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bumper to bumper questions

2K views 18 replies 10 participants last post by  DonBrizzel 
#1 ·
Hello everyone. I purchased a CPO 2012 Frontier with 38,000 miles on it. For the most part, the truck looks and feels great, but there are some things that I am curious about. I have a 100,000 mile bumper to bumper warranty, so I wanted to bring these issues here to see if these issues are normal with the Frontier, or if I should take the track to the dealer to be worked on, or both.

First issue is with my shifter. I have noticed that coming out of park is the hardest shift. This almost seems normal to me to keep the truck from accidentally coming out of park, but I wanted to make absolutely sure.

The second issue is also with the shifter. When I shift, the box around it moves. This doesn't seem normal to me.

Third, the idle really vibrates the truck, especially when the AC is on, but it vibrates bad without the AC on as well.

Lastly, while sitting in idle at a traffic light or something, there have been a couple of times where I feel a small kick, almost as if someone jumped on the back bumper.


Any information on any of these issues would be greatly appreciated! I just want to make sure my truck is top notch for years and years to come!

-DJ
 
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#2 ·
The shifting from park shouldn't be overly difficult. The surrounding area of the shifter shouldn't move. The low idle is a known issue with some Frontiers. Take it in and have the idle speed raised 50-75 rpm's. If your truck has the factory spray liner and utili-track you may be feeling the two plastic track covers on the bed floor moving when you come to a stop or start.
 
#3 ·
Thank you for the reply. I will take it back to the dealer and have them look at the moving gear box as well raise my idle.

As for the kick, it will happen way after I am at a stand still for it to be any moving part in the bed I believe. The couple times it happened I actually looked in my rear view mirror thinking a car behind me tapped my bumper. I will try to notice the actual timing of it and reply again with the results if ut happens.
 
#4 ·
I've noticed the hard shift coming out of park also. It isn't difficult to shift out of park, but there is jolt going from park to reverse. Was wondering if that was normal. Going to take my truck in to have them raise the idle also.
 
#8 · (Edited)
I have noticed the exact thing. It's not that it's difficult, but it's nowhere near as smooth as going into the other gears. Please let me know what you find out if you are going soon. I won't be able to get back into the shop anytime soon on account of my son being born in a couple of hours.

Do you feel the kick only when the A/C is on? I feel a "kick" in the truck and specifically the pedals when the AC clutch engages.
AC was off both times it has happened so far.

The only time either of my gen2 rides are difficult to get out of park is on a hill.
If the console is loose, the po may have modified or damaged something that is causing both issues.

The low idle is a known issue. A bit of rpm adjustment is in order.

The kick. Not sure on that one. I doubt its the rail covers. Not enough weight there to feel. Could be an engine hickup or the brakes settling from too much nose dive when you stop. If you can reliably repeat the issue, take the tech for a ride.
Thank you, when I can I will put it in the shop to have to loose shroud fixed and the idle lifted a tick. I thought the same thing that maybe the loose box was the reason for the harder shift out of park.

The OP could be thinking he felt a kick when if fact it just the rail covers moving. I had this same issue in my truck, until I figured out it was the rail covers moving. There's enough room for them to slam into the tailgate and slam forward to the end of their travel and make noise. Both of which you can hear and probably think you feel, if done hard enough.
I am sitting for too long for it to be the rails. I can see if it was within a couple seconds of the stop, but I am pretty sure it's a bit longer than that. I will keep an eye on it, and if it happens again will be aware of the rails and of the timing of it.
 
#5 ·
The only time either of my gen2 rides are difficult to get out of park is on a hill.
If the console is loose, the po may have modified or damaged something that is causing both issues.

The low idle is a known issue. A bit of rpm adjustment is in order.

The kick. Not sure on that one. I doubt its the rail covers. Not enough weight there to feel. Could be an engine hickup or the brakes settling from too much nose dive when you stop. If you can reliably repeat the issue, take the tech for a ride.
 
#6 ·
The kick. Not sure on that one. I doubt its the rail covers. Not enough weight there to feel.
The OP could be thinking he felt a kick when if fact it just the rail covers moving. I had this same issue in my truck, until I figured out it was the rail covers moving. There's enough room for them to slam into the tailgate and slam forward to the end of their travel and make noise. Both of which you can hear and probably think you feel, if done hard enough.
 
#9 ·
After reading this post, i paid attention to my shifter today and noticed it is harder to shift from park to reverse, moreso than shifting through the rest of the gears. Mine is brand new, a 2014, so I think it's probably normal. It's not hard to shift, just a little tighter.
 
#12 ·
Same here. When I park in my driveway, which has a bit of a slope, I always stop, set the e-brake, then put it in Park. Makes quite a difference.
 
#11 ·
Thanks for all the feedback, guys. I am going to take it back to the dealership next weekend to have them raise the idle a little bit as well as look at the shifter box. The thud has not happened since I posted this, so maybe it was just one of those things. If it comes back and is more consistent then I will take it to the dealership to check it out. As for the shifting hard from park to reverse, I am going with the fact that it's normal. I figured it was normal, but wanted to ask just in case.
 
#14 ·
Called the dealer today to make an appointment to have them raise my idle speed - they told me that it is controlled by the ecu/ecm and is not adjustable. Anyone know if this is accurate? I have a 2013 if that makes any difference.
 
#15 ·
Dealer is BSing you. A second gen is a second gen, the year makes no difference. There are members who have had the dealer adjust the idle. There are members who have used a tuner to adjust the idle. If it can be adjusted with some type of aftermarket tuner, it can also be adjusted by the high end equipment the dealers service department has at their disposal.
 
#17 ·
That's good information to know about the idle. I will make sure my dealer doesn't BS me when I go this weekend to get the idle raised.

I have noticed that going from park to reverse is nowhere near as bad if I follow the steps that HeavyG said. I put my foot on the break, shift into reverse, then remove the e-brake. This also works on flat ground, not just on a hill. I guess even flat ground has the slightest incline to it making the shift a little rougher.
 
#18 ·
Bought mine new in 2012, it's an A/T 2WD & it has very pronounced gear braking when coming to a stop. It downshifts as you're slowing down so it'd be in the correct gear when/if you needed to accelerate. It also serves to slow you down a little when coming to a stop.

I've also experienced a slight surge & vibration as the A/C compressor kicks on & the idle air control valve compensates for the additional load of the engaged compressor. If it didn't adjust the idle up, the additional load *might* cause the engine to stall.

If your center console is loose, there could be a leftover wire from stereo crap or a piece of carpet or sound deadening in the shifter assembly itself that might impede a smooth operation of the shifter. If you just grab the cup holder and lift up, it comes right out, then you can shine a flashlight forward under the shifter to look for anything obvious. There's a shift interlock that prevents you from shifting if your foot isn't on the brake, if it's gummed up with Gra-doo, it may not operate as quickly or smoothly allowing you to depress the shifter button and change gears.

Hope that helps.
 
#19 ·
Update: Took the truck to the dealership this morning.

They fixed bezel around the shifter and now the shifting is much smoother, so I supposed the hard shifting was due to the looseness of the plate.

I forgot to ask them to turn up the idle, but I can take it to my buddies shop to have it done so no big deal there.

The hard bump when I am sitting still hasn't happened since I made this post, so I don't know what that was all about.
 
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