[Annatashia]

Desperate to figure out why after 6 months I’ve owned this vehicle, I have no control. This is a long post but please read, because I need help.
For months I’ve been proud that my used 2019, turned corners with complete control and felt grounded. Now for almost a month, if I turn left and right and lightly pressing on the gas I feel as the rear is sliding! I at first assumed it was the tires and brakes. After inspection, the tire store discovered that the back tires had very little tread but the front still had more miles to use. I replaced those and the floating feeling when turning and the sliding while driving straight got worse. Took it to Infinity thinking they could accurately pinpoint it because they sell the QX90 which it’s kit is built just like it (I know someone will say Nissan would have been better, but I just assumed they would find it better). They in turn found no suspension issues and nothing wrong with the airbags (which I had researched about). They said I needed new front brakes and only suggested back brakes but that it wasn’t necessary. They also said the quality of my replaced tires weren’t great and replaced with a whole new set all around. I had balancing done as well as an alignment. I only replaced the front break along with the new tires. I picked up the car Thursday and now it’s Saturday and I feel the same feelings of no real control starting to kick in again. By the way, I do e-gig work with this truck and drive it for several hours at a time in Nashville where there are potholes everywhere. What else could possibly be wrong? Took it to O’Rileys and had the guy check the steering wheel fluid and it was almost full so he suggested topping it off which we did and still nothing changed. I can barely change lanes with barely moving the steering wheel and feel that sliding feeling continuing. If I come to a red light, the sliding feels it kinda hesitates to stop me but there is no jittering in the steering wheel and no brakes screeching. I’m afraid to suggest anything else being that the last things I’ve done were so costly and although they were necessary they clearly didn’t resolve my issue. I need all the help and expertise you all can offer. This is my first SUV in many years and definitely have never owned a V8. Just need to know what I can do to cut this discomfort out of my workday.

 

[marctronixx]

nissan and infiniti are the same. your 2019 is made on the same line as the qx80.

do you have 4X4 or 4X2? its possible you may have wheel bearing issues or some issues with wheel hubs/bearings. its difficult to diagnose over the internet so hopeful some other here can chime in.

 

[spta97]

Can you describe this feeling more and the conditions under which it happens? Is this in rain or dry or both? What kind of tires? Did anything change from when it handled well to now?

I’m not a fan of throwing parts at vehicles but on my 2007 with the air shocks they held air but the gas shock inside was toast.

That resulted in a very unsafe and uncontrollable ride when I hit a bump. It got to the point where it was scary to drive on the highway.

It’s hard to know for sure if the air shocks are bad until you have them out of the vehicle but bouncing the rear end and letting go can help diagnose. If it doesn’t immediately stop chances are the shocks are bad (and the coil spring is taking what the shocks should have.

 

[AHL Traveler]

nissan and infiniti are the same. your 2019 is made on the same line as the qx80.

do you have 4X4 or 4X2? its possible you may have wheel bearing issues or some issues with wheel hubs/bearings. its difficult to diagnose over the internet so hopeful some other here can chime in.

Yep, I was thinking the same thing; wheel bearings or a hub problem. My next question would be whether you hear anything. radio off, windows down. Are there any grinding sounds or unusual sounds when cornering?

 

[jklhill]

I would have someone you trust drive the car with you as passenger. What is there feedback? Need more details. How does it feel driving straight down the road at constant speed, accelerating and braking. how does it act when you hit bumps. Does it only happen when turning? Seems as if this started suddenly. What happened right before you noticed this strange handling? Or did it develop gradually. My 06 was nervous on bumps until I replaced the shocks.

 

[randomlag]

I wonder is it was put in permanent 4x4 by accident? That can make the car behave weird when turning.

 

[wireburn]

I would try getting it aligned by a reputable alignment shop. Just a little too much toe-out in the rear can cause the problem you're experiencing.

 

[spta97]

I wonder is it was put in permanent 4x4 by accident? That can make the car behave weird when turning.

Good point! When in 4x4 on a dry surface the wheels can lock causing all kinds of issues.

Another random thought - before I learned I had to retorque my wheel lugs after about 25 miles I had two come loose (which caused others to loosen) and my wheel almost fell off. I can tell you it was a strange feeling around corners.

What’s interesting is I had been removing tires and torquing the lugs once for 20 years and never had a problem….until I did.

Luckily I just destroyed two lugs and had a shop fix it (I was away from home). If the wheel fell off I would have been in a world of hurt. The two lugs were bent but others were ok.

 

[primoV8]

These Z62/Y62 trucks have minimal differences from the previous generation in regards to the suspension. Just like the 1st gen trucks, the alignment can go out of spec quite easily. Find a reputable alignment shop with techs that have the know-how in aligning a 4WD truck with independent front & rear suspensions. Before agreeing to getting it aligned, make sure the shop can give you an actual printout of the before and after results.

 

[n8dogg]

I’m not a fan of throwing parts at vehicles but on my 2007 with the air shocks they held air but the gas shock inside was toast.

That resulted in a very unsafe and uncontrollable ride when I hit a bump. It got to the point where it was scary to drive on the highway.

It’s hard to know for sure if the air shocks are bad until you have them out of the vehicle but bouncing the rear end and letting go can help diagnose. If it doesn’t immediately stop chances are the shocks are bad (and the coil spring is taking what the shocks should have.

I second spta97's comment about worn rear shocks....yes, the air may be working just fine so of course the shop would report no problem there, but the gas shock inside the air shock wears out and creates all kinds of performance issues!

 

[spta97]

I second spta97's comment about worn rear shocks....yes, the air may be working just fine so of course the shop would report no problem there, but the gas shock inside the air shock wears out and creates all kinds of performance issues!

Yes. Mine held air fine but when I took them out I was easily able to compress one with little effort and when I compressed the other it never uncompressed!

 

[Bdub]

While mine is a 2014, I can say for sure that rear suspension and alignment issue is definite cause for this with Nissan IRS vehicles. My Platinum was bone stock when I purchased, a bad bridge transition on my daily commute took out my air shocks. Driving to the beach from Tennessee was quite floaty twitchy as I call it. Before my Armada I had a 2008 Pathfinder with 3” lift, which is a 1/2” too much to align properly in the rear. At hwy speeds it was fine for me as I got used to it but I didn’t like my wife driving it. In rain it was worse. If you have bad shocks, bushings, endlinks, etc. when cornering, you will unload the the opposite side and make things hairy. When replacing sway bar bushes, use the qx80 as they split at the corner and function better. PRG makes some awesome end links for good price. My Armada now has a 3.5” lift and all I am waiting on is my Bilstein 5165 shocks. 4x4 insisted the 6.3 inch travel shocks would work but they didn’t and now the 9.4 with 360/80 valving are back ordered until August. So I bought some 2008 Dodge Sprinter 2500 shocks for now. They will be here tomorrow, I hope they will work! Finger crossed! Moral of the story is, if you have over 100k miles, replace all your suspension, including all control arms, struts, shocks and bushes with QUALITY parts! You won’t regret it. Buy all your stuff from Z1 off-road and PRG and you will get great parts and service.

 

[spta97]

ps: If you decide to replace the rear air shocks, they are not that expensive (when I bought a few months ago for my 2007 4x4 LE) - prices are per each:

4	Bolt.	55479-7S010	$4.96​
2	Shock Absorber (Rear)	56200-ZV60A	$116.97​

This was an online order from Nissan Parts & Accessories Online | BOCH NISSAN SOUTH in NORTH ATTLEBORO, MA. They were usually the cheapest and offered some first time customer discounts. Their parts department guy (Tim I think?) was very helpful on the phone to make sure I had the correct parts.

If you have a mechanic do the work it is literally 2 bolts to remove per side. Any difficulty comes from the bolts rusted in place (good idea to spray them with rust penetrant a few days before) or corroded air line connectors (this was a much bigger pain for me - ended up replacing both lines).

If not for the air lines, it would have been a simple install. A good mechanic or suspension shop should be able to do it quickly (i.e.: not expensive).

 

[primoV8]

Her truck is a 2nd gen Y62 and it utilizes a different set of rear air leveling shocks. First gen rear air leveling shocks won’t work on the Y62 armadas.

 

[spta97]

Her truck is a 2nd gen Y62 and it utilizes a different set of rear air leveling shocks. First gen rear air leveling shocks won’t work on the Y62 armadas.

Good catch - thanks Primo