2013 Altima SV - Constant whining noise at low speeds
Hi all,
I am a new member here and a first time Nissan owner. I have had my Altima SV 2.5 for about 3 weeks. The car has about 2000 miles on it.
From day one, any time we are moving at a speed less than 20 MPH there is a constant and most irritating noise coming from somewhere under the hood on the passenger side.
It is a whine noise that alternates between two pitches and sounds like it could be pump or even vacuum noise. The sound is a high pitched 'eeeeeeeeeeeeeee' followed by a slightly lower pitched 'errrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr'. It only stops when the car brakes are depressed and the car is fully stopped. I'm sure the noise is still occurring at speeds over 20 but, I can't hear it... yet.
It may seem trivial, but it getting to be intolerable whenever I am doing any city driving.
This car is so new that I can't find any posts with similar issues.
Car is going back into the dealership on Wednesday.
Also, I had an issue with the electronic start the day after I purchased the car. I used the remote start, got in, and was then completely locked out of the car's controls. I couldn't turn the car off, get it out of gear, or have any electronics work. I had to have service techs come to my work's parking garage where they finally manually disengaged the shift lever which did something, because the car immediately shut off... It was running for about an 1.5 hours with absolutely no way for me to turn the car off.
I have to say the car is comfortable. I am coming from a VW Jetta TDI (which had issues for as long as I owned it)... so, the gas mileage on this car is very underwhelming, but I got it so I would have non-exotic (no diesel, no turbos, no premium fuel requirements) problem free, dependable car for years to come... So far, it's off to a rocky start.
So can anyone who has this vehicle report the same kind of noise issues?
The Following 3 Users Say Thank You to theinternot For This Useful Post:
This is exactly what I need to know because I won't accept Nissan coming back and saying this noise is normal. It is maddening after a while... so much so, that I don't really want to drive my car unless I know I am going on the freeway.
I am a new member here and a first time Nissan owner. I have had my Altima SV 2.5 for about 3 weeks. The car has about 2000 miles on it.
From day one, any time we are moving at a speed less than 20 MPH there is a constant and most irritating noise coming from somewhere under the hood on the passenger side.
It is a whine noise that alternates between two pitches and sounds like it could be pump or even vacuum noise. The sound is a high pitched 'eeeeeeeeeeeeeee' followed by a slightly lower pitched 'errrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr'. It only stops when the car brakes are depressed and the car is fully stopped. I'm sure the noise is still occurring at speeds over 20 but, I can't hear it... yet.
It may seem trivial, but it getting to be intolerable whenever I am doing any city driving.
This car is so new that I can't find any posts with similar issues.
Car is going back into the dealership on Wednesday.
...
So can anyone who has this vehicle report the same kind of noise issues?
The new Altima uses the same electro-hydraulic power steering booster. The Altima supposedly has additional sound proofing around the pump. Given your perception of excessive noise and the steering tracking problem you described in your other post it's possible that something is wrong with the unit in your car.
Yeah. I hope I didn't, but it seems like I may have gotten one. So far Nissan has been very helpful, especially with the remote start issue that happened... they took the car for a couple of days and ran diagnostics on it, but they never could pinpoint why it happened. They couldn't recreate it either. Luckily Nissan techs actually experienced the issue first hand, else I think they would think I was crazy.
I bet it's the same noise. The only difference is that mine occurs regardless of turning the wheel.
But, as you can see from the responses on that post... Nissan claims it's normal. This is exactly the answer I don't want.
When you go for a test drive, the sales person is talking to you, the radio is on, you are distracted and are not thinking of persistent whining noise issues while you are excited to buy a brand new vehicle.
I definitely feel the noise is prominent enough to warrant full disclosure on the dealerships end, else you are buying a vehicle under false pretenses. And, this is the tactic I will take if they come back and say they can't do anything and that the noise is normal.
My wife drove it this morning and was able to clearly capture the noise with her phone video camera. Most of the time when you try to capture audio of a noise in the cabin it is never very clear...
The new Altima uses the same electro-hydraulic power steering booster. The Altima supposedly has additional sound proofing around the pump. Given your perception of excessive noise and the steering tracking problem you described in your other post it's possible that something is wrong with the unit in your car.
Last edited by theinternot; 08-07-2012 at 07:35 PM.
I drove the first 5 minutes of my morning commute without the radio or fan on. Didn't hear the power steering assist noise nor a whining noise from the passenger side.
I drove the first 5 minutes of my morning commute without the radio or fan on. Didn't hear the power steering assist noise nor a whining noise from the passenger side.
Took car in this morning for noise issue. Did the ride along with the tech and he acknowledged the noise. He said that they would compare it to other Altima's on the lot and see if they can identify the source.
Got a call to pick it up this afternoon and drove about 3 feet, turned around, and got the service writer to go for a drive. He heard the noise instantly. Not fixed at all.
Invoice said they repositioned the power steering pump bracket.
Took car in this morning for noise issue. Did the ride along with the tech and he acknowledged the noise. He said that they would compare it to other Altima's on the lot and see if they can identify the source.
Got a call to pick it up this afternoon and drove about 3 feet, turned around, and got the service writer to go for a drive. He heard the noise instantly. Not fixed at all.
Invoice said they repositioned the power steering pump bracket.
And, so it begins....
I feel for you. Good luck and keep us posted. Also, I have done a lot of research on VW diesel. What was your old ride?
Ahh, then you may have run across some of my posts on tdiclub.com.
I thought by buying a basic, brand new car I would be avoiding headaches.
Guess not.
I had a 2006 Jetta TDI that sucked the life blood out of me and ended up costing me over 7K above what I initially paid for it. It is the car I finally traded in for the Altima. I was starting to have all my free time consumed by it again... so, I dumped it. I tried selling it a while back right after I had my my turbo & camshaft replaced, but was asking way too much. So, I drove it for a while and it started blowing smoke again, and the tranny started feeling like it was full of marbles, and the CV joint went out, and the control arm bushings were shot, and... etc... I didn't even want to sell it to anybody anymore.
All that aside, I frikkin loved the power and handling of that car (aside from a noticeable flat spot when the wheel was dead center... this car has a fully electric steering rack which are known to have this quirk). And, I loved that I knew every square inch of it inside and out... but, I just didn't have the time or energy to keep fixing it and knowing the next thing was just right around the corner. I almost got a Passat TDI, with the same mentality that I would at least have a few worry free years and a warranty. But, I didn't feel like giving VW anymore money.
I need to get rid of my 130 mile a day commute and go back to riding a skateboard to get around.
Quote:
Originally Posted by eztalking
I feel for you. Good luck and keep us posted. Also, I have done a lot of research on VW diesel. What was your old ride?
Last edited by theinternot; 08-09-2012 at 04:47 AM.
I thought by buying a basic, brand new car I would be avoiding headaches.
Guess not.
I hear ya... I had various issues with my car that couldn't be resolved through my local dealer's service department. I used the BBB's "Auto Line" service, which resulted in Nissan sending somebody from Tennessee to inspect the car and authorize repairs. Everything was eventually fixed to my satisfaction but the hassle factor was way too high.
P.s. Thanks for the info on the BBB Auto Line. I sure hope it never comes to that.
Quote:
Originally Posted by acesk8er
I hear ya... I had various issues with my car that couldn't be resolved through my local dealer's service department. I used the BBB's "Auto Line" service, which resulted in Nissan sending somebody from Tennessee to inspect the car and authorize repairs. Everything was eventually fixed to my satisfaction but the hassle factor was way too high.
Last edited by theinternot; 08-09-2012 at 03:56 AM.
Hi, I might have a similar whining noise. It also is coming from the passenger side. I have an altima SL 2013, bought it 1 week ago and now has 600 miles. I noticed this whiny, morse code like sound a few days ago, while doing under 20 miles also, at first I thought it was the AC or the fan but it still does it while the AC/fan is off. Even does it when the car is stopped with my foot on the brakes. I does't seem to make the sound while the shifter is in park, but will need to test some more before I will bring it to the dealer. It does get annoying.
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