Q: I have a 2008 Nissan Rogue SL AWD with 135000 miles on it. I am having a vibration issue in the steering wheel and gas pedal that

The wheels should be inspected for dents and measured for run-out. Some tire constructions will cause vibration no matter how well "balanced" the tires appear to be on a dynamic balancer. The only way to be reasonably sure that a tire/wheel assembly is actually balanced is to have the technician balance the assembly, then completely remove the assembly from the machine and re-install it in a different position. If it still reads balanced in the NEW position, then it is probably balanced. But, what you will often find is the assembly will NOT read balanced once a new position is used, with weights applied, and that is because of technician error in mounting the assembly and/or the balancing machine is simply not calibrated. Whenever a vibration issue arises, ALWAYS ask the technician to remove and re-install the "balanced" tire/wheel assembly, to see if it is really balanced.

I have seen brand new tires cause vibration, only to be resolved by changing to a set of "known" good quality tires such as that vended by Michelin (there are others, of course). Defective (worn out) struts can cause vibration as well as loose strut mounts (at the top bearing). It is possible that motor mounts could be a cause and you could have an imbalance within the engine, including a possibly defective harmonic balancer. There are many other components that can cause or contribute to a problem like this such as tie rod ends. Tie rod ends, like all parts, actually have to be measured (not merely "noticed" or looked at incidentally) if you are truly trying to track down the root cause of the type of issue you are presenting.

The bottom line is you should request a vehicle vibration diagnostic. It is possible to use remote chassis ears (wireless microphones with an in-cabin receiver) to narrow the origin of the vibration and, if it gets really complicated, there are frequency domain analyzers that can take the noise from the vibration and decompose it to likely mechanical sources. My guess is, if you request the diagnostic, it will probably not get that complicated because, from what you are describing the vibration is marked, and consequently to a trained mechanic the likely origins will be obvious. If you have additional concerns or a follow-up on this, don’t hesitate to re-contact YourMechanic.