riken

Posting here since the Hybrid forum looks kinda quiet. Hoping for some feedback if anyone's had this issue (or has any ideas!).
I recently bought a 2010 NAH that I love, but it also drives me nuts with vibration at highway speeds. I noticed it shortly after taking delivery three weeks ago, and took it back to the dealership to get the tires balanced. The mechanic drove the car, and agreed that there's a consistent vibration (which seems to come from the rear and resonate through the cabin). He road force balanced the tires, told me to try it and bring it back if I wasn't happy. The vibration remained (between 60-80mph), so I went back to the dealer. They told me later that they swapped tires and wheels from another Altima, drove my car, and still felt the vibration (indicating it's not tires); they then spoke with the Nissan Tech Center, and were told about other sporadic reports similar to mine. Even so, they told me they determined the car is within spec and the vibration is "normal." The dealership said they also took out another customer's NAH (with owners' permission) and felt the same vibration. (My car rides very smoothly below speeds of about 50-55 mph.)
I've owned a number of cars over 30 years, from luxury to basic transportation, and I've never had a car do this. Even the loaner '09 Altima they gave me was smoother. I've filed a complaint with the Nissan Customer Service people since the dealership says they've done what they can do.
Any thoughts on what, if anything, else I should do? Could this be something in the drivetrain or suspension? Should I demand a new set of tires/wheels? (The tires are Contis -- bleh.) If they really did swap wheels and tires and felt the same vibration, that would argue for something else as the cause. Any other Altima owners who've felt this "normal" vibration?

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mikejamesbyma

It sucks that they are calling it normal. That is a complete lie. I would not give up that easy with them.

There are a number of things that can cause vibrations. Your rotors would be a good place to start. If one is out of balance then it could cause a good amount of vibration. It could be coming from a bad cv shaft, (not likely, but possible).

Let us know how you make out, good or bad.

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03 Altima 3.5
4AT, Muff delete,
ebay CAI w/AEM filter
vias mod
Vogtland springs/KYB GR-2/Godspeed camber arms
Transgo RE4F04B-HD2
- (valve body removed)

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riken

The vibration is definitely not normal for this or any car. Get this: The service advisor at the dealership tried to tell me that when Nissan designed the hybrid it may not have properly accounted for the extra battery weight in the back, and the suspension was thus not beefed up enough -- causing the vibration I'm feeling. (Riiiiiight) I guess I should give the guy points for creativity.
Ultimately, since they decided there was nothing to do, I called Nissan Customer Service to request that they do something. A customer service person called last week, and said she'd get back to me within three business days. I think her definition of business days differs from mine, as I've left two messages since without getting a response.
The thing is: I DO like the Altima Hybrid, so it's not like I really want to go the Lemon Law route.
I did notice that two of my tires have indentations in the side, which makes me wonder if the tires are defective. Seems like that would be a pretty simple fix, but I assume the dealership just doesn't feel like addressing the issue. I snapped pix of the tires, so if either blows and I wind up dead, someone will have evidence for the inevitable lawsuit. ;-)

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mikejamesbyma

Indentations are normal on tires. I imagine you are talking about a verticle dent that runs from the rim to the outside of the tire? Good luck with your shake.

__________________

03 Altima 3.5
4AT, Muff delete,
ebay CAI w/AEM filter
vias mod
Vogtland springs/KYB GR-2/Godspeed camber arms
Transgo RE4F04B-HD2
- (valve body removed)

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riken

Yup, I think they're better known as undulations..... If Nissan refuses to even call me back about the issue, I may have a third party check the tires, rebalance etc. Not a good way to keep a customer on Nissan's part, though.

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ninjha

I just picked up my Altima 3.5s, getting the same problems, I'm pretty sure it's not my engine. Are you feeling bumpiness right under your seat? Mine is constant no matter what speed. i got those Contintal tires too, with steel rims. I went to the dealer and they also balanced the wheels, and it's still bumpy! I have no idea what that is.

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2010 Altima 3.5s

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riken

Ninjha: I have noticed it most through the seat, which would imply that it's something to do with the rear tires/wheels. If there was a balance problem up front, the steering wheel would be shimmying, which it's not. My problem isn't as consistent as it was when I first got the car in late May. At the time, I could feel it pretty much anywhere above 60-65 mph. Now, I notice it more on some days than others -- go figure. Since you're feeling the vibration at all speeds, that might indicate a broken belt in one of the tires.
One thought: Did your dealer do a road force balance on the tires/wheels? If not, they should. That would minimize (about as much as possible) any imbalance. It's definitely worth doing if they didn't do that when they rebalanced your tires. Beyond that, when I escalated this issue to Nissan Customer Service, they basically dicked around a while and got back to me with "the car is normal and is safe." I'll be coming up on 7500 miles in about a month and I plan to have the dealer road force balance the tires/wheels again (from scratch) and see if that gets rid of the issue. If not, then I may dump the Contis.
Good luck. Let me know what happens.

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ninjha

Hey Riken, I have been looking up some stuff and everyone complains about the Conti's. They threw in a Tire Warranty when I bought the car, maybe that will help me replace those tires. Also I'm sure the dealer did a wheel balance, but I'll check my contract. The dealer already thinks I'm nuts, but I'll keep complaining until the bumpiness goes away. Going to see the dealer on MOnday. Also let me know what happens to yours.

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2010 Altima 3.5s

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riken

I took mine back twice, and the second time the mechanic rode with me and could feel the vibration. So I have paperwork saying they felt it (meaning they can't call me nuts), but they still decided mine was functioning normally. Personally, I think it's the tires, which don't have a particularly good rep. Good luck!

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ninjha

So I got back from the dealer. They changed the front 2 rims. But its still shaky. The dealer said there might be a flat spot in the tires and it will take time for it to get back in shape. What do you think?

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2010 Altima 3.5s

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riken

Well, I give them credit for working with you longer than my dealer did. Sounds to me like they're throwing hardware at the problem (new rims) and hoping for the best (flat spots). Have you tried adjusting the tire pressure? What pressure are you running the tires at now? I have to assume the dealer has adjusted the pressure, but a lot of times cars on the lot have overinflated tires to avoid them developing flat spots. That would make the ride hard and bouncy.....

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ninjha

Yea, I am tempted to go another dealer and ask them for another opinion. I have read really bad things about those contipro tires, so I tempted to switched to michelins. I will try to overinflate them and see what happens. Do you have mag wheels on your Altima or Steel rims?

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2010 Altima 3.5s

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riken

I have the stock aluminum wheels. Good luck with the second dealer if you go....

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ninjha

So get this, I go the third dealer and the mechanic says he doesnt feel anything, I'm like "what??" He says this is how the Transmission works. He says my tires are good. I tried out another one in the lot, and it has the same type of rumble. So this is a transmission thing? damm

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2010 Altima 3.5s

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riken

Well, I do notice a certain coarseness to the Nissan CVT. That's not what I was referring to initially. Mine definitely felt tire/wheel related. As that's eased up somewhat, I notice the transmission vibration a bit more. (I can feel the NVH through the accelerator.) I had a Camry hybrid that was definitely smoother, but it was also more languid when it comes to pickup and acceleration. I wish the Altima was a bit more refined in this department, but I'm ok with the trade-off....

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