I'd start with the worn out tires.

Sticking brakes is another possibility, and alignment a third, but I'd start with what you know is wrong: worn out tires.

 

Tires first. If they're worn out all bets are off.

You can check pressures, and you can rotate tires front to back, and if eithe of those solve it then it's tires.

After that, you could start looking at the front end, but tires first.

 

Look up torque steer. It is common in FWD vehicles and its effect can be worsened by bad tires, bad ball joints, or bad shocks.

 

I have experienced torque steer - I've only seen the term used in relation to acceleration. Normally it's exhibited when the steering wheel pulls out of a straight line on acceleration. I'm not thinking that an effect on deceleration fits very well.

 

Thanks for all the input guys. I am going to start with some new struts and put winter tires on when the time comes I just hope it's not something major. The sticking break kind of worry me.


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I have the same problem.. when I accel it pulls to the right..when I let go it pulls to the left..it is more noticeable at higher speeds. So I got new tires today, but it did not take care of the problem so I took it to check for alignment, but the mechanic said the alignment is good and that the issue could be either the axel or the transmission.. but he said most likely is the axel cuasing it as one tire is spinning faster than the other.

 

I'm still waiting to hear if the OP had the tires replaced and the alignment checked, as worn out tires can pull.

It could also be a brake dragging just a bit. That would be easy to find - drive for a few minutes without using the brakes much. Pull over, carefully touch the brake rotors on the side that's pulling and see if they're hot. If all but one are cool and that one's hot, it's dragging.

 

The S can be AWD or FWD, good thing to know about your car - especially if it's ever towed, there's a big difference in how it canb e done.

Darn. Too bad that the new tires didn't correct it.

An "axle" can't cause what you're feeling, as it's a passive device. The transmission driving it would be the unit providing power...therefore it would be something in that unit. That's unlikely, as it normally doesn't work that way.

In a RWD car, it's normal for the right rear tire to "push" just a bit under acceleration and perhaps lag a bit under strong deceleration, just because of the way that rear wheel differential gears work. I'm not familiar with a similar thing in FWD, but that's why I asked.

What tire pressures are you running? This would be a good time to check them all, as tire shops tend to have their own notions about where to set tires. I liked pressures in the range of 36-40 PSI all around in my Murano, never under 36 (too soft). Uneven tire pressure might contribute to this.

 

They are at 34psi (the door sticker says 33psi). How can I find out if it's FWD or not?.. I've looked all over the car and inside the hood and can't find anything about that.

 

Just in case, FWD = front wheel drive. AWD = all wheel drive. Acronyms sometimes don't communicate well.

If yours is AWD there will be a lock button on the center console next to the mirror adjustment switch.

 

No lock..I just see the buttons to move the mirrors and that other smaller button to select left/right sides.

 

Well, that's important. As an aside, have you read the owner's manual? Not snark, just if you're still learning the vehicle systems, that will help.

I actually think that being FWD makes is slightly more likely that there's nothing wrong - maybe it is some kind of torque steer. FWD cars are famous for this, which means the steering wheel pulls (usually to the right) under acceleration. It is caused by the design of the FWD differential and drive mechanism. I get the feeling that most of the Muranos represented here are AWD, and those vehicles generally are immune to that problem.

 

Bad driver side control arm bushing or steering end link? Any play on the driver side would allow the wheel to turn slightly right under acceleration and left under engine braking. It would be the opposite on the passenger side. If both sides are equally bad they have a tendency to cancel out or give inconsistent response.

 

^^ Good thoughts. Control arm and bushing issues are common.

 

Well, what happened peri have the same problem. I'm not sure how to attach it . I also here a clunk when hit speed bump. First the right sidenow the left and my steering angle changes . I know a lot going on

 

I think you need to get that car to a good front end shop. This sounds dangerous.