Nissan SUV Range

Modern, electronically-controlled engines have about a million ways to run roughly. Just because you’ve changed the coils and spark plugs, doesn’t mean you’re not dealing with an ignition problem. But, equally, the cause could be within the fuel system or even something like a dud sensor somewhere on the engine (and there are lots of them). You might even find it’s something utterly fundamental like a broken or worn out engine mount that is allowing the engine to flail about as you drive it.

But before you buy more parts which may or may not fix the problem, take the car to a workshop where the mechanics will be able to electronically scan the vehicle to see what fault codes are being recognised by the car’s computer. Only then can you start to make an informed diagnosis.

You may find it’s not the engine at all, but something in the transmission or driveline that is causing the vibration.

There were versions of this car with a CVT rather than a conventional automatic. And, over time, that CVT has proven itself to be a bit of a problem for some owners. Refusing to drive in one (or both) direction is a sign that there’s something pretty major wrong inside the transmission, so a visit to a transmission specialist should be your first move.

But don’t drive the vehicle any farther if you can help it, as you may be doing more damage by doing so. And don’t rule out something simple like low transmission fluid level or even a problem with the electronics that select each gear.

You might be dealing with a broken engine or transmission mount that is allowing the driveline to `flop about’ when it’s running. The looseness is allowing the small vibrations from the engine to turn into big vibrations that are causing the exhaust to hit something it shouldn’t be. Perhaps the engine is running rougher than usual, at which point you need to look into its tuning.

But, equally, you could be looking at a simple rubber exhaust mount that has either broken or jumped ship, allowing the exhaust to flail around under the car. You really need to get the car on a hoist and look underneath to see what’s loose and what’s not where it should be. A good mechanic should be able to pin point the noise (and its cause) pretty quickly.