Versa pulling or veering to left or right?

[logicpaysoff]

Hi all...we have a brand new week old Versa S Hatchback. Right from day one, it veered left on braking...and while driving...the faster the speed, the more it pulls left.

The problem has been verified by the dealer. They aligned it. That did not work. They cross rotated the front tires. That did not work. The checked tire pressure, which is correct. They then cross rotated the front tires back. No change.

It is now in for the third attempt to fix. We test drove another Versa with the Service Manger...that one veers to the right.

So..question is.....has anyone else had this problem...if so...was it fixed...and how? Also..what type/brand of tires are on your Versa's?

Thanks in advance.

[lain]

Let me just start this reply with a hardy happy welcome to nicoclub.

My car goes to the left a little bit but its only on the freeway at like 80mph.

When I'm on the street I can just chill with 1 arm out the window and the other arm on the stick shift and drive forever as long as the road stays streight.

I come to think that the freeways are slightly tilted. Or maybe its my car dont know.

[jlynnp13]

my V has 1500 miles right now.. up until just now, i swore it was pulling to the right. i was at the dealer, requested an alignment, but the new kid who took care of me forgot. anyway, the manager i spoke with said brand new cars can sometimes do that, and it should resolve - and that if it didn't by my 1st oil change, it warrants more looking into.

but, like i said, it's not pulling anymore.

-jess

[logicpaysoff]

Hi again...thanks for the welcome and the responses.

Well...the Service Manager called....he swapped out the tires, the rotors and the calipers with another Versa that he claims drove much straighter than mine

I will be test driving it in the AM...and hopefully I will be able to have my car back.

I will post back here with the result.

In the interim what type of tires do you have? Mine had Conti Pro Contacts...not sure what the new ones are as of yet...

[RetiredTexans]

My V is over 1 year old, 13,500+ miles, and it would veer to the right, I think, whenever I was on the highway above 40-50 mph. This only occurred for a short period of time, then it stopped. The brakes also were noisy just before stopping during the same time frame.

I wrote it up on the 1st oil change, but the service department said they couldn't find any cause. After driving for a about 1,000 miles, the veering and noisy brakes disappeared. Nothing since then.

Hope this helps.

[redversasblue]

Mine pulls to the left hard enough to have to be held straight and has since I bought it. I had an alignment done when I put springs on it and it still does it at 2400 miles. My fiance's pulls slightly to the right but is barely noticable and has 2600 miles on it. Seems to be genetic I guess.

[Ever Victorious]

It's not entirely unusual for a FWD car with a transmission engine to pull somewhat to the left. Some will do so more than others, but this is due to torque steer, a phenomenon caused by the fact that the two axles are not of even length.

Mine does a little bit, not so much that I'm worried about it. Also, our electric power steering doesn't have the hydraulic resistance that a traditional pump would have, so it's probablly more noticeable on a V than most cars.

[logicpaysoff]

Hi all...back again. Even after swapped rotors, tires and calipers, it is only marginally better while driving (without acceleration, so torque steer is not the issue)...and it still veers left on braking.

Test drove another Versa at another dealership....very, very minimal left veer....100% better than my car.

All things considered...it sounds as if the Versa's lack consistency....as all should handle as well as the next...it should not be the luck of the draw.

I'll post back with an update.

[Vahagn23]

acutally the freeways are tilted, it is designed so that the rain would slide to the side and keep the road stable.

[Vahagn23]

Have you checked your brakes? maybe one of the tires give more of power to the break then the other.

Hi all...back again. Even after swapped rotors, tires and calipers, it is only marginally better while driving (without acceleration, so torque steer is not the issue)...and it still veers left on braking.

Test drove another Versa at another dealership....very, very minimal left veer....100% better than my car.

All things considered...it sounds as if the Versa's lack consistency....as all should handle as well as the next...it should not be the luck of the draw.

I'll post back with an update.

[logicpaysoff]

Almost every road has a crown...at least here in the northeast....and that said, every other car I have ever driven was designed with the reality of road design in mind...as was the Versa I drove yesterday.

Crowns cause some minor level of drift if the wheel is not held....crowns don't cause cars to steer into another lane...or veer upon braking....if the car is working as it supposed to work.

Also...now I know of 4 different Versa's that all do something different...mine that veered left...the one I drove with the service manager that veered right (he confirmed), the one the service manger used to swap the tires rotors and brkaes which he said drove the straightest of the ones he tried on the lot...and the one I drove elsewhere yesterday that was very good.

So, one thing is for sure...in the batch of Versa's at this dealership, there is no guarantee that one Versa will handle like another, even on the same exact road with the same exact driver.

As far as the brakes are concerned...good point...they did change the rotors and the calipers (and tires)....but after driving the other Versa at the other dealership, I'm thinking maybe its an issue with the EBD...that might be behind the veering left when I brake....but I'm not sure how that would affect driving when I'm not braking....

[Ever Victorious]

As far as the brakes are concerned...good point...they did change the rotors and the calipers (and tires)....but after driving the other Versa at the other dealership, I'm thinking maybe its an issue with the EBD...that might be behind the veering left when I brake....but I'm not sure how that would affect driving when I'm not braking....

An EBD problem would only occur on an ABS equipped vehicle. You said you've driven 4 V's, and I know almost certainly that 4 different V's would not ALL have ABS.

As far as braking/non braking and veering left... if you have a hanging left front caliper, this could cause a left pull when not braking. And definitely a pull when braking, since the LF brake would engage WAY before the other 3 if the caliper was hanging.

[logicpaysoff]

"You said you've driven 4 V's, and I know almost certainly that 4 different V's would not ALL have ABS"

Actually I drove mine (which has ABS)...and another at the dealership where I bought mine...that one also had ABS.

The one I drove at another dealership had ABS as well. That is three.

The Service Manager drove at least one more Versa from the lot...if not more. I did not ask him if they also had ABS as I assumed he would know to compare apples to apples. I will make a point to ask him if they did indeed have ABS.

That said, as they changed the tires, rotors and calipers, I think if the initial problem was with a hanging caliper, they would have noticed it...even if they did not, chances are that would not be duplicated a second time....but I suppose anything is possible.

Last but not least, on another forum, a response stated that some of the transmission truck drivers were securing the cars to the truck by wrapping the chain around the rear suspension beam...causing it to dent...and have been subsequently told not to do so. Apparently, this can cause the car to pull...either to the left or right....which fits in that mine pulls left...and the other pulled right.

Although the work order states that the local dealership performed a pre-delivery inspection albeit post delivery, they did not check off that they looked at the suspension on the multi-point vehicle inspection sheet...so I apparently need to pursue this possibility as well.

[Ever Victorious]

Also, if they replaced the whole suspension off of another V, they still would have needed to perform a full 4-wheel alignment because well, whenever you replace a strut or some other similar part, you need to align the car.