds.
The way the process works is the tire dealer calls the tire manufacturer, gives them the RMA# and the manufacturer authorizes the tire return and credit to the tire dealer.
The tire dealer orders a replacement set of tires through normal distribution, and applies the credit toward the replacement tires.
The assumption may be that you will order the ComforTreds, however in your case you could apply the credit to the Primacys and GoodYear wouldn't know it one way or the other.
Obviously you don't want to let GoodYear know this is your intention ahead of time because they do want to keep you as a customer.
If you decide on the ComforTreds, and if they are in-spec, I'm sure you will be pleased with them. They really transformed the Altima.
Unlike other tire companies, I have found that GoodYear are very good with warranty issues and customer satisfaction, so I'm sure they will do something for you with the RS-A's. It is a pity that they have QC problems though.
Reason I ask is, I have a set of Kumho's on another vehicle of mine that are flat as a pancake with no rim protection was so ever and I don't want any more tires that are like that since the rim is completely exposed.
These low profile tires have very stiff sidewalls with minimal "bulge", and therefore less rim protection than a 60 aspect ratio tire. The Primacys provide minimal rim protection at best, and the tire width is lower than all curbs, so the rims are really exposed. I think the current obsession with huge rims and very low profile tires is really silly. They have a harder ride, add unsprung weight, offer no rim protection and cost a fortune to replace. I don't think anything larger than 17" is necessary, but until this ridiculous fashion ends, we are stuck.
Have not been to dealer yet, will advise.
Need to take it in and tell them about the noise and instruct them to clean and grease the rear suspension bushings. I had that done and the noise is gone. Apparently, Nissan used cheap crap in the rear suspension and the cold weather dries out the bushings resulting in the noises.
Pretty sad for a "new" car......
My Maxima also has 8,000 miles on it. It is still under warranty. Before I bring it in for service to help resolve the issue. What was the end result of your problem? How was it resolved? What was causing the noise?
Thanks for your time.
I have had some cars in the past do this a little bit when cooling off in the garage but this car takes the cake. It is constantly loud and unrefined sounding. It really sounds like a popcorn maker. Just absolutely ridiculous that a $40k dollar car makes noises like this and Nissan says that is normal. They just don't get it!
Don't lubricate the old ones, that is exactly what should NOT be done!
Insist on this NTB fix, I was told that low speed, cold weather exacerbated the condition and I concur!
BTW Nissan has not received any government handouts, and I won't buy from a manufacturer that has.
As far as "government handouts", don't ignore the fact that they more of a loan than a handout and that they've turned out to be some of the best investments that a government ever made. Between the direct return on investment and the indirect tax revenues that were preserved, the "big auto bailout" is likely one of the very few things that the government has gotten right lately.
And no, I don't work for an auto company.
I'm not having any battery issues with my Max and it has 27k miles on it currently. At some point, as with all cars, the battery will go and need to be replaced. I was just curious, what are suppose to be some of the best replacement batteries out there? I'm obviously not going to have Nissan replace it when it does go since they'll just replace it with the same OEM crap.
I know it was my fault for leaving the ignition on and the tint shop probably shouldn't of left the inside lights on but I have never had any battery die like that, especially a brand new one. I went to Pep Boys and bought a red top Optima batter and now I feel secure. I bought a Yellow top 6 years ago for my other vehicle with a nice sound system running 2 high powered amps and never once has it died. Even left the inside light on a couple times over night. Red Top isn't as strong as the yellow but rest assure you will have a piece of mind when you go to hit the Start button for years to come. Yellow top will not fit and the red top was a bit tricky installing cause the posts are opposite setup then the factory battery. I wonder if Nissan will give me money back for the factory battery?