# steering wheel vibration



## trailhead (Jun 5, 2008)

Hello everyone,

Has anyone experienced a chronic vibration on the steering wheel of your X-Trail. I drive a 2006 model and have been dealing with this issue since the first maintenance service at 6,000km. Three dealers have looked into the problem and I've ended getting a new set of tires from the one I bought the car after another dealer told me 3 of the tires were deffective. However, the problem was not solved. The vibration occurs while cruising, in neutral or not, starting at 90-100km/h. I don't believe it can be solved anymore. It's been very, very frustrating.

thanks.


----------



## aussietrail (Sep 24, 2004)

It could be a number of things:

* Out of balance.
* One or more of rims is damaged and lost its shape (example: sustained a hard hit)
* Defective tyres
* Deformed brake discs/rotors.

Start with the first and get the wheels (front and rear) balanced properly and that should also determine, if any of the wheels is damaged.


----------



## trailhead (Jun 5, 2008)

Hi aussietrial,

* Out of balance: balanced and re-checked twice this week
* One or more of rims is damaged and lost its shape (example: sustained a hard hit): checked; two dealers confirmed the rims are fine
* Defective tyres: I had a winter tire set and the dealer put tires from another X-Trail too, so two sets of tires besides mine were used for testing. None of the sets made a difference in the vibration.
* Deformed brake discs/rotors: I replaced all rotors and pads a couple of weeks ago

Yesterday, the dealer's service manager said he called the Nissan techline and they said they've heard of this issue many times themselves. The techline people told the dealer they themselves tried a number of things (bearings, drive shaft, etc) and nothing worked on other X-Trails. They finally came up with the conclusion that the vibration is a "characteristic" of this car. It's unbelievable, isn't it? But I have it in writting by the dealer.

Anyway, thanks for your reply!


----------



## aussietrail (Sep 24, 2004)

When did you start to feel this vibration exactly and what was done as part of the 6,000kms service?

Also, what type of vibration is it? excessive, slight shaking of the steering wheel or something else? Does it go away when you increase the speed above 100kms/hour or drive at less than 90kms/hour?

Charachterists of the xtrail? LOL  I highly doubt that!


----------



## PJR (Jun 4, 2008)

I have an xtrail 2007 regular runs through france at speeds of average 100--130k with no vibrations,have you tried running with higher or lower tyre pressures it seems you have tried just about everything else . PJR


----------



## Sulphur man (Sep 6, 2005)

Has the car been involved in any accident? Have you hit a kerb/rock/pothole ever?

It sounds like you need to establish the possibility of the chassis/suspension being out of line, or something being bent or broken in the drivetrain, like a driveshaft. 

When you do, don't ask a Nissan dealer to do it. Any dealer with an interest in waving you goodbye will have a lapse in judgment in my opinion. You need independent advice.

I've heard of wheels being balanced "on the car" before. That might be worth a try, but it sounds like the wheels are not the problem.

Don't let the dealer get away with this. They are supposed to follow a proceedure and work out what your problem is. If they send you some stupid letter about 'charateristics' of the car and you go away, that's the problem fixed as far as they are concerned. It's utter rubbish. No car should vibrate at speed.


----------



## trailhead (Jun 5, 2008)

Aussietrail,
I started to really feel the vibration after the first service at 6,000km and brought the car back to dealer. I thought it was just a balance poorly done, but it wasn't. This kept happening over and over and they finally agreed to replace the tires which didn't solve the problem. It's a sligth shaking most of the times, starting at 90-100 km/h and it gets worse when the speed is higher than 100 km/h. 

PJR,
Last week the dealer took 2lb out of all my tires. The service manager went with me for a road test before and after and he agreed that there was no difference. 

Sulphur man,
No, the car has never been in accident. I bought it brand new, so only if something happened between Japan where it was made and Canada where I live. MIDAS (which is an auto repair chain for those of you who don't know them) raised the possibility of the driveshaft being bent. It turns out that to confirm it, they need to put a new one. If it doesn't work, it's $300 down the drain. So they wrote me a report and said I should go to a Nissan dealer as the driveshaft is under warranty. The dealer told me "there is no way" it's the driveshaft. 

Now, when you say that the chassis/suspension may be out of line. Isn't this the case only when you've got in an accident? 

HELLO CANADIAN X-TRAILERS,
Can anyone refer me to a good independent mechanic in the Toronto area? 

Thanks everyone for your replies.


----------



## aussietrail (Sep 24, 2004)

I can only think of one possibility to cause this and it might have happened at the dealers during your first service. *The car has been dropped from the hoist!* Of course, you will never get the dealer to admit to that, even if they managed to drop the car from the hoist, this will result is chassis problems and that is why nothing else has worked and it is probably why they have agreed to replace your tyres in the first place. Ask them about the car being dropped and see what they say.

Chassis problems will lead to shot drive-shafts as well, so that is probably why your drive shaft needed replacing.

Your best bet is to get an engineering certificate proving that there is no structural damage to the car and chassis.


----------



## Sulphur man (Sep 6, 2005)

aussietrail said:


> *The car has been dropped from the hoist!*


Or someone at the dealership drove it and damaged it in some way....

:lame:

This really sucks, and you need to get a lot tougher with them. Don't lose your temper, but explain that you are not satisfied with the situation and that they need to prove to you there is nothing wrong with the car. They obviously can't so far, so when they say there is 'no way' it is the driveshaft, that's just another put-off to make you go away. These people rely on us customers being nice people and they feed us b*llsh*t and hope we swallow it with a smile...

Keep at 'em!


----------



## ValBoo (May 19, 2003)

trailhead said:


> ......I started to really feel the vibration after the first service at 6,000km and brought the car back to dealer. I thought it was just a balance poorly done, but it wasn't. This kept happening over and over and they finally agreed to replace the tires which didn't solve the problem. It's a sligth shaking most of the times, starting at 90-100 km/h and it gets worse when the speed is higher than 100 km/h...
> 
> ........
> 
> Thanks everyone for your replies.


Have you noticed that the vibration happens at constant speed or constant RPM?

You mentioned in your earlier post "The vibration occurs while cruising, in neutral or not, starting at 90-100km/h"
Is there any reduction in vibration when you go to neutral and let the RPM drop?

The reason I ask is because there have been very rare cases where the "balance shaft unit" is defective or even out of sync; but if this the case the vibration would be proportional to the engine RPM and not necessarily the speed of the car.


----------



## Bitza (Mar 4, 2008)

less the rubbish here. Its either, wheel balance/alingment/defect, shaft balance/bearings. Very much doubt it will be anything else. Apart from a real rear accurence which is a bit of rust or stone, anything really? Being stuck between the disc and hub


----------



## TKH (May 19, 2007)

Had the similar problem when I replaced 4 tyres. Ran the usual diagnostic. Was even told that it may be the drive shaft (may have bent it) 'cos of my mods. 

Jacked the XT up, stuck the gear in D (being an auto) and took the speedo through various speeds. Eventually found out which tyre was vibrating.

Turned out to be two defective NEW tyres. They replaced it, but (LMAO) the replacements were also defective. Finally got a good set. Tyre manufacturer said they had "never seen a problem like this". Did I believe them ?? 

Been OK the last 13,000 km.


----------



## ValBoo (May 19, 2003)

One set of tires, two sets maybe, but three sets of wheels and tires ... its got to be something else? no?



trailhead said:


> ...........
> 
> * Out of balance: balanced and re-checked twice this week
> * One or more of rims is damaged and lost its shape (example: sustained a hard hit): checked; two dealers confirmed the rims are fine
> ...


----------



## Rockford (Jan 28, 2005)

trailhead said:


> HELLO CANADIAN X-TRAILERS,
> Can anyone refer me to a good independent mechanic in the Toronto area?


It's not exactly Toronto but I go to Simone Performance Imports Auto Repair and Racing in Newmarket. They specialise in Nissans.


----------



## pd man (Jun 1, 2016)

Hi im peter
Ive got what seem to be the same problem with my 04 x trailt30 front end vibration over 90 ks per hr, while coasting or under accel no difference wheel balance checked twice, tyres replaced ,both rotors replaced all made no differance, vibration is quite prominent through the steering wheel so I cant think the problem could be anything but a problem with drive shafts or front wheel bearings, Any ideas?


----------



## otomodo (May 23, 2008)

pd man said:


> Hi im peter
> Ive got what seem to be the same problem with my 04 x trailt30 front end vibration over 90 ks per hr, while coasting or under accel no difference wheel balance checked twice, tyres replaced ,both rotors replaced all made no differance, vibration is quite prominent through the steering wheel so I cant think the problem could be anything but a problem with drive shafts or front wheel bearings, Any ideas?


To me now it s all history. 
After both control arms changed,front and rear rotors(new pads)and outside tie rod ends , everything is smooth sailing. 

One last repair awaits to complete the job(left rear caliper semi seized)
The drummer i had in the back full time is gone for now(experiment)


----------



## netxtown (Jun 24, 2016)

The first couple of years of the Toyota Tundra had front end vibration issues on a fairly substantive number of trucks. Fortunately for all of us with the shakes, one of the truck owners was also an engineer with Hunter. He experimented with his own truck's alignment until he finally solved the problem for everyone. Less toe, caster all the way out. (think of shopping cart wheels that whip back and forth).

Prior to his discovery, there were seemingly endless tire changes, and in my case, the entire front end replaced. And no, Toyota was completely inept at pinpointing the problem - and was even worse with their customer service about it. That's why I drive a Nissan Frontier now.... 243,000 miles and still going strong...


----------



## quadraria10 (Jul 6, 2010)

Glad to hear Otomodo. I too just redid my brakes and was surprised to find my drivers side lower caliper pin in front was seized. Car was still braking fine but requiring a bit more force on the pedal. I also had both passenger side bearings done, though it seems the front bearing I misdiagnosed as starting to wear as I have very slight 9 to 3 movement when shaking it. That it would appear is from a slightly loose inner tie rod found by the Nissan mechanic during an alignment. Said it was very minor at the moment and that he was still able to adjust everything to spec. Will change it myself in the next month or so, but in the meanwhile its driving great. My wife even commented on how smooth it is and found herself speeding at 140 km/h a couple of times not realizing she was going so fast. Steering and handling are great. The car just feels tight. So good it might even deserve a wash and wax today. Well worth the $119 for the 4 wheel alignment.
I can also attest to the fact that changing your serpentine belt tensioner has the engine running more smoothly and quietly, no vibration or shaking at idle or on engine shut down. I guess I just never realized how important proper tension is on the belt. For anyone needing a new one, I say change the tensioner at the same time as after 11 years or so there is no way it still performs like new.


----------



## tonyvancity (Jan 2, 2017)

hello Quadraria....which brand of tensioner you go with? i see Rockauto has 4 for sale and only $28-35 usa price range......or is it cheaper to buy in Canada this time around? 2005 NISSAN X-TRAIL 2.5L L4 Belt Tensioner | RockAuto.....the more expensive ''professional'' grade part is CAD$55.67	,, including the $11.43 shipping from usa to BC, canada.......or $48.04 icl. shipping for the Gates brand tensioner.


----------



## quadraria10 (Jul 6, 2010)

Hi Tony,
I bought the Gates one and a Gates belt. In this case I think cheapest is best as its the closest to OE and has the same internal spring set up. Added bonus the part was made in Canada! Gates is a great brand not always easy to find locally.


----------



## tonyvancity (Jan 2, 2017)

hi Quadraria, thanks for reply. So were you able to buy the parts here in Canada or did you buy from Rockauto? My own '06 Xtrail has about 212,000 klms and i read what you said about the year and mileage/time to change. I currently do not have any rough idling or shaking etc, seems to be ok smooth...but since it's my first Xtrail i cant compare to one that has had a belt/tensioner changed to new. You think i should play it safe and change both parts since it seems fairly inexpensive relative to other engine parts ? i saw a few youtube vids on replacing them so i suppose i can give it a go myself.


----------



## otomodo (May 23, 2008)

Hi quad
I m in gatineau till late today,if you want to compare yours with my rust bucket. 
Cheers


----------



## quadraria10 (Jul 6, 2010)

Hi Tony , I have no idea if yours was ever changed. In my case I was starting to get belt noises with a relatively new belt, and it seemed to be coming from the tensioner pulley. I noticed that movement in my old one was much harder than the new one when moving it to release tension. I also learned that a bad tensioner will have an impact on the rest of parts driven by the belt, and in particular the alternator. So I also figure there is an element of preventative maintenance to replacing it. 


And a big hello to Otomodo. Sorry I did not see your post earlier, but I would not have been able to meet up yesterday in any case. Une prochaine fois!


----------



## otomodo (May 23, 2008)

quadraria10 said:


> And a big hello to Otomodo. Sorry I did not see your post earlier, but I would not have been able to meet up yesterday in any case. Une prochaine fois!


Pas grave! C était sur la rue des sables à templeton,gatineau

Since i m on vacation this week, we went there on a last minute decision. 
I can confirm the car vibrates a bit at 130km/h. This must be the tires, they have 8 years and are close the the warners


----------



## quadraria10 (Jul 6, 2010)

And Tony
I did get it from RockAuto. Its the part that was made in Canada.


----------

