rteenie22

drove it today finally...the steering is my only gripe with the car...its really funny feeling. not sure if its torque steer or just a nasty linkage...but ill deal with it if they make a 6mt version

lightonthehill

You may have driven a car with a steering problem (or possibly a tire/wheel/alignment problem). Nobody else here has reported a steering problem with the '09 so far, and even critical magazine reviewers seem to like it. I hope you will try one more '09, just in case you had a car with a problem.

rteenie22

maybe so....it was a sv not a sv sport...not sure if the steering is tuned differently betweent the two..

Compusmurf

go to another dealer, test drive another. You could have found a lemon, it happens all too often. I found the steering in mine VERY in control and positive, smoother and better tracking than the 07 I had.

lightonthehill

Although the Sport version might feel slightly different (19" wheels/tires, lower profile tires), and the Sport ride may be slightly firmer, the steering should be the same for all '09 Maximas. The '09 has much faster steering lock-to-lock than on any previous Maxima.

Chio

the only problem i have found is the steering ratio sucks you cannot make a u turn in this car. LOL

Compusmurf

Lol Chio,

I have no issues doing u turns. It's 100% better than the 07 I had.

That was like turning a battleship.

TerrySC

I found my 09 to be much easier to do a u-turn than in my 05. I can also get out of my drive way much easier than in my old maxima because it can turn sharper. The specs say the turning diameter on the 09 is 37.4 ft compared to 40 ft on the 08. In general I am very pleased with the steering on my 09.

cmachemer

iTrader: (3)

If I had money or a better job the '09 Maxima would definitely be on my short list of cars I'd look at, though for something that's wearing the 4DSC moniker I would think they'd outdo the original in something like this. My turning diameter is 36.70 ft which feels really large, especially since my buddy's Grand Cherokee has a TD of 36.6 ft.

lightonthehill

The Grand Cherokee is an SUV, and an SUV tends to have a sharper turning radius because it is theoretically used both on and offroad, and also because the higher chassi/frame gives much more tire room to play with.

By contrast, the Maxima is a lower-slung vehicle, one on which many vain posters here will not tolerate ANY space between the top of the tire and the edge of the fender. That makes it more difficult to have a sharper turning radius.

The '09 Maxima has a VASTLY better turning radius than the 6th gen (Consumer Reports actually measured an '04 Maxima's turning radius as 44 feet), and that is one of the reasons I am so excited about the '09. A 37 foot turning radius for a 3600 pound plush, near-luxury, reasonably large sedan is excellent. This vehicle was never designed for off-road use, and has no overriding need for a radius below 37 feet.

rteenie22

turning was not a problem really nice actually..it was just the feel while driving and holding it...felt like i was fighting just to keep it straight..

drakutis

I haven't had any problems with the steering so far. Matter of fact sometimes the wheel can be to responsive to the movement you make. I was driving this evening and I really felt like I was driving in a sports car like vehicle. The car really handles smaller than it looks. Sometimes I felt as if i was in a one seated car because of the way the car handles.

I LOVE IT!!!!

NismoMax80

iTrader: (6)

well that one obviously was out of alignment.

lightonthehill

I agree. One mag tester said he almost felt the car would steer itself, and needed very little driver input. Another mentioned he liked the feel of the steering. A third tester said that, although slightly on the 'light' side, he liked the quick, precise steering on the '09.

It only takes a bad alignment or a bad tire or different psi in the two front tires or a stuck brake caliper, etc, etc to noticably affect steering feel.

mkaresh

I'm very critical about steering, and drive very few cars where I like the steering.

The 2009 Maxima, IMHO, has about the best steering of any FWD car I've driven in recent memory. Most cars these days bore me; I really enjoyed driving this one. But I should also say I like quick steering. Others might find it too quick.

My main problem with the new Maxima is the exterior styling--some of the details are just a bit much.

My full review, for those interested:

http://www.epinions.com/content_443799342724

STARR

iTrader: (1)

Either the car had 90psi in each tire and they never correctly PDI the car, or the 300C is throwing you off my brother has an 08 300C and that car is just way better then my 06 Maxima, I love my car but without question I would replace it with a 300C.

The OP probably does not like the car but after a test drive has nothing bad to say about the car so he might as well belittle the 1st thing he noticed, more or less the road or air pressure

mkaresh

The 300C certainly has some strengths, but I don't think steering feel is one of them. Though if you get the SRT8 or one of the SRT design packages the included special steering system helps.

bk2k3max

The car you tested had to be out of alignment or some other factor because I love the steering wheel and feel of taking turns in this car. It feels smaller in this car than it really is, actually they used the same steering in the 350Z and though it is fast that is part of the appeal so that it feels lighter and easier to take turns.

If I were you I'd go and test drive another Max 09 preferrably a Sport Model so that you get the benefit of the suspension set up and bigger rims/tires.

pitajai61

got it for a month now.................no steering problems at all

STARR

iTrader: (1)

I'd go with some other factor cause unless they dropped the car off the top row of the car carrier, it just may have been the owners car being a 300C which has a lighter steering feel with a larger steering wheel, compared to a smaller wheel with a tighter feel, but this is where car comparisons come into play, my brother always tells me how tight my car feels but after a day or 2 behind the wheel you adapt

max529

I traded my 07 Max for the 09 SV in Oct 08 and I like almost everything about the car except the steering. I took a trip down jersey turnpike and it seems the steering is very light, it was a little windy and it seemed like i had to fight to keep the car going straight. I like to drive a little fast and I found myself slowing down so I could hold the car straight. I took the car back to the dealer but they said it seemed ok. I don't like driving the car on the highway now for that reason. I was searching this site to findout if anyone else was experiencing this same problem.

lightonthehill

Strange! The mag testers last spring seemed to like the steering on this '09, especially the greatly reduced turn radius and the virtually nil torque steering. I only remember one other post mention disliking the lightness of the steering of the '09 on this board, and that was many months ago.

I get my '09 Monday, but maybe some of those here with a lot of mileage on their '09s will give us their steering impressions.

Mick7

I took a trip down jersey turnpike and it seems the steering is very light, it was a little windy and it seemed like i had to fight to keep the car going straight.

I have also noticed more wind wander than would be expected. Nothing bad but a little more than my other cars.

maxed

We initially bought a SV/Sport (19") and traded it in for a SV non-sport (18") and didn't notice much of a difference in the steering or the handling. Having driven a 2002 SE and G35 I found the steering a bit too light at low speeds and sometimes too firm at fast highway speeds. The low speed thing I'll get use to, but at 130+ km/h the car fights small inputs and if you give it a little too much it reacts much quicker than the 2K2 Max and not quite as linear and not as much road feel as the G35.

As far as tracking and wind steer goes, it really seems to depend on the tires. We switched out the RSA's with Michelins (already had some) and the car wandered less.

decarlnick

"turning was not a problem really nice actually..it was just the feel while driving and holding it...felt like i was fighting just to keep it straight.."

It looks like I'm the first poster to this thread in a long time. Seems like I'm experiencing the same thing. I've had my 2010 Maxima SV for a month now, and I'm having this problem. It seems to want to head to the right too quickly if you let go of the wheel at highway speeds, and seems to need constant tiny "left-hand" tugs on the wheel to go straight. As a result, I can feel myself giving almost constant, very small, left or right inputs while driving. I couldn't possible let go of the wheel for a few seconds. I had the tires rotated last week in hopes that the it might go away (due to some tire defect). It may have lessened a bit, but still there. My 2003 Infiniti G35 tracks straight like it's on train tracks (when the tires are relatively new) -- I just tested it again to make sure I wasn't imagining things -- if the road is straight, it will drive itself without input (no, I'm not recommending that, haha).

I'm hoping that it's an alignment issue -- but as many of us know, convincing a dealer of a small, yet irritating problem that they have to fix under warranty is often a real pain. I'd almost rather go to a shop that will say "yeah, I see what I'm you're taling about" and charge me to fix it.

Now that I'm finally getting used to the fact that the CVT is going to rumble/vibrate at 30-40mph/1300rpm (as stated in other threads), this turning "feel" thing is what's bothering me the most. We just took a mini-vacation with a 2+ hour drive going and coming. Just terrific cruising except for the steering thing bugging me. A real thrill was the ability of the car to pass on two lane roads in a virtual flash (as mentioned in other threads).

smarty666

Unless you take it in now and b**ch to your stealership that you've had the car for such a short period of time, they will not do an alignment for free. I got one done before I had 500 miles on it and it did help but they told me alignments are not covered under warranty and if I needed one again they would be charging me. Most auto companies work this way as well, not just Nissan. Balancing and alignments are not covered b/c they are considered normal wear issues of vehicles, which technically they are but I have always felt alignments should be covered.

PS - By the way, it definitely sounds like your alignment is off based on the pulling your talking about. Wouldn't be surprised, my Maxima came from the factory with a mis-alignment and all four tires not properly balanced. If I hadn't gone back in to my stealership to b#$ch, I would have been sent on my merry way till I caught it at 7500 miles, most likely with badly worn tires at that point.

david005

I have 800 milesand same exact problem and nissan dealership says its normal. Don't whatto do. please help

atlanta10

Same exact problem here. Went back to the dealership has alignment checked and it was only slightly off. The mechanic did blurt out "its the tires!" when I pressed him a bit so I am going to chalk this up to the crappy goodyears. Its very unfortunate though since my 07 Altima 3.5 would drive so much better.
I did a ton of research on the web and it appears Infiniti owners have complained about the RSA's causing some of this. I plan to go to a local Goodyear dealership and see if they will let me swap these tires out since I have 1k on my car

decarlnick

OK, I went to have my alignment checked first thing today. I ended up at Firestone, which is where my Nissan-specialist mechanics of many years send their clients for laser alignments. The guy who did my alignment has been doing it there for 13 years. He showed me on the screen, it's right-on. In fact, in spite of the fact that they test-drove the car, put it up on the rack, put the equipment on to test it -- they refused to take any money from me. I feel better hearing this news from an independent source, which I was willing to pay for -- as opposed to a dealer trying to get out of something.

Unfortunately, I'm left thinking the tires are the culprit. I really believe that if I put some Bridgestones on it, my problems would be over. But depending on which model and where I do it, this is anywhere from $800 to $1300. Not really sure I want to do that on a car where the tires have all of 1300 miles...

Anybody else going through this (in addition to the poster I quote above)? Let me know what you figure out... Anybody just bit the bullet and changed the tires (that had this problem -- obviously there are customizers on this blog who have put special tires on their cars).

lightonthehill

decarlnick - In your post back on July 24th, you mentioned the steering wanting to pull to the right, and needing constant little tugs to stay straight. That is sort of normal on crowned roads. Roads are designed to slope toward the ditch on either side so that water runs off.

If I drive on a large, completely flat parking lot, my car goes straight without me touching the wheel. If I am on a normal crowned road, the car naturally has a slight tendency to drift right. But if I cross to the oncoming lane, the tendency changes to drifting left. All this is as it should be. If your car behaves otherwise, you either have an alignment problem (no matter what Firestone says), a sticking brake caliper, or a tire/wheel problem of some kind.

decarlnick

Hi LOTH -- I'm well aware of road crowning, and that is the reason I keep getting for what I'm describing. But, like you, "this ain't my first rodeo," and I have some sense of how much drift I should get from the road. Today after work I took my brother, another car nut, out for rides in my 2003 G35 and then the 2010 Maxima. He had to agree with me, that the G was much more stable and that the Maxima drifted right and almost had a "loose" feeling when going straight. When we got back, we did a little research on the tires -- the Bridgestones on the G35 are considered a grade higher and were around $50 more per tire than the Goodyears on the Maxima. He may be onto something there. At my Nissan specialist mechanics, I talked to a guy there who worked for Chrysler for a year -- he said the 300 had the Goodyears as well and they had a lot of trouble with them (I think the same model, but not positive).

By sheer coincidence, I had a chance to drive a friend's rental tonight -- a 2010 Ford Taurus. It's blasphemy to say it (after all, what can you say about a car named "Taurus"?) -- but it drove great, and at highway speeds it tracked like it was on rails. No drift, no touchiness keeping it straight. I didn't have to do a thing. Ford has taken a major step in the right direction with this car -- the interior alone was a big surprise.

I have to reiterate -- most people wouldn't think my Maxima has any problem at all -- until they drive a car that tracks solidly straight -- then they will see what I mean. At this point in time, I really think that if I had better tires on the car, I wouldn't be complaining.

decarlnick

L.O.T.H., this has not been checked for... but I can't say I've ever heard of this happening, especially on a new car.

lightonthehill

I seriously doubt that is the situation here, because that could soon result in overheating, smoke, and the smell of something burning. I shouldn't have mentioned brake calipers.

Your comparison driving tells me there HAS to be something not quite right with your Maxima. I love the way my Maxima drives, especially on long freeway trips, and can't help but think there must be some little detail the Firestone store is overlooking in their alignment check, or a problem with one or more of your tires or wheels.

I do remember that there was only one specific load-force alignment machine that would properly align the 2004 and 2005 Maximas. I have forgotten the ident of that machine, but someone here will remember. I think it had 9000 as part of its name. The early 6th generation Maximas were notorious for being difficult to properly align. But once they were properly aligned, they drove very nicely.

As to the Taurus, Ford has made steady progress these last five years, and now not only produces the most reliable vehicles of the Big Three, but has passed many foreign brands. My wife and I have used only Ford trucks for over 25 years, and we love them. Our oldest is a '92 with 214,000 miles on it, and it looks and drives great. If I had to drive an American brand sedan, the new Taurus would be my first choice.

decarlnick

Somebody else on this forum suggested that we do a search for Infiniti owners with the same Goodyear RSA tires -- and that there were skads of complaints. I was introduced to a new term -- tramlining. While this seems to have more than one definition, here is Encarta's:

tendency for veering off straight course: a tendency in a motor vehicle to veer off a straight course unless correction is applied by means of the steering wheel

Here is what one Infiniti owner had to say (he had Goodyear RSAs):

"I've never heard that term "tramlining" either, but I'm sure that's what they are referring to. I also agree that it's the Goodyear RSA tires. Those are the worst tires I've ever owned. I had them on my '03 FX35 and now on my '07 M35x. The dealer has cross-rotated them to make it track properly in the past, but I just had the tires rotated and the pull is back. I've also complained to the dealer that I have to constantly "drive" the car by continually having to keep moving the steering wheel to keep it in the center of the lane, even on flat, straight roads. It's very annoying, especially in a $50,000+ car."

There were many entries from Infiniti owners experiencing lesser to greater degrees of this, and nearly all had huge improvement by changing tires to Michelin Primacy or Conti Extreme. In fact, it appears that Infiniti is changing the OEM tire for 2011 to Michelin. I don't know if Nissan is doing the same, but I wouldn't be surprised.

There was much advice to "wear out the Goodyears" and then buy an improved tire. I drive less than 10K a year. I'm not sure I want to drive these tires for 2 or 3 years. I have a strong suspicion that I will be changing them within a month, probably to the same Bridgestones I put on my G35 most recently.

lightonthehill

decarlnick - I hate that you are having to go through this with a new car that is normally tons of fun to drive. There is the possibility your car came with one or more tires that are defective, and the combination of an already so-so set of tires with one or more of them being defective would ruin the drive for most cars.

Have you considered the option of taking your car to a Goodyear dealer, and letting him know these tires are ruining your car? Tell him the alignment has been checked and rechecked, and still the car is barely driveable. He just might give you a huge financial break in moving up to a better Goodyear tire. There are Goodyear tires that are clearly better than the RS-As. I suggest this possible course of action because there have been posters both here on the 7th gen board and on the 6th gen board who have done exactly that.

smarty666

decarlnick, a lot of issues with the 7th Gen Maxima, like on the previous generation M's, is due to the POS RS-A tires; check out a couple of the tire threads on here. We have talked about this issue extensively and there is even a specific thread recommending different tires as replacements for the Goodyears!

If money is tight, as light just eluded to, your best bet is to take your Max to a Goodyear tire dealership and complain to them of all the problems you've had, the alignments and balancing done, and no resolution to your problems. Your more then likely be able to get an adjustment, depending on how many miles you have on them, and get four better quality tires put on for dirt cheap. I've done this before with Goodyear and Bridgestone myself. I'd recommend the Eagle ResponsEdge or Assurance ComforTred if you go with Goodyear! I personally, think Michelin, Continental, and Kumho are a better quality/match tire for the Maxima, but they'll cost you full price since they are a different brand.

decarlnick

Well, I gave this a lot of thought, and yesterday I spent an hour discussing the problem with my local tire dealer who I've purchased from for 20 years. He wasn't surprised about my comments on the RSAs and knew exactly the feeling I was describing. Today we looked at a bunch of options, and I ended up ordering a set of Bridgestone RE760s. These cost about $45 more each than the RSA's. I considered Michelins, but those were going to be around $55 each more than the Bridgestones. I've had Bridgestones on my G35 in the past and do now, and been very happy. Tomorrow morning the tires will be in, so I hope to get back with a report later in the day. I promise to tell the truth, haha. Either I'm going to be a lot happier, or I'll feel stupid for having spent all this money for nothing. But at least I'll know.

Compusmurf

You'll probably be a bit happier but your wallet will be lighter. That's my prediction. My RSA's have been ok. Nothing special, nothing to brag about, but I don't experience many different conditions like most of the folks here do.

Just hot, or hot and rainy.

Definitely familiar with tramlining. I had an 07 that had the issues horribly, but only on the grooved pavement roads. It was like a fight to stay in my lane. Same road and my 09 doesn't have that issue.

atlanta10

I notice the change in driving (stability wise) as compared to my 07 Altima 3.5. However, checked tire pressure and lowered it to 35 PSI (cold) in all 4 and it seems a bit better. It does still tramline a bit and it requires more work that my Alti to keep straight going down the road but its better than it was with 38 psi.
I thought about going back to the dealer but not sure I want to fight to get another tire that may have other issues like my Bridgestone Serenity's that could never be balanced 100% right and wore out in 45k miles.
I guess I expected more from the Max as it relates to driving stability but overall its a much better car

fastone

I also see the difference compaired to 08 TL, love the maxima, but dont like the feel of the steering