Nissan response to wind noise problem

[janemackey]

Purchased a 2008 Rogue in Clinton, Ok, and since leaving the dealership have experienced severe wind noise "howling" around the front windshield at speeds over 70 mph. The noise is deafening, to the point the car has to slow to below 65 mph on the interstate to return to normal sound levels.

The dealership indicated it was a problem of Nissan USA and would not stand behind finding a solution. After visiting with a regional specialist, we were told the deafening noise "is reasonable and customary" and no action would be taken. They will do nothing to help the situation. We have only 2500 miles on the car.

I see several other Rogue owners have experienced this problem and would like to know how Nissan responded to their complaints. Needless to say we are very disappointed to know Nissan isn't a quality car company who stands behind their products.

J Mackey

[philipa_240sx]

I am still baffled. Have you tried test driving another Rogue to see if has the same problem? I do get some wind noise in mine, but not to the point that it's annoying.

[janemackey]

This isn't just annoying. It is unbearable and totally deafening! Like someone screaming as you are driving.

A guy in their service dept heard the noise, added some foam tape around the windshield to our car, as well as 4 other Rogues they had on the lot as they were concerned about those also. When we returned last week to tell them it didn't change the problem, the owner of the dealership called us to say they wouldn't do anything else and if we had a problem to call Nissan USA. We did and they regional specialist called this morning to say that the noise is "customary and acceptable."

We said we weren't just talking about a little wind noise, but a screaming sound and she just repeated herself and said basically it was our problem to live with. We just can't believe they won't do anything! Amazing!

[Pescakl1]

As for the rattle, is it possible to make a short sound clip for us to better define if we can help you on that?

A short sound clip or a short video will help us better understand your problem and maybe able to help you with Nissan.

[janemackey]

I will get an audio clip of the sound. My daughter has the car at college 1 1/2 hrs away so it might be a day or so before I can get that. When I do I will post a message here of where to hear it. Thanks for responding. We are so frustrated! I knew better than to buy a car the first year out. I just thought Nissan would stand behind their product....J reid

[mstrmstr]

I had a irritating Noise problem at 65MPH.. but mine was a harmonic problem with the OEM Dunlop tires.. sounded like a wind howl.. just like a hound on the scent. It was hard to identify where it was coming from.

Cure- sold the oem tire wheels and bought nice General altimax HP and a sweet set of wheels.

Not a thread hijack- just saying it may not be windshield related.

NOTE- looking at the reviews on the OEM tires is just plain dismal.. they are some of the lowest rated tires..

My bet is your running now on Dunlops.

Have the dealer do a quick switch with some contis vs dunlop and see if the noise disappears.. Rogues come with either depending on model and package ... a no cost check..

[Roguemonster]

I had this problem, and it was significant, but it went away over time. Hasn't happened in quite awhile.

I attributed it to the roof rails since it was more audible if I had the sunroof open, but who knows. Somebody else has claimed here that it had to do with the rear view mirrors and they way the insulation for them was packed.

The tires would make sense, I guess, since wear would change the problem.

I'm on new tires now too (got a big unrepairable nail rip on the inside sidewall of my LR on the Dunlops, and with 30k on them, replacing one didn't make sense). Running Bridgestone Turanza EL42's now. We'll see if I get wind noise in Wyoming next week.

[kerrton]

It must be a rare problem because mine is whisper quiet on the highway, this was actually one of the selling points of this vehicle for me.

My question is, presumably you did not hear this noise when you test drove the vehicle. So, when did you first hear it, was it immediate or did it develop over time? Something must've come lose, such as the roof rails or the side mirrors, because like I said my Rogue is absolutely silent, and the Rogue actually gets praised in car reviews for quiet ride. That being the case, the dealer should be able to pinpoint the problem and correct it, this shouldn't be that difficult for them. Get the service guy to test drive yours and then another one on the lot back-to-back to make the point that there is something abnormal with your vehicle that must be fixed, and this is not common to all Rogues.

[Ticmxman]

My money is on the roof rails esp. if you have the cross rails installed. I would remove the cross rails and see if that correct the issue. All racks I have ever had on my CRVs, RAV4s have caused a great deal of noise. I always try to remove the cross rails when not using them frequently. My Rogue is very quiet.

[janemackey]

Gosh, thanks so much for the responses! I will definitely check to see about the tires and will remove the roof rails as well. The dealer basically told us NOT to come back to the dealership about the problem and Nissan corp said they wouldn't attempt any other "fixes" as they deemed it acceptable. We were hoping to take it to another dealership service dept for help.

We have noticed the problem is amplified when the wind is blowing at least around 20 mph outside (which in western Oklahoma, where we live, is about every other day). This made me wonder if it just isn't a problem in other locations where outside wind isn't a factor. It is also what made me think it was a seal problem of some sort, but the tires make sense as does the cross bars. I will try those immediately.

Unfortunately, when test driving the car the problem wasn't noticed, however as we drove home, 15 miles from the dealership on the interstate, the scream started and we immediately returned to the dealer where they started with the first seal fix around the windshield. (which didn't work)

I contacted a few others who had posted on this site, one guy from the Tulsa area who had been to his dealer numerous times and was having no luck. He has since moved to the Dallas area and I haven't heard what he has figured out either. I will try to let him know about the tires as well.

Anyway, thanks again. I'm still going to get that audio made..

J Mackey

[Ticmxman]

Just remove the horizontal cross bars, not the rails that run from front to the rear of the Rogue. I've had to use fairings on my Yakima and Thule racks due to cross bar wind noise. I've also seen bars install backwards.. rear side to the front this caused noise issues.
Modified by Ticmxman at 5:35 PM 11/18/2008

[Pescakl1]

You raised a good point, Ticmxman.Because of the shape of the roof, the front crossbar is totally different of the rear one to be sure that the two crossbars are at the same level when installed on the car.

On the front crossbars, on the part joining the crossbar to the roof rail, down looking up, you should see written "FR".For the rear crossbars, you should see written "RR".

If you look at the car and are about two steps above its level, you should only see the front crossbar as the second one should be hidden by the front crossbar.If looking at the car at any level, you cannot hide the rear crossbar with the front one, you have a problem.

The fact that the two crossbars are not aligned on the same level can create a lot of noise as I experienced once when I installed thule crossbars without reading the instructions about the distances to follow on one of my previous car.

Second place that can generate a lot of noise are the tires and those who drive with winter tires noticed it right away.

Third one could be an insulation problem. I noticed that when I don't put in place the rubber hiding the cargo area, I have more noise coming from the rear than usual.

[rogueboy]

Yep, I have a roof rack with *cross bars* and I hear the howl with a strong to moderate cross wind if I am travelling over 70MPH. Also happens with low to no crosswind if I am taking a curve in the highway at high speeds.

I am pretty certain its the crossbars. Its annoying but doesnt happen often enough in my opinion to bother.

Next time I am at my dealer though I will go ahead and complain so its in the books.

[albertbro206]

The Yakima roof rack with front fairing I had on my 2000 Mazda MPV also developed a high pitched noice when the bolt on the right side (passenger) loosened up and allowed the wind to push up the pad that touched the fairing to the roof of the MPV. It took me awhile to figure it out but once I found it I just tightened it and the sound was gone.

I've noticed that Yakima does sell wing like clip ons that go on the cross bars to help with reducing wind noise.

-Albert

[Ticmxman]

Yep, I have a roof rack with *cross bars* and I hear the howl with a strong to moderate cross wind if I am travelling over 70MPH. Also happens with low to no crosswind if I am taking a curve in the highway at high speeds.

I am pretty certain its the crossbars. Its annoying but doesnt happen often enough in my opinion to bother.

Next time I am at my dealer though I will go ahead and complain so its in the books.

Complain if you want but if the bars are installed properly it will be deemed a normal condtion. If you don't use the cross bars, take them off.

[janemackey]

Thanks!

I think the more people who recognize the "scream" and complain, will get their attention. I have an infinity with the roof rack and cross bars and have never had a problem with the noise at any speed, not matter what the wind conditions are outside. So it isn't that they can't make a car without the problem.

My beef is that they are unwilling to even consider it is a problem or check it to make sure all the bolts are tight, etc.

[cintroncar]

Purchased a 2008 Rogue in Clinton, Ok, and since leaving the dealership have experienced severe wind noise "howling" around the front windshield at speeds over 70 mph. The noise is deafening, to the point the car has to slow to below 65 mph on the interstate to return to normal sound levels.

I had the exact same problem with the howling wind noise. The problem was resolved when I indicated to the dealer at 6,000 miles to rotate the tires. I do not have the problem any more even when I am driving at 80 mph on windy weather.

So, in my situation, the tires were the problem and not the the cross bars. I hope that this help...

[rogueboy]

I fully expect my complaint to fall on deaf ears, but if enough people mention it, I am sure its a simple fix for a design flaw (crossbars misshapen, or something).

Its really the only issue I have with my Rogue, so that's pretty good. But it is definitely a design issue.

[rogueboy]

Tires huh? It *really* sounds like its coming from the roof. Wouldnt hurt to rotate them though. Think I will do that this weekend.

[Ticmxman]

I had the exact same problem with the howling wind noise. The problem was resolved when I indicated to the dealer at 6,000 miles to rotate the tires. I do not have the problem any more even when I am driving at 80 mph on windy weather.

So, in my situation, the tires were the problem and not the the cross bars. I hope that this help...

Tires...maybe they were overinflated when you bought your Rogue and during your first 6k miles(it has happened to me more than once), I can't see how a rotation would effect a tire noise issue otherwise.

[PhillipReid]

I had this problem with my Rogue too. It is totally unbearable. The dealer said he would do nothing about it...even told me I should have bought something else from some other dealer...very, very rude. Nissan corporate called me after my complaint and said this is just the way the car is...nothing they can do about it....I didn't know Nissan made a car with a built in fire siren....I cannot drive my car over 60 miles per hour...I could never buy another Nissan car with such bad customer service and not standing behind their product.

[kerrton]

I feel for you Philip Reid, this is so ridiculous, obviously the car isn't supposed to make this noise, drive any other Rogue on their lot and I guarantee you it won't make that sound. This being the case, I can't belive they wouldn't work tirelessly on finding the cause and providing a solution, isn't that the role of a service department? If they can't do this right, or refuse to do this, then they shouldn't be in business, the owner should have his service license revoked from Nissan. If I were Nissan Corporate, I wouldn't want terrible service departments making my product look bad, and stating that an abnormal noise such as this is "normal". What this service manager is effectively doing is slandering Nissan's product by stating this is normal, so I suspect that if you call Nissan directly and complain with lots of detail, they will not tolerate this from your dealership. Call Nissan directly, and do it often until you get results, this is such a ridiculous situation that no one can ignore it, you'll get results, just be very detail orientated with your report and don't let them off the hook.

My Rogue is whisper quiet in all driving conditions, and yours should be too, and it shouldn't take a genius to solve this problem, and good service tech could solve this one. Good luck.

[PhillipReid]

Thanks Kerrton. I have a case number now and will follow it through.

[Cristen]

We have the howling wind noise as well. I figure it is from the roof racks. It only happens when we're on the highways and there's a cross wind. So, not very often in my case. The first time I heard it though, it scared the crap outta me.

[philipa_240sx]

If you want noise, try carrying an 8ft step ladder strapped to the roof. I call it my 'Working Rogue'.
There have been a few good suggestions here. I would try them, one at a time of course.

Good luck!

[cintroncar]

Tires...maybe they were overinflated when you bought your Rogue and during your first 6k miles(it has happened to me more than once), I can't see how a rotation would effect a tire noise issue otherwise.

Tires have been kept at 33psi all the time. If you read other members in this forum, some of them have changed the tires and the suppose wind noise has been eliminated. Like I said in my post, I had the howling sound problem and even contacted Nissan USA. They did not know how to solve the problem. The important thing for me is that I do not have the problem any more after the tires were rotated. I can not explain how the rotation eliminated the problem. However, there is a possibility that the design of the tires, used for the Rogue, are prompt to make noise after 70 mph.


Modified by cintroncar at 10:20 AM 11/19/2008

[janemackey]

Just to let you know, a Nissan customer service specialist called back and showed a bit of interest...Will keep updates coming on what info I get....thanks for all suggestions

jane

[Roguemonster]

Philipa, is it ever NOT snowing at your house?

[Ticmxman]

Tires have been kept at 33psi all the time. If you read other members in this forum, some of them have changed the tires and the suppose wind noise has been eliminated. Like I said in my post, I had the howling sound problem and even contacted Nissan USA. They did not how to solve the problem. The important thing for me is that I do not have the problem any more after the tires were rotated. I can not explain how the rotation eliminated the problem. However, there is a possibility that the design of the tires, used for the Rogue, are prompt to make noise after 70 mph.

Good for you, I'm glad you solved the problem. The quietness of the Rogue is one of the things we realy love vs the CRV and even the RAV4 we previously owned.

[rogueboy]

Also, if it were tires, wouldnt it ALWAYS happen? The wind seems to play a big role in it. It doesnt really happen if there isnt much wind gust.