NHTSA Complaint #10507039 — 2011 NISSAN ALTIMA HYBRID

NEW 2011 NISSAN ALTIMA HYBRID, DELIVERED, NOTICED RIGHT AWAY SEEMED TO BE WANDERING ALL OVER ROAD. HARD TO STEER A STRAIGHT LINE. TOOK BACK TO DEALER WITH COMPLAINT, THEY TOOK IT AND DROVE AROUND PARKING LOT, BROUGHT IT BACK 2 MINUTES LATER SAID IT WAS FINE. IT MADE FOR MISERABLE DRIVING, ALMOST WRECKED A FEW TIMES DUE TO INADVERTENT LANE WANDERING. NOTICEABLE TIRE WEAR AT 4000 MILES, HAD TIRES ROTATED. TRAVELING CROSS COUNTRY, 10,000 MILE TRIP. REAR TIRES WORE DOWN TO STEEL BELTS AND BEYOND, ONE BLEW OUT AT 65 MPH. REAR WHEELS LEANING OUTWARD AT THE BOTTOM, TIRES WORE OUT ON INSIDE EDGES OF BOTH REAR TIRES. WENT TO DEALER WHO SAID HYBRIDS EAT TIRES RAPIDLY. NO WONDER. ALIGNMENT WAS CHECKED, IT WAS WAY OUT OF SPEC. I HAD AN 09 ALTIMA HYBRID WITH THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM, MAKING THE SAME TRIP OUT WEST. TIRES WORE SAME WAY, HAD TO BUY 2 NEW ONES IN OREGON. I LIVE NEAR BOSTON. THESE CARS COME FROM THE FACTORY WITH NON ALIGNED REAR SUSPENSION. DEALER ALIGNED REAR END OF CAR AND PUT ON TWO NEW TIRES, AND IT DRIVES MUCH BETTER NOW THAN IT DID WHEN IT WAS FIRST DELIVERED. PERSONALLY I THINK THE REAR END SUSPENSION DESIGN IS POOR, AND I NOTICED THAT FOR THE 2013 MODELS THEY DID A REDESIGN OF THE REAR SUSPENSION. IN THEIR ADS THEY BRAG ABOUT HOW WELL IT CORNERS NOW! NO WONDER! GOING AROUND CORNERS, IF YOU HIT A BUMP, THE REAR OF THE CAR WILL TRY TO SWING OUT, SO YOU HAVE TO WATCH IT IF YOU CORNER AT SPEEDS ABOVE 30 MPH. IT CAN BE DANGEROUS AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. BOTH CARS WERE THE SAME WAY.THE PROBLEM IS AGGRAVATED WHEN THE CAR IS LOADED TO MAX GROSS VEHICLE WEIGHT, AS THE TIRES VISIBLY BOW OUT AT THE BOTTOM DUE TO SUSPENSION DESIGN USING UNEQUAL LENGTH "A" ARMS IN THE REAR SUSPENSION, WITH A SHORT UPPER " A" ARM, A LONGER LOWER "A" ARM. WHEN SUSPENSION IS LOADED, THE SHORT UPPER ARM PULLS IN MORE THAN THE BOTTOM, AND BOWS BOTTOM OUT SO TIRES WEAR ON INSIDE EDGES DANGEROUSLY. *TR