R Front wheel seized while driving
05-12-2013, 08:36 AM
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R Front wheel seized while driving
I purchased a used 2011 g37x coupe, 25k miles, yesterday. About 1.5 hrs into driving it, going approx 60-65 on an expressway, I heard a metal jingle and the right front passenger wheel started squealing, I could no longer accelerate, and the car began to pull to the right.
I pulled off the shoulder, with a lot of squealing and loud grinding, wondering if I had a flat. No flat, and, no, the emergency brake was not on (thank you every person who thought I employed the e-brake at 60mph).
When the state troopers arrived, they had me pull forward, the car went forward just a few feet and locked completely (only on the right front side). In reverse, the car would go completely, but you could hear a loud clicking at certain points in the tire revolution.
The dealer is taking care of things later this week - but today, I'm wondering whats going on.
Is this a rare, minor thing that just happened and easily fixed? Should it have been caught upon inspection of the car before selling it to me? Is this indicative of a larger problem, should I pass on this car?
Thanks!
I pulled off the shoulder, with a lot of squealing and loud grinding, wondering if I had a flat. No flat, and, no, the emergency brake was not on (thank you every person who thought I employed the e-brake at 60mph).
When the state troopers arrived, they had me pull forward, the car went forward just a few feet and locked completely (only on the right front side). In reverse, the car would go completely, but you could hear a loud clicking at certain points in the tire revolution.
The dealer is taking care of things later this week - but today, I'm wondering whats going on.
Is this a rare, minor thing that just happened and easily fixed? Should it have been caught upon inspection of the car before selling it to me? Is this indicative of a larger problem, should I pass on this car?
Thanks!
05-12-2013, 11:17 AM
#2
What did the dealer tell you the issue was?
Internet diagnosis is challenging without seeing. I'd guess either a stuck caliper or a seized wheel bearing.
Bearings don't usually just seize on a whim. When they start to go bad, you usually start to hear a howling like sound. Unless, of course you're cruising down the highway with the stereo blasting and/or windows open, then you probably wouldn't hear anything
A stuck caliper doesn't usually stick on its own as you're driving without the brakes applied. Several things can cause a caliper to stick - piston(s) that don't retract, or binding on the slider pins. Still, unless the brakes were applied and kept applied while driving at highway speeds, I don't see how they could 'stick'.
This actually suggests something locked up with the front diff/transfer case, so it may not be a brake or wheel bearing problem at all. I've been on here since late 2011 and don't recall reading any posts about such an issue - that's not to say it hasn't happened, but not very common.
Btw, if you did have your ebrake engaged, it would be the back wheels that the ebrake would be acting on, not the front.
How do you pass on the car if you already purchased it? Carmax?
Internet diagnosis is challenging without seeing. I'd guess either a stuck caliper or a seized wheel bearing.
Bearings don't usually just seize on a whim. When they start to go bad, you usually start to hear a howling like sound. Unless, of course you're cruising down the highway with the stereo blasting and/or windows open, then you probably wouldn't hear anything
A stuck caliper doesn't usually stick on its own as you're driving without the brakes applied. Several things can cause a caliper to stick - piston(s) that don't retract, or binding on the slider pins. Still, unless the brakes were applied and kept applied while driving at highway speeds, I don't see how they could 'stick'.
When the state troopers arrived, they had me pull forward, the car went forward just a few feet and locked completely (only on the right front side). In reverse, the car would go completely, but you could hear a loud clicking at certain points in the tire revolution.
Btw, if you did have your ebrake engaged, it would be the back wheels that the ebrake would be acting on, not the front.
How do you pass on the car if you already purchased it? Carmax?
05-12-2013, 11:30 AM
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Unfortunately it is through carmax, I wasn't finding what I was looking for at the local dealer. By the time I was retrieved yesterday, everything was closed, so its currently in front of my house, to be towed to the local dealer tomorrow. (Everything is being done on Carmax's dime.)
I didn't hear any howling at all, just a loud metal jingle, 4-5 "dings". I actually thought I ran over debris, but none was found in the car, nothing on the highway.
I've heard good things about the local dealer, so I'm looking forward to getting it in.
I'm just trying to get a sense of trends, and I suppose its good that this isn't a common problem you've heard about. I can't find much of anything on searches.
Knowing more about why it occurred I guess will tell me if I want to keep it. Honestly I hope it was just a (crappy) coincidence on day 1 of new ownership, rather than a pre-existing problem that wasn't caught/disclosed.
Thanks for your thoughts!
I didn't hear any howling at all, just a loud metal jingle, 4-5 "dings". I actually thought I ran over debris, but none was found in the car, nothing on the highway.
I've heard good things about the local dealer, so I'm looking forward to getting it in.
I'm just trying to get a sense of trends, and I suppose its good that this isn't a common problem you've heard about. I can't find much of anything on searches.
Knowing more about why it occurred I guess will tell me if I want to keep it. Honestly I hope it was just a (crappy) coincidence on day 1 of new ownership, rather than a pre-existing problem that wasn't caught/disclosed.
Thanks for your thoughts!
05-12-2013, 11:42 AM
#4
I know carmax has their 5 day return thing. The car you have - g37x - is relatively common, in fact I'd say extremely common because it's not a xS coupe, nor is it a manual. You might have to expand your distances, but should be able to find plenty of them.
Find Your Car: Infiniti G37 Listings Near Mullica Hill, NJ 08062 - AutoTrader.com
I'm not sure what you paid for it, but this type of failure is quite the rocky start to the car/owner relationship.
In deciding whether to keep it or not, consider other things like mileage, maintenance. Are the tires new or with plenty of tread (us S owners are lucky to see 20K on a set of OE tires, but the X uses all season, so much longer life), brake condition. Is the interior in perfect shape, excessive wear and tear?
It's a hard call to make. OTOH, there are other cars out there too. What's your time worth. Most importantly, is this something that's going to bug you for the rest of the ownership? If so, then get rid of it while you can.
As for **** happening within 24 hours of buying the car, many years back, my folks bought a brand new nissan maxima. It was on a weekend, so on sunday they decide to go up to WI to break the car in. They broke it in alright. Totaled it. Needless to say, that was the last nissan in the household until I got the G some 15+ years later.
Find Your Car: Infiniti G37 Listings Near Mullica Hill, NJ 08062 - AutoTrader.com
I'm not sure what you paid for it, but this type of failure is quite the rocky start to the car/owner relationship.
In deciding whether to keep it or not, consider other things like mileage, maintenance. Are the tires new or with plenty of tread (us S owners are lucky to see 20K on a set of OE tires, but the X uses all season, so much longer life), brake condition. Is the interior in perfect shape, excessive wear and tear?
It's a hard call to make. OTOH, there are other cars out there too. What's your time worth. Most importantly, is this something that's going to bug you for the rest of the ownership? If so, then get rid of it while you can.
As for **** happening within 24 hours of buying the car, many years back, my folks bought a brand new nissan maxima. It was on a weekend, so on sunday they decide to go up to WI to break the car in. They broke it in alright. Totaled it. Needless to say, that was the last nissan in the household until I got the G some 15+ years later.
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