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Brand new 2017 Titan...vibration on the highway

38K views 126 replies 36 participants last post by  SThompson 
#1 ·
Hello, a just bought a leftover 2017 Nissan Titan SV, regular cab 8' bed. The first day after I took it home, I noticed a bad vibration on the highway when approaching 65 mph and beyond. Truck has only 1200 miles now after 6 weeks.

I immediately took it back to the dealer. At first, they replaced 3 of the 4 tires, saying they would not balance, but that the 4th tire "road balanced". The truck still has the problem. I have taken it back again and they say they've done everything that been noted in the Nissan technical help directory and that now the truck is "functioning" as designed. But there is still a very noticeable vibration at highway speeds. And the service manager admits that he and his technician acknowledge that it's there, but there is nothing they can do for me.

I have filed a claim with Nissan to either replace the truck with another 2017 or 2018 truck that does not have any problems, or refund me my money so I can buy another truck somewhere else.

I'm still waiting for their answer, which they said takes up to 10 business days. But I can already anticipate what their first answer is going to be.

I'm just wondering if anyone else has experienced this and if so, did you ever get it resolved?

Me personally, I'm thinking that it could be the 4th tire. I've been told by someone at a large tire store that a tire can be road balanced, but still be out of round and cause problems. My other thought is that the only thing that I can ID that is different from a crew cab Titan, that don't seem to have this problem as a rule, is the driveshaft. I'm wondering if a proper lathe spin balance would help with the problem.

Any advise or direction to point me in to help the dealer resolve this would be appreciated. Thanks.

Phil
 
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#3 ·
Yeah, unfortunately they can't seem to tell me which tire is the one they would not replace. I guess I can find the date codes on the tires and try to figure it out from that.

I did hear from Nissan Corp. today, and like everyone else I've seen, they are refusing to do anything about it.

My next step is to look into my state's Lemon Laws. If that gets me nowhere, I'll just start to let everyone I can come in contact with to never, ever buy a Nissan product. There are a lot of blogs, chat rooms, forums, IAFF web sites, military web sites (I'm ex-Army and a career firefighter) that I can let everyone know about my experience with Nissan and what I think about their product quality and customer service. I'll probably start with the dealer and work my way from there.

What a disappointment this is. And now it's a mistake that I'm going to have to live with for a long time most likely as I've looked online and the Titan's resale value is for **** compared to other brands. Lucky me again.
 
#125 ·
Yeah, unfortunately they can't seem to tell me which tire is the one they would not replace. I guess I can find the date codes on the tires and try to figure it out from that.

I did hear from Nissan Corp. today, and like everyone else I've seen, they are refusing to do anything about it.

My next step is to look into my state's Lemon Laws. If that gets me nowhere, I'll just start to let everyone I can come in contact with to never, ever buy a Nissan product. There are a lot of blogs, chat rooms, forums, IAFF web sites, military web sites (I'm ex-Army and a career firefighter) that I can let everyone know about my experience with Nissan and what I think about their product quality and customer service. I'll probably start with the dealer and work my way from there.

What a disappointment this is. And now it's a mistake that I'm going to have to live with for a long time most likely as I've looked online and the Titan's resale value is for **** compared to other brands. Lucky me again.
I'm in the same situation, my 2020 Titan LE I bought brand new is vibrating between 65 and 72 mph. I thought it was a balancing issue when I bought it, so I had the tires balanced 5 times and it still shook. So I bought 4 new tires and it still vibrates. Nissan USA is telling me the same thing that there is nothing wrong with the truck. However, 2 discount tire employees and 2 Goodyear Tire employees agree there is a problem,even the manager at the nissan dealership agrees there is a problem. But Nissan is now supposedly discussing if they will buy it back or not. They are banking on us just getting stuck with this problem they built. I know we are not the only two with this problem.
 
#8 ·
Took the truck into tire shop. They found tires were not balanced well. One tire was 1.75 oz. out. The others 1.5, .75, and .5. They could not figure how these tires were road balanced like the dealership said and be that far out. Plus they said all the tires had an up and down pulse to them on their machine. Not 100% sure what that means.

But they did recommend that the dealer put on a different brand of tire other than the General Grabber HTS tires that it currently has.

And it did not help the truck. I still have the vibration once I get up to highway speeds, 60+mph.
 
#9 ·
The "pulse" they refer to could be an out-of-round condition, perhaps internal structure that is out-of-round. That may be why you still experience vibration.

Years ago I bought set of Dunlop tires, and my vehicle immediately had a significant vibration issue. Turned out to be 2 bad tires, brand new. Replaced, and vibrations went with the bad tires... FWIW.

Good luck.
 
#10 ·
tire problems are much more pronounced in steering wheel on front compared to rear, - move front tires to rear, if problem better, you have a tire/wheel problem - insist on new tires and/or wheels

I notice the passenger seat shaking on my p4x, as I also notice on my Frontier, but I don't feel anything in steering wheel or seat in either.

about 40 years ago I worked at Cadillac shop - new caddy had vibrations that were felt coming up thru seat to your butt, - we did balancing and rotating, had an on-the-car balance performed, Cadillac shipped out set of new tires and wheels, checked drive shaft - never could identify problem, although we suspected tranny - Cadillac bought customer new car - we never learned what problem was as it was shipped back to Cadillac
 
#12 ·
Well, armed with that documentation, and if you haven't already done so, go back to your dealer and ask them to replace all four tires with something better than the General tires, as your shop suggested. Good luck!
 
#13 · (Edited)
Can someone explain how an "out of round" tire could pass a balance test?

The dealer should be putting more effort into resolving this. It is hard to find good help these days, especially in a field that requires a brain and experience to be successful. Good technicians are few and far between, most of them just 'get by' and the employer is ok with that because they pay them less.

They make their money by pushing un-needed fuel system cleanings and other crap on unsuspecting and unknowledgeable customers. Actually solving a real difficult problem they have little interest in. Its a shame. Certainly a good tech should be able to figure out your problem with a bit of effort.
 
#14 ·
Can someone explain how an "out of round" tire could pass a balance test?

The dealer should be putting more effort into resolving this. It is hard to find good help these days, especially in a field that requires a brain and experience to be successful. Good technicians are few and far between, most of them just 'get by' and the employer is ok with that because they pay them less
Factory tires are typically crappy quality, i have always replaced mine as quickly as possible. Take Discounts recommendation and replace them with a high quality tire and move on.
 
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#15 ·
Maybe if its 'out of round' they are compensating in a big way by installing extra weight to get it balanced, but its still balanced, so in theory, should be fine. Most vibration problems are tire related. Ive been seeing more failures in recent history, tire manufacturing quality seems to be getting worse...the tires separate internally, usually causing a out of balance condition. This has happened twice to me within a couple years, once on my car, once on the girlfriends. One tire was a Kumho, the other a "kelly". Ive been sticking with Toyos for now on both my vehicles and so far, so good
 
#16 ·
Well, I'll be going to the dealer to talk with the Service Manager on Monday with my paperwork from the tire place. We'll see what they have to say. But I'm not holding my breath. Nissan's way to deal with it is to keep stringing the customer along with nonsense in the hope that eventually I'll just go away.
 
#17 ·
Talked with the service manager. He now wants me to have the tire store file a claim with the tire manufacturer for bad tires. He said that his machine shows the tires are fine. I said I would prefer that the dealer do that since I bought the truck new from them and have had this problem since day 1. He is reluctantly having me bring the truck in next week to have the tires re-checked and he wants me to watch them. Like I have any idea what I'm looking at when they put them on a balance machine. And he said if they do show a problem, he would file the claim. So we'll see what happens with that.

Of course now I have another problem in that the radio keeps cutting out and an orange message "Check connection" or "Check antenna connection" keeps popping up. So that now has to be addressed. It seems like it's never going to end.
 
#18 · (Edited)
The dealer installed these tires, right? Why do you have to file a claim? Shouldn't that be on them since they provided the tires to you? Has anybody checked the universal joints? Not likely on a brand new truck, but can cause vibration issues.

I cant believe they admit there's a problem, but then say they cant do anything for you? Does the warranty not cover vibration? Did you not test drive this thing before you bought it?

Did you drive it for 1200 miles and 6 weeks after you noticed the vibration and before returning it?
 
#19 ·
I had test driven a Titan there, but not that exact one when I picked it because of color. I took it home on a Thursday and Friday took it on the highway for the first time. That's when I noticed the problem and took it back. So the truck had under 100 miles when the problem was ID'd.

Dealer keeps saying that his tire machine shows the tires are fine, even though he acknowledges that there is a vibration at highway speeds and that after consulting with Nissan Corp. technicians, the truck is performing "as designed". What a bunch of crap.

I've researched General Grabber tires. They are one of the least expensive, massed produced tires. That is why they are very common on new vehicles; they're cheap.

But if this dealer thinks that I'm going to just say "Oh OK, let me go spend $800-1000 on a good set of tires to make the vibration go away, he's sorely mistaken.
 
#20 ·
#21 ·
Yeah, I had Toyo's on my Chevy in the past and liked them.

When this problem first came up and my original set of four tires were found to not even be able to be balanced (3 of the 4, the 4th they said they could get to road balance, whatever that is) I asked if I could just get another brand tire and get an AT tire and pay any cost difference. Dealer said "No Way" and that Nissan would only authorize a direct replacement of the General Grabber HTS.
 
#26 ·
I was meaning to "exchange" tires with another Titan on your dealers lot. Shouldn't be a big deal since the dealer says your tires are "perfect".
 
#24 ·
So the truck was "designed" to vibrate at a certain speed? Who knew, right!

There are a couple different ways to balance a tire. I believe "Road balance" is the better of the two, but I've been out of the game for awhile, and don't remember the details. Don't get caught up in the terminology, the tire / wheel assembly is either balanced or its not.
 
#28 · (Edited)
When I purchased my 2017 Nissan Titan SL (as well as my other vehicles) I go to Discount Tire and pay the fee to get the vehicle tires on their warranty system, balance, and rotation for the life of the tire. For about $90(actually a little less) I get free balance, rotation, and road hazard warranty on the tires. If anything happens to the tire they replace it. Balance and rotation cost about $50 at other shops so getting all of this for under $100 is a deal. You can take the vehicle in every 5000 miles and they will check the tires, balance the tires, rotate the tires. If I am running down the road and hit crap in the road and it is beyond repair, they replace the tire free. Free flat repair, air pressure fill up. I love Discount tire. They only do tires. Not like other shops doing odds and ends and tires. Oh yes, by the way they use a hand torque wrench to factory specifications on the lug nuts. Tires are guaranteed by the tire maker. If there is a problem withe the tires by having Discount Tire as your representative you are in good hands if any tire is faulty.
 
#30 ·
I know the $90 paid to Discount Tire in actuality you are not getting free. However, to be able to take you vehicle in anytime you need to for a balance and rotation for the life of the tire is a deal. Then you throw in the lifetime road hazard warranty, tread wear warranty, tire flat repair, and other services the $90 to me is a bargain. 50,000 mile tires balanced and rotated every 5000 miles (10 times in the life of the tire) makes the $90 insignificant in the overall scheme of things. A great tire shop has the capability to check a tire for defects a dealer could never do. Some of these vibrations caused by tires we read about in this blog can be trouble shot a GOOD tire store. Dealers are just not setup for this best level of tire evaluation. I love Discount Tire.
 
#31 ·
Its great that you find this to be a good value and are happy with it, but ill give an opposing view that maybe you haven't considered. On rear wheel drive vehicles, tire rotation is not that important. They wear out about the same, because the demands of being the "drive" tires and the demands of being the "steering" tires tend to wear all 4 tires evenly. I'm not saying you wont eek out some more miles with rotations, but its really insignificant. This is not the same on a front wheel drive car, which will always wear out the front tries significantly faster than the rear tires. Rotation on FWD is much more beneficial to tire life then on a RWD. With that said, If I do decide to rotate tires on a rwd , I have the tools to do so easily...several jack stands, several jacks, air compressor, air tools....but of course you may not have these. Lifetime balance? You only need one balance for the life of the tire, unless you knock off a weight or something, which is very rare. I see no value in that. Tread wear warranties are useless, they are pro-rated and basically return no value. Fixing a flat tire is simple, all you need is a $5 kit from auto parts store and minimal skill. If its sidewall damage, its not fixable and you will be sold a new tire anyway. The road hazard...not sure on the details of these, but I believe they are prorated as well, meaning little value unless you harm a tire when its pretty much still brand new. With that said, $90 isnt a lot for piece of mind, and it may be worth it for that alone to many people. But there's no way I would ever buy it or consider it a good deal.
 
#32 ·
Well after another 2 hours at the dealer and them "looking" at the tires again, they say there is nothing else they can do. Service manager says it's a known problem with the truck but that I need to be patient until Nissan's engineers/technicians figure out what the problem is at put out a service bulletin on how to fix it. But he's thinking that it's a problem possibly with the driveshaft and it's pinion angle. I took a look and this driveshaft even has a carrier bearing. Seemed kind of odd considering it's just a regular cab truck. Are you kidding me!?

They are willing to sell me another set of tires of another brand. What a deal! Gee, do you think I should just do that!?!?

NOT!!!

I guess my next step is to file for a lemon law buyback of the truck.
 
#36 ·
I've been searching online and found a firm that all they do is represent people with lemon law problems. No cost unless they get a resolution and, they told me, in Ohio the law allows for the firm to go to the manufacturer for their costs.

I still have to read their agreement before I sign anything, but I'm hopeful.
 
#37 ·
70gsconvt, I've had 5 rear differentials in my 2015 titan, the 5th still whines! here is the coles notes of the conversation with Nissan engineers
I was told " it's operating as designed", I asked "is it designed to whine? " answer - " well no that would be ludicris" - "then there is something wrong with it" answer "there is nothing wrong with it" - "but it whines"
very short coles notes "to bad your stuck with it!"
I hope you get it figured out but don't hold your breath that Nissan is going to help you!
Have your deal check the software version for your trans while its in the shop while it's in there!
 
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