alignment

[boqibama]

I noticed the driver's rear tire is more vertical than the one on the passenger side, Anything wrong with camber or toe ? Or this is special for versa?

[BBISHOPPCM]

How's she handle? Does it pull off to one side? shimmy/shake?

[nissantech06]

I noticed the driver's rear tire is more vertical than the one on the passenger side, Anything wrong with camber or toe ? Or this is special for versa?

Alignments, if the car pulls enough, should be covered 12 months/12,000 miles. Take it in and request a test drive with a tech, if it pulls. It is considered a drift when the car moves more than one car width either direction per 1000 feet (I think that's the number Nissan tells us).

[BillyBeaneBall]

I htink I may need to take mine in then. Ever since I pulled off the lot it just doesn't feel right and definitely drifts more than what you're saying....Ijust thought they would think I screwed it up...

[boqibama]

How's she handle? Does it pull off to one side? shimmy/shake?

Yes, she pulls to the left, especially on the highway.

[NY.AD.MAN]

There should be ABSOLUTELY NO reason why your camber should be off, there isn't even a way to adjust it...

Honestly, it looks like there might be a problem with the shocks or springs and, sans an actual accident, should be covered under warranty.

[nissantech06]

There should be ABSOLUTELY NO reason why your camber should be off, there isn't even a way to adjust it...

Honestly, it looks like there might be a problem with the shocks or springs and, sans an actual accident, should be covered under warranty.

I had a 2007 Pathfinder that had 8,000 miles that the rear camber was off significantly enough to dogtrack the truck and cause it to pull left. There are times, when the cars come off the truck, they've been bouncing around A LOT and it can cause the car to go slightly out of alignment.

[boqibama]

Quote »I had a 2007 Pathfinder that had 8,000 miles that the rear camber was off significantly enough to dogtrack the truck and cause it to pull left. There are times, when the cars come off the truck, they've been bouncing around A LOT and it can cause the car to go slightly out of alignment.[/quote]So, nissantech06, how did you deal with your Pathfinder, adjusted the rear camber?

[logicpaysoff]

We had a 2007 Versa for one month that relentlessly pulled left...despite 4 alignments, wheel rotations, changed tires, brake pads changed, etc... The problem was really pronounced at highway speeds. A Nissan "Master Tech" came to give it a try...all along trying to convince us it was crown in the road, normal…..etc...he only succeeded in making the problem worse. The dealership worked with us on it...but we could not trade it for another Versa as four of them that we drove on the lot could not track straight.We wound up with a Sentra……handles great…no problems at all.

That said, I did exhaustive research on this, determined to solve the Versa problem. IMO, I believe that an unknown number of Versa’s have a faulty algorithm in the electric power steering that does not provide enough torque…..and that it is probably too costly for Nissan to fix…until it becomes a fatality issue.

[nissantech06]

I had a 2007 Pathfinder that had 8,000 miles that the rear camber was off significantly enough to dogtrack the truck and cause it to pull left. There are times, when the cars come off the truck, they've been bouncing around A LOT and it can cause the car to go slightly out of alignment.

So, nissantech06, how did you deal with your Pathfinder, adjusted the rear camber?[/QUOTE]

Well, it was a customer's car, not mine LOL. Too big for me.

We put it on the alignment rack and did a 4 wheel alignment. It was covered under warranty and fixed the issue. The rear camber is adjustable on Pathfinders and most Nissans

[BBISHOPPCM]

Alot of people blame Versa's problems on electric power steering. The truth is, it's no different from hydraulic steering. Instead of being assisted by fluid, it's assisted by an electric motor. The rack itself looks exactly like a hydraulic rack. Mechanically, it's exactly the same. What does affect steering is the geometry of the steering components, weight distribution, and aerodynamics. My car has always pulled either to the left or the right, depending on which lane I'm in on the highway. When I'm in the travel lane, it pulls right, when I'm in the passing lane, it pulls left. And only slightly, at that. I've had three alignments and two sets of tires.

[logicpaysoff]

Cars are not supposed to pull to the right or the left. That is actually considered to be a defect by the NJ Division of Consumer Affairs.The Versa was the first car either of us had with the problem that could not be fixed by an alignment (Pre-owned Chevys, Mercury, Oldsmobile Pontiac, new Toyotas, Hondas Infiniti, Mercedes, Acura….not including the plethora of rentals over the years).

The 2008 Sentra has EPS...and does not pull at all. All cars should behave consistently in this respect.

That said, perhaps you are confusing normal crown of the road drift with actual pull...that worsens at highway speed.

In accordance with the SAE Technical paper authored by three Nissan automotive design engineers, "directional stability of a vehicle is a critical design parameter that ranks alongside handling, stability and comfort in terms of importance...the EPS motor can now be used to control undesirable drift...steering pull can be suppressed by estimating the straight line steering angle of the straight line torque"

It goes on to say that few EPS systems as this time have angle sensor...so, they wrote an algorithm that allowed the existing torque sensor to compensate for steering pull.

That said, EPS does not work on the same premise as a mechanical system; it relies upon algorithms...and if the current algorithm is faulty, a problem will result.

IMO, as none of the traditional methods worked to fix our unfortunate Versa…and as a least 4 other cars on the lot had the same problem, and others here have reported the same...my opinion is that the EPS and its inherent complexities (sensors, programming etc) is the most likely culprit, specifically with regard to its variable assist programming in an as yet unknown number of Versa's.

Here is an excerpt from a good summation of EPS:

http://www.gmtcny.com/eps.htm

“In an era where more and more automotive systems are being overrun by electronics, you can now add the power steering system to the list. The system uses the Body Control Module (BCM), Power Steering Control Module (PSCM), torque sensor, discrete battery voltage supply circuit, EPS motor, class 2 serial data circuit, and the Instrument Panel Cluster (IPC) message center to perform the system functions."