After 900 dollars of nissan's cash.. still a noise!

[gotak]

So yeah my SE R went in today for them to swap the steering rack. At least that's what they said was causing the rumble and shudder when I turn the wheel quickly to the left at low low speeds. Costed Nissan 900 dollars cause it's under warranty and the problem remains only less noise and a lot less shudder.

So what's next? Bring it back again for them to spend a whole day at it? At least the gave me the loaner car for free.

[yellowspecv02]

I have a 02 Spec V, and brought it back to nissan 3 times to fix the steering rack when it was new. Noise still occured. I just live with it.

[nametakennow]

What kind of noise? At low speed, a quick turn is going to put a lot of strain on the PS system. Some noise shouldn't be all that surprising.

[G20pgh]

I agree. I'm not sure about the shuttering part, but some sort of noise shouldn't really be that out of place. I guess it just depends on the type of noise (banging, squeeling, hissing, whatever...).

[gotak]

Shudder is mostly gone. They are going to take a second look on Thursday. It's still a slight groaning noise. I drove a loaner when they were swapping out my steering rack. It was a 2.0 sentra and that did not have any noise at all and I tested that on purpose. So this isn't exactly natural.

[nametakennow]

A groan sounds like a strained PS pump to me. Maybe there's an issue, maybe there isn't, but, IMO, unless it breaks, it can't be any more annoying than going to the dealer repeatedly.

[gotak]

No pump. 07s have electric PS.

[nametakennow]

Then the alternator, ps motor(s), and associated pulleys/belts are going to see the strain. A slight groan doesn't seem unreasonable.

[gotak]

Well since the base 2.0 loaner I drove didn't make any noise or cause any vibration I can feel in the driver's foot well I think it's reasonable to say this is an issue.

They will look at it next week with me in the car to show them when it happens. And if they do a good job then they might even get more business from me buying snow shoes for my car from them. I see no reason, since it's a new car, to accept anything even tiny bit wrong with it. My biggest concern is that the noise is caused by something rubbing which could eventually fail if not fixed.

[jbarbaresi]

hey gotak did you ever get this resolved? i've started to notice a sound coming from my power steering as well, most noticeably when i reverse in one direction, then as i turn the steering wheel back the other way to start driving i get a "chewbaca-ish" type sound. while we're on the topic, anyone know of any recalls for the '07's yet?

[SER96VET]

i get a "chewbaca-ish" type sound.

sounds like Nissan may have finally gotten the engine part of the QR25, but not the PS?

[jbarbaresi]

or the gearbox/transmission...

[gotak]

They took the car back for a day and tried to find the cause. Says it's the shaft from the steering to the rack. Parts on order will be in they say on Wednesday. so I will go and see if this fixes the issue. They also have to replace the sending unit in the fuel tank.

The 07 and after Sentra uses electrical power steering and since bits like these are usually sourced from dedicated auto engineering firms. There can be issues with it that no one knows about, electrical PS is pretty new. Mind you since it's not designed by Nissan maybe it'll be more reliable.

[jbarbaresi]

i am starting the get that shuddering more and more intensely now, i'm bringing in the car monday to get looked at. were they able to fix the problem? i need to get this resolved before i put on my new springs so they dont try to say that's what's making the noise.

[gotak]

Ah right I forgotten to post a follow up. They replaced the steering column as in the invoice it says:

B Report on Noise From Steering POICause: Internal FailureQA16AA R&I Steering column assemblyQA161A COmbination: RPL Steering ColumnShaft/Tube12 WAR1 48810-ET00A Column'1 48703-06F0A ScrewFC: ZL32PART# 48810ET00A

So it looks like they replaced the steering column and yes it did seems to have fixed the noise. However, before this they also replaced the steering rack. So it could just be the column or it could have been both.

[nissantech06]

Ah right I forgotten to post a follow up. They replaced the steering column as in the invoice it says:

B Report on Noise From Steering POICause: Internal FailureQA16AA R&I Steering column assemblyQA161A COmbination: RPL Steering ColumnShaft/Tube12 WAR1 48810-ET00A Column'1 48703-06F0A ScrewFC: ZL32PART# 48810ET00A

So it looks like they replaced the steering column and yes it did seems to have fixed the noise. However, before this they also replaced the steering rack. So it could just be the column or it could have been both.

Scary part is, I recognize EVERYTHING on that R.O. you copied the numbers off of.

OFF TOPIC:

The first two numbers are the Nissan warranty claim numbers.

Anywho...thank you, from experience, for being patient with that problem (most customers wouldn't be). Yes, the car is new, the EPS system is new, and trust me, if it's new, it's hard to diagnose at first.

[jbarbaresi]

Ah right I forgotten to post a follow up. They replaced the steering column as in the invoice it says:

B Report on Noise From Steering POICause: Internal FailureQA16AA R&I Steering column assemblyQA161A COmbination: RPL Steering ColumnShaft/Tube12 WAR1 48810-ET00A Column'1 48703-06F0A ScrewFC: ZL32PART# 48810ET00A

So it looks like they replaced the steering column and yes it did seems to have fixed the noise. However, before this they also replaced the steering rack. So it could just be the column or it could have been both.

i guess we'll see what my dealer says on monday. were you having the braking problem and the transmission issue shifting from 1-2 as well? i know you had the gas gauge issue but i haven't heard anyone else complain about that yet, so hopefully that's not a widespread issue.

[gotak]

Well the fuel gauge they replaced the entire fuel pump assembly on that.

What braking problems? No issues with brakes except you just touch them and you see out the corner of your eyes your passenger tipping forward from the forces. Or do you mean the issues with brakes and after market wheels? A ****ty multi-fit steel rims did the job for winter wheels and now I look the part of a Canadian Motorist in winter.

Shifting is not an issue since I have the SE R and that has the CVT. The paddle shifters goes from 1st to 2nd without any problems.

As for being patient about it well I worked on the receiving end of a telephone company's internal tech support before and I never liked it when some idiot manager calls in and wants her problems fixed right away. I find you have to insist things get done but being nasty about it doesn't help. And my dealer's service dept is very nice and flexible so I don't have a problem with being nice in return.

[jbarbaresi]

over in the myspecv forums a lot of guys were noticing issues with the rotors overheating and wearing down too fast and unevenly, creating bad vibrations under braking. as far as the 1-2 shift problem, it's just the 6 spd guys having an issue with that, and not even anyone. thanks. hopefully i can duplicate these problems when i get to the dealer monday morning, nothing worse than looking like an idiot.

[gotak]

Some of those guys also drive their cars really hard. I haven't noticed any brake issues but it's a relatively new car and I don't get to drive that much.

Are you having brake issues?

[jbarbaresi]

no not yet. i also only have 2k miles on it so far, and i've had the car since the end of may. don't do too much driving. this steering column problem just started getting noticeable to the point i'm ready to do something about it within the last week, and i'm also having the transmission issue, but i don't know if that's a bad 2nd gear synchro or if switching to a synthetic transmission fluid will solve the problem like someone in the other forum suggested. i'm gonna have the dealer look at both and hopefully find a solution before i go switching anything.

[Trav1s]

Stay on top of it. They should make it right for you. Since you purchased it new, check into your state's lemon law and document everything. We had some probs with our Maxima and it took a Zone rep to finally diagnose and fix the problem.

[nissantech06]

I have 4200 miles on my car (bought on August 1st) and I STLL have the 1-2 shift issue, but I really don't care because it doesn't bother me.

Good to hear you guys are all getting your problems straightened out.

[maverick46]

I took my 07 Sentra in last week to the dealer because I had that same steering wheel noise and my car would shake side to side when I turned or went over bumps while the car was cold. They told me that both problems were associated the sealant on some bolts in the back of the car wearing out from the cold. My service person told me that when the sealant wears out, the body of the car flexes causing the steering noise and the shaking. She said that there is a "service bulletin" out for this problem.

[jbarbaresi]

I took my 07 Sentra in last week to the dealer because I had that same steering wheel noise and my car would shake side to side when I turned or went over bumps while the car was cold. They told me that both problems were associated the sealant on some bolts in the back of the car wearing out from the cold. My service person told me that when the sealant wears out, the body of the car flexes causing the steering noise and the shaking. She said that there is a "service bulletin" out for this problem.

there's no way the tsb about the loose bolt in the rear is what's causing the noise in the steering column. they are blowing smoke up your a$$ and wasting your time if you are having the same issue as the rest of us.

[gotak]

Side to side shakes can be due to the nature of the rear suspension. Very noticeable when going over bumpy intersection on left turns. Fully independent suspension would solve the issue but you get more body roll.

[fluxhomemade]

Has anyone got that click click sound under the car? It only occurs between 1st and 2nd and is completely random. Sounds like to me the rear caliper is coming loose. I have an 08 spec-v and noticed the sound at 1K miles on the od. Hit cannot hear with a/c on and windows rolled up.