I have a 2009 Nissan Altima 2.5S with 3500 miles on it. Since the second week of ownership I have noticed that there is some pretty substantial vibration in the driver’s floor and especially in the pedals of the car and in the steering wheel.
For the gas pedal - it feels almost like “feedback” from the engine. It’s a rough feeling that I feel through the pedal, like a “massager” almost, whenever I accelerate.
For the brake pedal - the pulsation/vibration is noticeable when braking at highway speeds (50+ mph) and also when going downhill.
For the steering wheel - the vibration is especially noticeable when at idle, though I can also feel it when driving the car as well.
I have brought it back to two different dealerships, with one telling me that they could not duplicate the problem, and the other telling me that “it is normal.” I would like to know if thers have experienced this and if there are any clues about what could be wrong with the car.
I would not call that normal. Test drive another and see if it does it. A new car might make you hypersensitive to anything that could possibly be wrong. The brake pedal syndrome sounds like warped rotors, the steering wheel and gas pedal sound like an engine miss of some sort. Is it something you notice all the time, or something that comes and goes?
It is something that occurs everytime I drive the vehicle.
I drove another Altima as a loaner, and the level of the vibration was not in that car. But I just don’t understand what could be the problem and how to try to diagnose it myself since the dealerships seem to be of zero use. It’s quite frustrating.
When they tell you “it’s normal”, always ask them to put their money where their mouth is and see if you can test another model similar to yours. If they balk, tell them they need to fix it right
I can understand your level of disappointment and frustration. It is the dealerships responsibility to provide you with a car that functions properly, not your responsibility to figure out what is wrong for them. I am sorry to say at this point I recommend you squeak higher up the chain and find out about lemon car laws in your state and be digilant and persistent in asking for a supervisor to get your situation resolved. It is your car but their responsibility at this point and if you do not wish to have it called normal it sounds like you will have to be the unsatisfied customer that will tell all of your friends about the fact that you are having trouble and xyz dealership is giving you the brush off.
Your Owner’s Manual lists the contact information for Nissan’s corporate-level Customer Service staff. Telephone them to discuss the situation. If you make a good enough case (without threatening mayhem), they will probably arrange for a regional service representative to meet with you and to examine the car. The regional service reps have better technical knowledge than the people at the dealership and can authorize repairs that the dealership may be reluctant to do.
Just don’t tell the customer service people that you “will never buy a Nissan again”. For some reason, people don’t seem to understand that this type of statement removes any incentive to provide help.
You are positive it isn’t road conditions? Try not to jump the gun. 3500 miles is excellent and there should be no problems with a car that new, unless you’re a second-hand owner, then it’s possible. Its cheaper cars like the Aveo that have problems almost immediately. Proof, a friend of mine bought hers brand new and at 4000 miles the steering started to make noise when she turned and give unwanted feedback.
I’m not a mechanic, I’ve just always had problems with cars no matter what brand, year, level of use.
I have a 2009 Altima also that was purchased new in Jan 09. This past spring I got the vibration also. It occurred shortly after I had my tires rotated, so I thought it might be a tire going bad. Dealership could not figure it out and eventually turned the rotors, which didn’t do anything (except for charge me for a service that was not needed and shorten the life of the rotors). The vibration is still there…get it consistently from 35MPH-50MPH and then when on the interstate and hit 60 or 65MPH. The vibration feels like it is coming from the driver’s side rear.