Vibrating at 50-55mph, also at 75+, was reduced considerably when forward transmission mount was replaced. Still shimmies and feel little in the steering wheel. Have replaced tie rod ends, back struts and tires. Need to figure out what I am missing.
View 2 RepliesI'm wondering if I have a problem or if its a matter of not used to this new "fly-by-wire" steering system cars are going to.
When I put my hands at 11 and 2 on the steering wheel and slowly slide my hands down to 9 and 3, the steering wheel has a shimmy/vibration. Doesn't happen while driving, turning, or anything. Is this normal? I could get the camcorder out and do a small video of it.
2002 Camry LE 4cyl. automatic. I bought this car with 7500 miles on it in 2010. It had been involved in a low speed parking lot collision and apparently the left front corner and front took the hit. It'd been repaired and looked like new when I bought it. It still had the factory tires on it, but they were 8 years old, so I put a set of new Kumho Solus' on it. This was a friend's mothers car, so I know the history of it.
The left front suspension has always felt odd to me. Nothing serious, but just "off." When backing up and turning it has a sort of wobbly feel on that corner at times. I've been assured by several mechanics that they can find no problems. It feels to me like maybe sometimes the strut piston sticks on that corner. Don't know if that ever happens or not, but that's the best description I can come up with!
It has always vibrated from 45 on up. It's not a hard shudder, but just a constant vibration at highway speed that you can feel in your feet and the steering wheel. I've had it balanced and re-balanced to no avail. Sometimes it gets a little better, sometimes worse, but it's never gone away. Recently it seems to be getting worse.
I put it up on jackstands and accelerated to 60, and it vibrates like the wheels are out of balance. Yesterday I replaced the Kumhos (they had bad road noise anyway) with Michelins. The Michelins cured the road noise problems and have a much better overall feel, but I've still got the balance problem.
Just put it up on jackstands again and spun it up, and I still have the same vibration!
What to look for? The car has just now turned over 35k miles. I'm wondering if the CV joint on that left side was damaged and is causing the vibration. I've got new wheels as well instead of the factory steel rims. Also, with the car up on stands, the wheels spin true. No bent hub, etc.
Just bought a '97 Buick LaSabre in great condition (Grandma-owned), 74K miles. Only problem is when I turn on the car I have to wait 1 to 1-1/2 minutes to get it out of park.... as if it needs to "warm up" before changing gears.
View 9 RepliesMy Buick started wobbling during accelerating a few months ago. It only does this from 45 to 55 MPH. If I stay between 45 and 55 it continues to wobble. Slower or faster and it quits. I've had it in the shop 4 times and they can't find the problem. The first shop changed the steering angle sensor but that didn't fix the problem. I took it to another shop. They couldn't find anything wrong. I took it back and they said a tie rod end had some play. They changed that. They did an alignment afterwards. They've also balanced the tires twice during this process. None of this fixed it. I took it back and they couldn't find anything so I ask them to check the motor mounts and they said they are good. They said everything in the front end feels tight. I like my car without the wobble and it only has 79,000 miles on it. How am I going to find out what the problem is?
View 1 RepliesThe problem makes the car unsafe to drive. The quickest way to describe it is a hard pull to the left after a very linear steering feel. My perception is almost as something is holding on and then just fails and lets go and the car quite abruptly shoots left in a very unsafe manner. Here are the things I have done to remedy the situation, I replaced the struts with factory replacements 15,000 miles ago. At the same time i replaced the left and right axles, drove the car with the problem then last weekend, I replaced the upper tie rod arms, and lower tie rod ends, the sway bar bushings, and the control arms on both sides. I literally feel as though it is a darn near new front end.
Just yesterday I had 4 new Goodyear eagle tires and an alignment done and the problem became more pronounced and worst. I really like this car and want it to be a joy to drive as I know from others these little hatchbacks are a real joy on winding mountain roads.
I was driving down the road and the rpm gauge went crazy. Then it flat lined at zero. The voltage warning light came on then the car stalled. It then wouldn't restart. Tried jump starting and tightening the battery cables. After sitting a while after I tried starting it I heard a sound like a demon grumbling I think it may have been a pump of some sort.
View 1 RepliesI don't get it. Usually after I've driven the car, either of the remotes (I've changed batteries on both) do not work. However, if I go into a store and come out 10 minutes later, both remotes will lock, unlock, open the trunk, sound the emergency horn without any problems.
I've even replaced the Keyless Entry Theft Cont Module, which is basically the Remote Entry receiver located in the trunk. I still have the exact same problem with the new receiver.
The remote fobs have new batteries, and one is brand new and programmed with a GM Tech Tool II. The system's receiver is new.
What else could it be. Why does the remote entry only work when the car has been sitting idyll for a while.
I've got a 2006 Camry (4cyl) with 136K miles. Yesterday, I noticed a mild shimmy in the steering wheel around 35 mph. If I take my hands off the wheel it shimmies back and forth about 1/4 inch or so. I pulled over and checked my tires, but didn't find any obvious defects. The shimmy goes away at higher speeds, and drives fine at freeway speed.
I am somewhat certain that I need new struts pretty soon because there is some slight inside cupping on the front tires.
2004 Dodge Intrepid. 70000 miles. Shimmy in steering wheel. Seems to come and go at about 7 second intervals. Suspension, tires, balance, alignment all check OK. One mechanic suggested steering rack valve problem. Could the computer possibly have anything to do with the 7 second interval?
View 16 Replies2003 Honda Civic. Any speed between 30 and 50, car suddenly starts pronounced steering wheel shimmy, too intense to ignore. You can park, start up again and it's gone.
View 1 RepliesI have a 2005 Subaru Legacy and the steering wheel shimmies all the time. My Subaru mechanic can't find a reason for this. I did try another general mechanic, without telling him that this appointment was really a 'second opinion' and after rotating all the tires, numerous test drives he couldn't figure it out either and referred me to my original mechanic, telling me that he's the best Subaru guy in town.
View 5 RepliesMy wife's Corolla has 71k on it. She recently had tires put on, and now she has a shimmy from about 30mph on up. It seems worst at 60-65. In all of my years, this is a classic example of a tire(s) out of balance.
I've taken it back to the shop that replaced the tires twice to make sure they're balanced, and then took it to a second shop to be certain that the first shop was on the up and up and actually balanced the tires. Everything checks out as being balanced.
Another possible cause could be a bad/worn out axle. The whole front suspension was rebuilt 9,000 miles ago. Everything checks out and there are no leaks anywhere. So that rules that this as well.
What else could it be? Is it possible that one (or more) of the new tires are out of round? Maybe a bent rim? But is seems awfully coincidental that this only started happening after the tires were replaced. What might be the cause of this mystery shimmy?
2002 SC430 with 50k miles. I have a set of aftermarket Dolce rims that are 18" with the stock size tires. I have the eccentric spacers on them as well. They have been mounted and balanced. I also have a set of Dunlop snow tires on my stock rims. Obviously I do a seasonal change over.
With either set of tires I am getting a steering wheel shake at 60-65 mph. By 80mph its gone and the car glides perfectly. There is no pulsation in the brake pedal and there is minimal wear on the pads. Below 60mph there is no issues as well.
Tires are wearing evenly. Some roads will make the movement worse, but it always goes away at around 80 mph.
Now both sets of tires were mounted and balanced by the same shop. I assume that could be it...there machine is faulty. But I would like some other possibilities before I try somewhere else.
I have a 2001 Toyota highlander with 160000 miles on it. I recently got new tires and alignment. The problem is when I reach 65 my steering wheel starts to shimmy. The wheels were balanced and the shimmering last for ten to fifteen minutes. What might be causing this?
View 5 Replies2010 FJ Cruiser has an intermittent shimmy that you can feel in the steering wheel at highway speeds. Noticed it not long after new tires. Go around a long curve and it starts, then stays until you go around another curve and then stops. It is as if the wheels have to align a certain way for some harmonic effect. I had the tires rebalanced and rotated. My mechanic said they balanced up very well. Shimmy is better but not gone. Wierdest thing is that when it happens, if I keep my foot on the gas and gently press the brake the shimmy stops and the returns as soon as I let up on the brake. When I asked my mechanic if it could be 2 slightly warped rotors he said the shimmy would be worse braking not better.
View 4 RepliesHave a 2009 BMW 328i with 78,000 miles. In the last year, the front brake pads and rotors have been replaced by the dealer 3 times, each time because of "warping" which is their diagnosis of a steering wheel shimmy (left to right oscillation) that occurs under light to moderate braking, especially at highway speeds.
The strange part: replacing the rotors and pads seems to solve the issue, but only for a few hundred miles.
I am led to conclude that something is causing very accelerated uneven deposition of pad material to the rotors - but what could it be? Suspension components and bushings have been inspected and check out. So do calipers. Recently completed: four wheel alignment, wheel rounding and balancing did not solve the issue. One dealer will no longer look at problem until "all four tires replaced" - but tires look fine, they are OEM RFTs with about 4/32nd's of tread left. Car seems fine cruising on highway - steering wheel shimmy only occurs under braking.
99 Pontiac Montana.... I feel a shimmy in my steering wheel at all speeds....
View 1 RepliesMy wife just purchased an 04 w/27k miles in superb condition two months ago. This is a California car that had no mountain or winter weather service.
We live in Colorado & do a lot of mountain driving. At speeds above 65mph going down hill the steering wheel slightly vibrates or shimmies under heavy braking. The car is always heavily loaded.
Original brakes w/ well over 50% lining. I have not put a dial indicator on the disc surfaces.
CV joint boots are tight & no grease leakage.
Tires are wearing perfectly, so I do not think it is an alignment issue.
My 75 Corolla wagon (2T-C 4 speed, rear wheel drive) has developed a terrible shimmy that can be felt in the steering wheel and shifter, as well as the whole car. It only does this when I am in 3rd or 4th gear doing between 35-45 mph. Over the past few months this has gotten worse, and instead of being an intermittent thing (once a week or so) it happens every time I am in the 35-45 mph range.
View 8 RepliesI have a 2007 hyundai elantra gls (80,000miles) that shimmies at 12 and 40 mph. The steering wheel stays still but the rest of the car wobbles.
I've replaced the tires and the rims and had them rotated, balanced and hub rings put on.
I've also replaced the motor mounts. (This is probably unrelated but I also just had the serpentine belt, water pump, and all the other belts replaced as well.)
I can hit the gas and get through the wobbly speeds and it seems to be fine....but I drive around 40 mph most of the time!