Steering wheel vibration, car shakes
95Do you need an alignment?
Your car shakes while driving down the highway, the steering wheel vibration is driving you crazy, and without even realizing it, it's causing you to feel tired. It can be quite exhausting holding onto a steering wheel that is violently shaking or even shaking just a little. You need an alignment on your car, right? Wrong! I hear this from customers all the time; they pull into the garage and say "I need to have an alignment on my car because my steering wheel is shaking while driving on the highway."
The truth is an alignment has nothing to do with your car shaking or your steering wheel vibrating. If you tell your mechanic you need and alignment, and they don't ask the question "why" find a new mechanic. A good mechanic will always ask why you need work done on your car, they do this to extract more information from you as a customer, so they can make an educated decision whether or not you really need the work done or not. Fixing the problem on the first visit to the garage is a top mechanics goal.
Pothole damage
Tires are out of balance
The number one reason your tires shake or your steering wheel vibrates is simple, your tires are out of balance. Tires take a beating, hitting potholes, bridge expansion joints, and curbs are just a few examples of tire abuse. Hitting any one of these objects could knock off a wheel weight, dent a rim, or cause a bubble in the sidewall of the tire, causing it to be out of balance. If you lose a wheel weight, it's an easy fix; you just need to have your tire balance and the local garage. Denting a rim or causing damage to a tire could end up costing you more money than a simple tire balance.
Vibrations caused by snow and ice
Snow and ice can cause a steering wheel shake
Another common cause of steering wheel vibration or car shake is having something logged in a tire like a large bolt or any metal object picked up from the roads surface. I have seen tools like wrenches and screwdrivers that have impaled a tire; it's not common, but it does happen. If you live in an area that has snow, plowing through a snow bank could cause snow and ice to become trapped in the rim or wheel and cause a serious steering wheel vibration, to fix this, just rinse out the snow and ice with a garden hose or pressure washer.
It's smart to keep a tire pressure guage in your glove box
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Low tire pressure can cause your car to shake
Low tire pressure is another common cause of steering wheel vibration or car shake. Having low tire pressure can cause a number of problems like; poor fuel mileage, abnormal tire wear, vibrations, blowouts, tire edge wear, chopping, and the list goes on. A quick check of your tire pressures can benefit you in many ways, and could actually save you money in the long run. When the temperatures outside start getting colder or drop below 30 deg, I recommend raising the tire pressures about 3 psi than where you would normally keep them. Cold outside temperatures will cause the tire pressures to drop, so keep an eye on your tire pressures in colder temperatures.
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The cost of balancing your tires
Having your tires balanced should cost around $15- $20 a tire. Sometimes tire stores will offer you lifetime tire balancing and rotation, I highly recommend using this service to its fullest potential, it will save you money, extend the life of your tires, and will provide a relaxing driving experience. Driving your car with tires that are out of balance could cause more damage to tires by creating flat spots, rippling, cupping, and chopping. To learn more about tires, read my article, Should I buy discount tires or spend the money?
Check you tires
Bald tires cause extremely bad steering wheel vibrations
If your tires are worn to the point where the steel belts are visible on the tread surface, I highly recommend changing them immediately, this is definitely the cause of you steering wheel vibration or your car shaking. If you continue driving on bald tires, you're risking your life and flirting with disaster, having a tire blow out at highway speeds is extremely dangerous, especially if it's a front tire. Do a quick check to see if its bald tires causing your steering wheel shake, you need to physically look at each tire. Turning the steering wheel to one side will give you a better view of your front tires tread surface. You will need to get on your hands and knees to check your rear tires closely.
Speed control in Canada
4 Wheel alignments or alignments
Having and alignment done on your car will not stop a steering wheel vibration or car shake. Alignments only realign the tires so they are all pointing in the proper direction while driving down the road. Having an alignment at least once a year is good preventative maintenance for your vehicle, if you live in an area with poor road conditions like potholes and large cracks in the road surface or you drive extensively on dirt roads, I highly recommend an alignment once a year.
Don't be afraid to ask questions or leave comments. There is so such thing as stupid questions, so just ask, and I will get back to you asap.
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Hello my friend, yes, sometimes it is very difficult to narrow down the problem. Having a Hunter Roadforce machine will help diagnosing tire and rim problems, it takes more time but you have more accurate results. If we have a difficult balance problem, we use the Roadforce machine. Thanks for the comment hardlymoving, nice to hear from you.
Thank you so much for all of the great advice. I think that my tires are out of balance but I wanted to ask you one more question before I took my car in to have to that done. I had front and rear brake pads put on my car about a month ago and now (since then) the steering wheel shakes when I am at relatively high speeds. I would say 50mph or higher. Do you still think that this is a tire balance issue? Any thoughts you have would be greatly appreciated, thanks again.
Hey jrrich, 8 time out of 10 it's a tire balance issue, if you think the tires may have been rotated at the time of your brake job that could be the cause as well, or maybe over torqued wheels. I would just start with a tire balance first before chasing a problem that might not exist. You may want to bring it back to where you had the brake job done. If they created the problem and they are honest, chances are you might be able to have it fixed for nothing. Hope this helps, let me know what happens either way, I would really appreciate it, Thanks.
Great! Thank you eddie, I will let know how it turns out.
Eddie, I called the detail shop that did my brakes and they told me they only have a balance machine that goes up to 18" and that he thought it was a balance issue to but that I had to take it to another shop....So, too bad I couldn't get it taken care of there but sounds like a quick tire balance will fix my problem. Thanks again for all of your help and advice, I will let you know after I get the tire balance done and the issue is resolved.
Well at least you gave it a shot, i didn't know you had oversized wheels, sometimes it's difficult to balance big wheels and tires and get it perfect. Are they factory wheels? Let me know how you make out. Thanks jrrich
Can having low tire pressure set off your check engine light? My car does not have a special light for low tire pressure.
Hello Brittany, No, low tire pressure will not set off the check engine light, the check engine light is to warn the driver of a malfunction with emission devices, engine control devices and transmission problems. A missing gas cap can set off the check engine light, but not low tire pressure.
pls help me out my car vibrates gently when i reduce speed from about 150
Hi ayo, let's see... 150kmh converts to 93.2mph. If your car vibrates gently at these speeds you should be happy. most tire machines only guarantee a good balance on your tires up to 75mph. If you went to a tire store and told them your problem, they would take your money, balance your tires and tell you to slow down :) I hope this helps, thanks for stopping by and commenting, I really appreciate it.
thanks eddie but this vibration starts whenever i release the accelerator i.e during decceleration without applying brake. sorry pls for bothering you
Hello ayo, Your not bothering me in the least, I was being as truthful as possible. I don't know what kind of car it is, but if it's a front wheel drive car, an inner CV joint will cause a vibration on deceleration, this is very common on front wheel drive cars. On a rear wheel drive car, the drive shaft universal joint or center carrier bearing could cause a vibration on deceleration. Check those parts and let me know what you find. Thank you for your comments ayo :)
thanks eddie i drive mercedes benz rear wheel i stopped by at a mechanic workshop to check the driving shaft we found out that the propeller rubber is bad we have changed it but iam yet to test the car at that speed
Very Good ayo, yes, Mercedes do have dampeners in the drive shafts to absorb vibration. I haven't worked on a Mercedes since 1993 so I'm not to familiar with the brand and how they do things now. I hope that works out for you, please let me know when you get the results if the vibration is gone. Thanks, I really appreciate your input, take care.
Hi ok so I found this website and its great you seem to know a lot! I just had a lot of work done to my car I had to have the Rack and Pinion replaced because about a year ago I hit black Ice and I became close friends with a curb… but anyways everything is good now except for when I drive and I hit 50MPH to about 75MPH and my steering wheel shakes pretty crazy. I have a 2008 Honda Accord Sedan would balancing and rotating the tires help?
Hi Paige, thank you for you kind comment :) It sounds like you have a bad tire or a bent rim. You could try balancing the tires to see if that helps but a good tire technician should be able to tell you if the tires is bad. The best machine to balance a tire is a road force machine, most tire store have these type of machines.
Did you replace the rim and tire at the same time you had the steering rack replaced?
Did this problem just happen or has it been like this since the accident?
Take a quick look at your front tires, are they bald or is there any steel belts showing through the rubber like the picture above? Bald tires will cause a bad vibration so take a look at your tires.
Let me know what you find or if you have any more questions, you know where to find me.
P.S. Nice car, good choice, sorry about the accident :(
Hi again : )
I am going to be taking it in Tuesday to have the tires balanced and rotated I really hope that works! The only problem I keep running into is the language barrier because I am stationed in Germany and we have one American mechanic who aligned the tires and now says there is nothing wrong but it’s obvious there is something wrong because the steering wheel still shakes (50-75MPH) and it still glides to the left, so I’m done taking it to them… but we do have Germany Honda mechanics but like I said the language barrier is hard to get past.
What I am most confused about is it was not doing this until I had the Rack and Pinion replaced so it’s becoming like once you fix one thing it uncovers another one… no I haven’t had the rim replaced but the tire popped from the accident so that did have to be replaced.
I just looked at my tires by turning the steering wheel and looking at all different positions and there are no bald spots or uneven wear or steel belts showing. The tires still have about 30,000 miles left on them
Thank you I really love my car I just wish this would never had happened but thank you for your help I really appreciate it! I’m actually really happy I found your website I that you can help so I hope all goes well!
Paige
Hello again Paige :) I'm glad you came back and gave me an update. If your tire blew out when you hit the curb and the steering rack was damaged, I'm 99% positive that your rim is bent as well.
You say the car still drifts left, that could be an alignment issue or a tire problem, sometime a belt inside the tire will have a problem and you will never visually see it, but it can cause a drift or pull to one side.
Keep in mind that an alignment will not cure a balance issue, only balancing your tires or replacing them will fix a vibration.
If you have time, I would be really interested to know the out come, let me know what happens Tuesday. Thank you and good luck with the language barrier :)
i have a 2002 nissan altima and when i drive the steering wheel and car shake/jerk back and forth even when barely moving (under 10 mph). i'm new to the area and don't have a mechanic yet so before i take it to someone i wanted to make sure there was no possibility that a high dollar problem could be causing the shaking/jerking vs. a simple tire and/or balancing issue. can you tell me a worst case scenerio that might be the cause?
Hi shaker, It sounds like a wobble in one of your tires, this usually occurs when there is a broken belt inside the tire, if you have a bent rim or if your tires are bald with steel belts showing through the rubber like in the picture in the article. I would look at your tires and rims closely for these problems, you'll never know what you'll find. Let me know how you make out :)
Hi eddie, your article looks interesting. I recently bought a second hand .ark ll - 2004. Whenever i drive at 110km/hr, the streeriNg and the peddle vibrates teribly. These gets worse when when i go down the hill and apply slight break.i have aligned and balanced the wheels but no change. I was wondering its because of the axles or its because of the 18inch low profile tyres that i had fixed. Front tyres are 225/40/18 while rear ones are 235/40/18. Please let me if you got any possible polution. Cheers
My email : smudeizi@etisalat.blackberry.com
Hello Salim, If your car is shaking when applying your brakes it is likely that your front brake rotors (disc)are out of true (warped)and either need to be resurfaced or replaced. The mechanic working on your car will need to measure the thickness of the brake rotors first to verify that there is enough material to resurface, if your rotors are to thin, you will have to replace them, at this point, I would also replace your brake pads. Let me know what you find out, Thanks :)
Thanks eddie. Apart from appying slight breaks while going down the hill, my cars vibrates alot at 110km-hr which worsenS when i release the accelerator pedal and becomes slightly smoother when i accelerate.something else also is that when drive in "D' the cars vibrates alot however when i use D3 the drive gets better.
Lastly, can the tyre diffrence cause such vibration.
Hello again Salim, having 18" aftermarket wheels might be the biggest problem, the size difference is minimal, the tire is 10mm wider and shouldn't cause a vibration. Some aftermarket wheels come with a plastic centering ring that sits on the hub to center the wheel onto the hub, if your wheels are suppose to have them and they are missing, it will cause a bad vibration because your rims are not centered on the hubs.
You might want to check your inner CV joints for wear, the problems you're having leads me to believe there is some slop in your drive-train, like a transmission carrier bearing or inner CV joint. I have never heard of an ARK II 2004, (Toyota Mark II???) I Goggled it and nothing came up, unless it was a typo? So I'm not really sure what your drivin. Check out those two items and let me know what happens. Take care
Thanks once eddie. It was a typo error. Am actually drivin a toyota mark ll - 2004. I will try to replace back the original 16inch tyres and see if there is any diffrence.if it doesnt work then i will check the cv joints. I will let u know of the progress. By the way how can i identify a worn out cv joint?
Hello Salim, It's a good idea to start with the wheels. If you need to check the CV joints, first look at them, notice if there is any split open rubber boots or if there is any grease leaking from the boots near the CV boot bands, if so, you need to replace that axle assembly, if everything is OK then you need to physically check the CV joints. It is quite difficult to tell if a CV joint is worn because you can not apply the torque to the axle with your hands as the car would apply it. It might be best to put the car on a automotive lift and have an experienced mechanic look at it, it might cost a few bucks but it will be worth paying the price for experience. Keep me up to date with what you find, thank you.
hey eddie
its paige again Im the one with the 2008 honda accord. I took my honda in to get it balanced and rotated and they said all of the tires were bad and that the front right rim need to be replaced... sooo I suppose well go from there... but thank you for you help :)
Hi Paige, That sounds odd that all your tires are bad, you just had 1 of them replace which leaves at least 1 good tire. If I were you I would get a second opinion if possible, I realize your in a foreign country but it's worth a shot. If you don't want to get a second opinion, here is what you should do to save a few bucks. Have the bent rim replaced, and replace the 2 worst tires, then put the 2 new tires on the front with the new rim, then put the best of the 2 old tires on the rear of the vehicle. That should cure at least 90% of your problem and save you a few bucks.
Thank you for coming back to update me, I really appreciate it. Let me know what you decide to do...I hate seeing people being taken advantage of, that why I do what I do. Thank you :)
Just got my intrigues tires balanced n rotated but once again it shakes worse now, I'm getting frustrated, now did have a flat about a week ago....
Hi Laci, Sorry about your frustration, but I know how you feel. Was the vibration bad before you rotated your tires? Is it possible you have a bent rim?
I would bring it back to the place that just did the work and tell them what's wrong, they should have road tested the vehicle after the job, if they did you wouldn't be in this predicament.
When you bring it back, talk to the service manager, and if the tires are just out of balance, tell the service manager you're not gong to pay for it again because it should have been done right the first time, now your wasting your time bringing it back. Don't be and jerk about it but be assertive, you payed for a job and it's not right.
If they find a bad tire or bent rim, ask why they didn't catch that the first time and ask how they are going to take care of you because now the're wasting your time. Don't be intimidated by these guys, if they want to keep you as a customer they will work with you, and remember Laci, the squeaky wheel gets the oil :) Let me know what happens, I really appreciate it, take care.
Hi Eddie,
I recently got a flat front right tyre but was able to get it fixed (mended) in a tyre shop, then I had to replace my back left tyre because it was completely worn down. Since then there is a very bad shake out of my steering, its very bad at speeds up to 40 MPH but not too bad at 70MPH. There is a small dent on the inner side of the back left rim, could this be the problem or is it something worse? Your help would be greatly appreciated
Hi Chris, If you had the right front tire repaired I would probably start there. A dent in the left rear rim would not cause a steering wheel vibration.
Did you happen to drive on that right front tire while it was flat? It sounds like you may have a broken belt in the front tire or maybe you knocked off a wheel weight when the tire was flat. You could start with balancing the two front tires and take it from there.
Check your tire pressure too, if a tire is low on air, it can cause some funky feelings in the ride quality. Let me know what you find, and if you have any more questions, you know where to find me:)
hi eddie!
thank you so much for your advise!! you were absolutely right, i had a broken belt in my front tire. i got 4 all new tires today and the ride is back to normal. thanks again!
Hello Shaker :) I very happy I could assist you. A broken belt inside a tire is an unseen evil, you can't physically see what's wrong, so it becomes a guessing game if you don't have a good mechanic. Thank you very much for updating me on you situation, I was thinking you forgot about me, lol. Take care.
I was reading your article about this I had my tires balanced i had an alignment done and when im driving it shakes at like 0-40 and then at 40 it stops shaking. I dont know what to do cause I cant really think of anything else. My rims and tires are brand new I just got them.
Hello Shayla, I'm guessing you bought aftermarket rims? Aftermarket rims sometime don't balance well,or maybe the mechanic forgot the hub centering ring behind the rim? I would take it back immediately to the shop that mounted and balanced your wheels and tires.
Take them on a road test and and show them what you got for a vibration. Have them find out what's wrong and request you go on a road test with the mechanic after it's resolved, just to verify the problem is fixed before you drive off again.
Let me know what happens, FYI, the alignment will not cause a vibration, it's most likely in the rims or tires. I'll wait to hear back from you, take care :)
I have an 08 Uplander I just replaced the front wheel hub assemblies on both sides and put rotors and pads on the front. After this, I noticed vibration in the front end, that I don't think was there before. I then had the tires rotated and balanced, with rear tires moved to front. Problem persisted. I replaced the older tires which were now on the front with brand new ones, mounted and balanced. I was told by the dealer I needed new sway bar bushings and sway bar links, replaced those also. Vibration is still there. Seems to start around 40mph and continue to about 70-75 then seems to ease off some. Everything is NEW!! Is it possible one of the hub assemblies is bad? I'd be pretty surprised if it were. The dealer did replace a transmission mount, but that didn't cure it either. What on earth could it possibly be? The vehicle tracks straight as an arrow, so I am very puzzled. Please help.
Hello Needhelp, There are several possibilities I can think of off the top of my head. First a question, does the vehicle have the same vibration when applying the brakes at these speeds. I have seen brake calipers stick for one reason or another, and cause a similar vibration. If you have a similar vibration when applying the brakes, the problem may be a sticking brake caliper.
How about your rims, are they damage in any way? I know you rotated and balanced them and have even swapped tires, but you never changed the rims. Are the rims on your vehicle, factory or aftermarket rims? Aftermarket rims sometimes have a centering ring that mechanics forget to re-install, that could be an issue.
Another common problem is the rim mating surface. Where the aluminum rim meets the hub, there can be corrosion built up here that use to match the pattern of the old hub, if the corrosion is not sanded off to create a flat and true mating surface it could cause a vibration.
A common mistake of a mechanic is over torquing the lug nuts. Some mechanics will use a air gun to re-install the wheels, this causes uneven pressure on the lug nuts and actually warp the wheel causing a vibration. This can be avoided by using a torque stick on the air gun or using a torque wrench to tighten the wheels.
I could keep going here because there are so many possibilities. The best thing for you to do is bring it back to the dealer and tell them you're still having the same problem, you have replace enough parts, now it's time for them to step up to the plate and fix it, be nice about it, you'll get a lot more help by being friendly, let them know you're not spending another dime, even if they find something bent or broken because you should have been notified about this at earlier visits, and you're not picking up the car until it's fixed. Be sure to go on a road test with someone at the dealer (like the service manager) to verify it's fixed before you accept the car back. The last thing a service manager wants to do is go on a road test with a unsatisfied customer, so he will make sure it's fixed.
Please come back and let me know what happens, it helps other readers and myself figure out weird vibrations and problems with cars, thanks so much and I really appreciate it :)
Hi Eddie
I have a Ford Expedition 2008 model. I have had issues with shaking between 110km/h and 140km/h.
I have changed all four tires twice, bought two new 20" Ford factory rims, checked air pressure, balanced wheeels and done aligning at different shops.
After replacing the two front rims the steering wheel doesnt shake that much. But the mid and the rear does. Shoudl i buy another two wheels ? Can it be the driveshaft or joints somewhere?
Yes this artcle was very helpful and with me being a girl and not knowing about tires and cars now I know to go get my front tires balanced and go from there if that is not the problem thanks so much have a nice day.
Hi Eddie,
Karen again. I did just last week get all new brakes and my tires rotated. After tires are rotated shouldn't the tires be balanced too? I know they did not balance them becouse my husband said that the mechanic did not. so do you think that could really be the problem my steering wheel did not vibrate before the tires were rotated.
I need some advice, I was driving home last night from work, and I went into a ditch....and now the car pulls to the right and the steering wheel shakes..do u think it needs to be balanced,or could it be more serious?
Hello John, I wouldn't go buy 2 new rims yet, if the vibration is in the rear and mid way through the car, it's possible you have a worn u-joint or you may have a carrier bearing that is worn. I just Googled "center carrier bearing for a 2008 Expedition" in images, and it does have one, so I would check those two things first and then we can explore the issue further if you don't find any problems. Let me know what you find. I think the carrier bearing is the culprit :)
Hi Karen, If you had your tires rotated without balancing them, most likely that is what caused your vibration. It's not uncommon for mechanics to rotate without balancing, for some reason customers have a difficult time understanding why we recommend a balance at the same time as rotation, this is the reason. I personally refuse to rotate tires without a balance unless the customer absolutely insist. It's cost is minimum and extends the life of your tires. Go back and have them balanced and could you please let me know what happens, I would really appreciate it:)
Hello Johnna, sorry to hear about your accident :( If you went into a ditch, it's possible you caused some major damage, depending on how fast you were driving and what you hit in the ditch.
It's also possible you have dirt and grass stuck in the bead between the rim and tire, and you just knocked out your alignment. You really need to have some one look at it and put it on an alignment rack. Worst case, you bent some suspension parts like: steering rack, tie rods, control arm or anything else pertaining to the suspension, and also bent a rim and ruined a tire or two.
If you're lucky, you may get out of it cheap by performing an alignment and balancing your wheels, that would be ideal :) Let me know what your mechanic finds out, I'm curious to know, hope you're lucky :)
My brakes are operating properly. I did the brake job, and verified the calipers are working very smoothly. I greased all places that need it with the proper grease, and also applied brake quiet to the backs of the pads. How frequent would more than one wheel be bad, since they were rotated twice? I would be surprised if three wheels are bad. The vibration is still there in the front driver's side. It seems to be worse upon accelerating, and has had me thinking it's a drive shaft/cv joint, but the boots are good. I did hear a crunch when dry steering in a parking spot once, but not the typical clicking a cv joint would make when turning. Is it possible the vibration is coming from the transmission or axle? I will be at the dealership first thing in the morning, so we'll see what they say this time.
Hi Eddie,
Need some advice.I have a Toyota Corolla 2004 sedan.
There is a hallow noise that seems to be coming from the passenger front Tyre whenever i go over a speed bump and accelerate afterward.The noise comes only when i start acceleration.
Also my front tires seem to be unsteady/shaky on a rough road surface
I want at least to have an idea of what it is before i start doing rounds at mechanics shops..
Thanks lots
Hello James, I know noises are difficult to describe, so could you give me more detail on the noise like;
Is it a rubbing noise?
Is it a scrap noise?
Thump?
Bang?
High pitched?
Low Groan?
How long does it last when accelerating?
Is it only after going over a speed bump?
Can you reproduce the noise by bouncing the right front up and down in the driveway?
With more information I'll have a better idea of what is making the noise. I'll wait to hear from you.
Hi Eddie,
i had my front tires balanced and my steering wheel is still vibrating it happens between 50-60 mph they said my tires were fine no broken belts still plenty of tread is it possible it could be wheel bearings or could they be wrong about my tires? I would hate to go by new tires if I don't really need to. Thanks again for your time. Karen
Hi Karen, you are very smart for coming back and asking more question :) Before you buy anything, call around town to some tire stores and ask if they have a Road Force tire machine, this machine will tell you if there is a problem with your tires or rims. This is the next best step if you can find a local garage that has this machine.
A wheel bearing wont cause a vibration, nor will an alignment issue. I was just reading back on our earlier comments, You could also try rotating your tires back to the original positions and see if the vibration goes away. I would try these two things first before you spend money on new tires.
I know the running around sucks, but it will be worth it in the long run. Keep me posted on what you find, and if you have more questions, please don't hesitate to ask :)
Hi Eddie,
the tires that were on the front were balanced before. when they rotated the tires the weights are on the back now. shouldn't the weights be on the front? Could that be my whole problem I should have the weight on the front. Thanks again for your time.
Hi Karen, All tires have weights, the only way to balance tires is to add wheel weights to the edge of the rim, but as time passes, wheel weights fall off, get knocked off, and wheels go out of balance.
The only reason I mentioned to put the tires back to their original positions is because you said the vibration wasn't there before the tires were rotated. If the vibration goes away after returning the tires to their original position, you will know there is a problem in the rear tires. (it's just process of elimination)
Does the garage know you have a vibration that you're trying to fix? Why are they returning your car to you with a vibration, saying there is no problem? I would start by returning the tires to the original positions and see if the vibration goes away.
I hope this helps, let me know what they find, and make sure the mechanic knows you're trying to fix this vibration that they caused.
Hello Eddie
I have a question for you. I have a 2008 ford mustang v6. My wheel was vibrating like something terible so i went and got all four tires balance. It really calm down but at 65 mph there is still a slight vibration. The weights are on the outside for the two back tires and on the inside for the two front. Should I have the inner and outters done for the ones that dont have it or have all them switch to the outside. I cant remember but i thought when i first got my car all the weights were on the outside.
Thankyou
Hi Jaison, When wheels are balanced, the machine will dictate where the weights will go, sometimes no weight at all is needed because the wheel is in balance. So to answer your question there is no specific place for wheel weights, just where the machine dictates.
If you still have a vibration, I would bring your car back and let them know your problem, just remember, your balance job is only as good as the mechanic doing it.
You shouldn't have to pay to have them check again since they just did it. Let me know how you make out, and if you have any other questions, please, don't hesitate to ask :)
Ok, thanks a bunch
Hi Eddie,
today I took my car back to the mechanic and there were weights on the front before but they were on the inside of the rim not on the out side so they rebalaced the front with new weights and kept the old weights on the back. And now there is no vibration. Thanks so much for your help and if I have anymore problems in the future I will contact you. Thanks again. Karen
Hi Karen,
That is great, I'm glad the vibration is gone. Sometimes it's like pulling teeth to get things right, but it's well worth the time and effort. Thank you for getting back to me too, I really appreciate it, take care :)
Hello Eddie. Just wanted to update you. I had the car at the dealership TWO different days this week. They tried blaming the wheel hubs I replaced, so I swapped them back to the factory parts, no change. They tried an EVA vibration test, it said two front tires were the problem (YEAH RIGHT). Then they tried putting the wheels and tires off of their own uplander service shuttle onto mine, still no change. I drove it with their wheels and tires to verify that yes, the problem was still there, because they were sure that would fix it. NOPE. Don't know if I mentioned the vehicle rocks back and forth while sitting still, but they claimed they couldn't feel this either! So, finally after driving with their wheels on, I parked it, and the vibration back and forth was terrible, so I grabbed the service manager and made him sit in it and he finally felt that vibration. Next we drove it and he noted it IS INDEED vibrating like the dickens while driving. The transmission is now clunking when you accelerate and let off really bad, and the vibration is worse. They've been romping it to death trying to verify motor mount integrity by hitting the gas in gear while holding the brakes, etc. and it's gotten WORSE!! Their solution? They have no idea what's wrong, and are contacting GM. They may end up replacing my entire transmission with on 39,000 miles on it! I know the vibration is in the drive train somewhere, but supposedly the motor mounts are good. How else could it shake you back and forth while sitting still with good motor mounts? I will update as I find out more, the battle wages on.
Hi Eddie,
Thanks for your response.
Its hard to describe but this is my best shot;The noise is a very low faint hollow sound like "eeerrrrt".You can say like a faint empty sounding.Its like when you blow mildly into an empty bottle.Its not a grinding noise or a thump.It does come on even when accelerating from a dead stop.It only makes the noise at 3-5mph under moderate accelerating and sometimes even when barely touching the gas.The noise does comes on like for seconds then disappear but at only that speed,not sure if it gets drowned by the traffic noise afterward.It does not make the noise when u thump it in front even when you shake.
Let me know if you need further information..
Glad you are of help much.
Hello Needhelp,
This is great, it sounds like they are really going out of their way to help solve your vibration problem, sounds like you finally got someone to listen. If they want to keep you as a customer, they will bend over backwards to help.
Sometimes it take persistence to get answers, and it looks like you have done it. Don't forget to thank them for all their help because they have really stepped up to the plate, if they swapped out your tires from there loaner car, they are going the extra mile. So be very thankful for all their help, because you don't always find this kind of service. Let me know the final results, and thank you for getting back to me with the update, very cool :)
Hi Eddie,
My problem is that when am slowing down to stop, there is a grinding sound on the right front wheel. Its worse when I am negotiating a corner to the RIGHT ONLY. Would you know what the problem is? I have tried chaning the brake pads and even skimming of the brake disks but the noise just wont go. If it helps, I once had an accident with the impact being on the right front side.
Hi James,
It's great you came back with more information. OK I have a couple of ideas here,
1. It sounds like a sway bar bushing creak, sometime you can just lube the bushing to see if the noise goes away, but you have to remove it from the sway bar and lube where the bushing wraps around the sway bar. Usually there is a u shaped clamp with two bolts mounting it to the frame or similar body part. If that's the noise, replace the bushings, their cheap enough.
2. The strut or damper could make this noise, you might want to have someone pull up on the fender while you sit in your car and see if you can hear it. The strut has rubber seals inside, and over time they stiffen and cause a weird hollow noise.
3. Upper and lower ball joints have been know to make a creak noise on acceleration at slow speeds.
4. the brake caliper slide pins lack lubrication and creak at low speeds. The brakes don't need to be applied for the noise to happen. Because most rotors are not true, the caliper will move back and forth causing a creak at low speeds, you will not hear it a faster speeds tho.
One thing you might want to try is, drive along the side of a building like in an alley or behind a strip mall where it's quiet, open the passengers window an really give a good listen to where the noise is coming from, maybe you can have someone drive for you, this will give you more information on the sound so it will help the mechanic find it faster. (saving you money)
Let me know if you have any more questions, and definitely come back and let me know what you find, I love this stuff, and you can really help the other readers with your information. So thank you for your input, and we will talk soon :)
Hi Larry,
First I want you to go to another article I wrote on wheel bearings, and I would like you to watch the video I made, let me know if this sounds like your noise. You can watch the whole video or skip to the part where I actually show you the noise on a vehicle, it's at the 2:50 min mark on the video. Let me know if that is your noise because it sounds like you're describing and wheel bearing noise. http://eddiecarrara.hubpages.com/hub/What-is-a-whe
Please come back and let me know what you find, Thank you.
good thought! keep hubbin!!
Thanks gforganesh1, and thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment, take care :)
Hi Eddie! Enjoyed your posts. I have a 91 Civic 5 Speed Manual in very, very good condition. The motor D15B2 runs like a sewing machine. Smooth as silk. It has a steering vibration on the steering wheel only after getting on the highway say around 50MPH till about 70MPH it goes away. Doesn't vibrate at all in the city driving which I'm happy to report. So my story is the left axle seal was leaking and I had it replaced. It started leaking again and I had it replaced today. Also, I had the original rims all 4 restored to their show room 91 nebulized silver metalic glory. They were gorgious and people noticed it. I had the wheel guys balance them with the weights put ONLY on the inside of the steel rim to avoid chipping the new powder coat off the newly restored rims outside edges were the weights normally went. Then, I put a temporary wheel lock that was large and heavy compared to the other 3 lug nuts so no one would steal my restored rims. Well they could it just slows them down a little. The wheel lock (lugs) were very large compared to the other 3 lug nuts which are quite small on these cars until I could find the perfect size wheel locks (lugs) for it which I did about 3 months later. Putting a wheel lock that was too big and heavy was alarming to me and I drove around for about 3 months before finally getting the small proper Honda wheel locks put on. The steering wheel on highway speeds vibrated sorty badly at 50MPH until I got over to around 70MPH then it went away with the big locks on it. My question is since I've replaced the "too large" wheel locks with the "proper small Honda wheel locks" did I damage the axle and transmission because if the left axle seal starts leaking again they suggested replacing the axle itself for around $130.00 and if it continues to leak after that, they suggested a good transmission shop rebuild the transmission for around $1000.00 since something is causing the left axle seal to leak even after being replaced. Was all this axle leaking caused by the big wheel locks I ran around in for about 3 months and possibly damaged the transmission? Also another thing, since I'm making them put the weights on the inside of the steel rims is it possible that the rims are not "truly balanced" by this method and I actually need to ALLOW them to put the weights on the outside of the rims to get a "truly balanced" tire even though it chips the new powder coat off OR is it possible to get a "truly balanced rim" by only using inside rim weights on the steel rims. It doesn't vibrate at all around the city which I'm very happy about. Just when I get on the Highway, and approach 50MPH I feel the vibration. Some days it doesn't do it at all. Kinda comes and goes. I'm afraid my new left axle seal might start leaking and that this was caused by my big temporary wheel locks I ran around in for about 3 months before getting the right small Honda locks (lug nut) put on. I hope I didn't damage the transmission box and have to have it rebuilt to stop the left axle seal leak. My vibration feels like someone is tugging the wheel left and right in a "pulsing" manner at around 50MPH. It's not bad, but it is there and noticeable until after 65-70 MPH. Thanks Eddie for your wise counsel and reply regarding these issues with "true balance on using just inside rim weights only" is it possible to get it truly balanced this way and the other issue when someone puts a large wheel lug nut lock) does this damage the front end manual transmission on little 91 civics like mine. I might say can a vibration cause a new axle seal to leak.. I wouldn't know but is this possible on a newly installed axle seal that its caused to leak by the vibration of highway driving or is the transmission worn in some way and truly the culprit? ==Thanks Eddie * 91Honda-slave-civic-DX-5spManual *
Eddie, My car has 190,000 miles on it and is set for at least another 190,000... forgot to mention the current mileage of my vehicle in my comments above. ==Thanks Eddie * 91Honda-slave-civic-DX-5spManual *
Hi 91Honda-slave-civic-DX-5sp Manual,
Sounds like you love your car, I have the same love for my 66 Mercury :) You can read my poem about it when you have time http://eddiecarrara.hubpages.com/hub/Mistress-of-M
Anyways, enough about me, let's answer your questions. In my opinion the larger lug nut may have cause a slight vibration but it's not likely because it's so close to the center of the hub. If that weight was on the outside of the rim, it would definitely cause a vibration.
The heavy lug nut would not cause a axle seal to leak, I am 100% sure of that. The first axle seal may have been installed wrong and that's what caused it to leak. If the transmission is the problem, the carrier bearings would be the culprit. I have seen carrier bearings with too much clearance, and wear out axle seals on some Accords, never on a civic, plus the carrier bearings make a wheel bearing noise while driving (see my article on what is a wheel bearing and watch the video). An axle would cause a seal to leak, but you would notice the damage on the axle when you had it out.
As far as your balance on your wheels goes, wheels can be truly balanced using wheel weights on the inside, but the balance is only as good as the mechanic doing it. I have balance hundreds of wheels like this because the new car have no place to hammer on wheel weights on the outside of the rim. Go back to the place you had your wheels balanced and have them rechecked, it shouldn't cost you anything because you just had it done.
Let me know if I can answer any more question for you, and when you figure out what going on, let me know the outcome. Keep and eye on the axle seal and take care of you baby, those are great cars and were very fun to work on, but we don't see them much any more :)
Eddie thanks for your help! You've clearly explained that the transmission is NOT my problem, saved me $1000 bucks Eddie plus my time being without a car waiting for the rebuild. Two reasons for knowing this. #1. Never on Civic. #2. There is no hint of any carrier bearing noise at all. It runs totally quiet and proper. I'll keep you posted on the new left seal if it leaks. The mechanic probably saw some type of axle damage or manufacturer issue and was just preping me for the coming back in part for the $130.00 new axle job, in advance. He stated some of these axle are machined smaller than what the seal is, and thus they will leak and need replaced. Also, thanks for clarifying that inside weights can actually be used to truly balance a tire but only as good as the mechanic doing the balancing job. Read your 66 Mercury poem and it was totally cool. I highly recommend readers to go above this post and find and click on the 66 Mercury link above this comment. Also saw the card in spokes video. Brought back memories of some 33 years ago. Thanks again for giving me the inside scoop on my baby, the savings, the memories, and your help is truly pricesless! ==Thanks Eddie * 91Honda-slave-civic-DX-5spManual *
You're very welcome 91Honda-slave-civic-DX-5spManual,
If I can help in any other way, you just let me know. When you have your wheels re-balanced or if the axle seal starts to leak again, come back and give me an update, I would very grateful. Take care for now :)
Hi Eddie,
Thanks a lot Eddie, I know what to check or request my mech to check. I will let you knwo the outcome.
BR,
Larry.
Hi larry,
Sure, no problem, glad I could help. With your car being hit on that side, it's a sure sign it could be a wheel bearing, especially if the wheel was hit. If the wheel was hit, it would put excessive pressure on the wheel bearing, and could cause damage. Thanks for coming back Larry, I'll wait to hear from you, take care for now.
Im wondering if you have any idea why I get a really bad vibration/shake only when I turn right? Left and going straight are smooth. Its a 96 sable
Hello Desiree,
At what speed would you be driving at when this happens? Or is it when your taking a slow turn, as if you were turning onto a street?
Where do you feel this vibration? is it in the steering wheel or is in the body/seats?
Now that I thought about it for a while, I bet you have a broken motor mount or transmission mount on the left side, because when you turn, the weight of the motor shifts to the left.
If you give me more information I have a better answer for you, but I bet it's a mount. I'll wait right here for ya :)
I only feel it when I'm actually driving. For example, on the on-ramp for the e-way and right curve at at least 20 MPH. Oh and I feel it in the steering wheel but it also feels like the right front tire is gonna fall off. Thanks for your help.
Hi Desiree,
It sounds like you have a bad tire, have you looked at your tires at all. This type of vibration is common when there are belts coming through the rubber at a bald spot, or it's possible you have a bent rim. I would look at both the tire and rim and see if there is a physical damage or wear, if everything looks OK, have your front tires balanced.
Let me know if I'm on the right track, so if you have time, just shoot me an update, I would really appreciate it :)
Actually it doesn't really do it at all through town. Sorry I just got the car so I haven't driven it much. It really starts to shake bad at at least 40. I am going to get it checked out tomorrow and will give you an update
Thanks Desiree,
Sometimes we need to drive and pay attention to realize when the problem occurs, been there, done that :) Hope it doesn't cost too much, let me know. Thanks.
I'm back with another update. Got the vehicle back from the dealer claiming it was road force balanced, and my two brand new tires were bad, and one of my other new tires (3-4000 miles max) is also bad. This after three days of having my vehicle, and the FOURTH time they've had it. So I took it over to the tire shop. They drove it, put it on the rack, and within five minutes had me come out to see how badly both of my cv axles are wobbling up and down. On my VERY FIRST trip to the dealer, I clearly mentioned that a bad cv joint could cause this. There is no leakage from the boots, but the wobble is severe, and very obvious. Now without seeing it again, they are ordering cv axles to replace them both. How is it possible the tire shop finds this inside of five minutes, and the dealer can't find it, even WITH my recommendation of bad axles, and having the vehicle four different times? I can no longer help but question their ability to competently service my vehicle. I am still miffed by how they keep blaming the tires, even when the tires are rotated, balanced, new tires are put on, then even their own tires and wheels from their own Uplander are put on and the vibration persists! I am very well aware of how balance can cause issues, but this vibration is not characteristic of wheel balance, and I'd be extremely shocked to find out three out of four brand new tires are bad, the other tires were bad, and their wheels and tires are also bad, when there is no vibration on their vehicle with them. I will update you once the new cv axles are installed, but I must admit, I'm scared to have them install these.
Hi, here with an update. Turns out I need a stabilizer pin for the rear driver side strut. After that's done we can see if there's anything else that could be contributing to the shake. The parts only $14 and I know a mechanic so I'm saving a lot of money there. Thanks for your help and if I find anything else out I'll be sure to come back with another update.
Hello NeedHelp,
I have to say, the cv joints have to be pretty bad to cause a vibration. Usually it would be an inner joint that would cause a vibration on acceleration and deceleration and very little when cruising at a steady speed.
If the tire shop showed you the wobbling axles while the car was on a lift and the wheels spinning, it could have been an optical illusion, the suspension is hanging, so what your seeing is not how it really is when all 4 wheels are on the ground, your axles are being stretched and you could be fooled by what you see, what you're seeing is not accurate. I'm not say the axles are not the cause, but it's very rare an axle will cause a vibration, even an outer axle that is noisy.
What happens if the axles don't fix your problem? You have a very unique situation and you need a well seasoned tech to look at it, someone who is very experienced with this type of problem. I have had this problem myself and sometimes the vibration is very hard to diagnose. It really doesn't matter what shop you bring it to, it's the mechanic who works on it that makes the difference. Let me know what happens, i'm very curious to know if the axles fix it, thanks NeedHelp for coming back to give me an update, I really appreciate it :)
Hi Desiree,
Thank you for the update, that's very cool you know the mechanic, trust is the biggest factor :) If that pin fixes the problem that would be great, but let me know for sure, thanks, take care for now :)
Hi Eddie! I am here with a Update on the left side axle seal leak previously posted and explained here. My mechanic could move the old axle quite a bit. Then he pop'ed in the new axle and it did move hardly at all. Perfect fit. He was surprised by how perfect the new axle fit and didn't move compaired to the old axle. Also the axle seal itself is nice and tight compaired to the old axle. Guess what it doesn't leak any more! I think my prayers were heard! It has a nice smooth ride and feel. I still have, just a slight bit of a vibration in the steering wheel ever so slightly; like someone is tugging the wheel left and right (pulsing) ever so slightly. So I will take it in to get it balanced with weights to the inside and update you here. Your diagnosis and help is truly priceless! ==Thanks again Eddie! * 91Honda-slave-civic-DX-5spManual *
Hello 91Honda-slave-civic-DX-5spManual,
Glad you found your way back with great news! Sometimes on re manufactured axles the axle diameter are slightly smaller where the seal sits and that can become a huge problem, a mechanic can change and axle seal 3 time before replacing the axle again (go for the cheapest part first). As far as your vibration goes, those older cars ride quality is a lot different then a new car, keep that in mind. Take car for now and let me know how the balance job comes out :)
I have a 97 Ponitac Bonneville and I have major shaking in my steering wheel. I've had a balance & rotation done, it did not help. I took my car in to get an alignment an found it didn't need one. The guy there told me it could be a bad belt in my tire, but didn't mention how I could get this diagnose?? This all started when I hit more then one curb, would that cause a belt in the tire to go bad? also i noticed that i have a bulge in my tire. would hitting the curb cause this? thanks for any help you can give me.
Hi Lilnik,
If you have a bubble in the sidewall of the tire, it's a good idea to replace that tire, or two, and yes, hitting a curb once or twice could break a belt in a tire. The bubble is probably causing the vibration as well.
I recommend replacing two tires and putting them on the front to see if the vibration goes away. Let me know what happens, take care for now :)
We took the car to another mechanic and he said the bulge on my tire was just my tire pressure being really low. Needless to say I replaced my tire gauge. But he could not give an explanation as to why I still have shaking in my steering wheel. Any thoughts?
Hi Lilnik,
You brought your car in for an alignment and they didn't even set your tire pressure? That is the first step to and alignment! You also had your tires rotated and balanced but they didn't set the tire pressure either??? How in the world can low tire pressure get by two mechanics??? They need to find a new career!!!
First of all I would find a reputable mechanic, one who pays attention to what he/she is doing, there are a lot of them out there, you just need to find them.
The only way to diagnose a broken belt in a tire or a defective tire is to find a tire shop that has a Road Force machine, this will tell you exactly what is wrong with your tire or rim, if everything checks out OK on the Road Force machine then you need to start looking at worn suspension parts.
You will never figure out the problem if you bring your car to inexperienced mechanics, so the first step is to find a good one. Let me know what happens next Lilnik, and if you have any other questions, you know where to find me.
Hi Eddie,
I have been trying to see what's wrong with my car because the steering wheel shakes when driving. I have gone to two mechanics and they tell me the shaking is due to bad shocks. Is that a possible problem or are these mechanics trying to scam me?
Hi Daniel,
I recommend getting a third opinion, shocks will not cause a vibration, shock absorbers do just that, they absorb shock and stop your car from bouncing. My best description is if you compare a spring mattress to a foam mattress, the spring mattress bounces continuously when it is jumped on(Bad Shock absorber) A foam mattress will bounce once when you jump on it (Good shock absorber).
I recommend getting your tires balanced to start with, then go from there, it relatively cheap, and the mechanic will get a good look at your tires. Let me know how you make out Daniel, I really appreciate it, take care for now :) Don't replace you shocks for the vibration!
Hi Eddie - I have a 2006 Honda CRV. About 2 months ago, I took my car in for service -- to have my tires rotated. After this service, I noticed that my steering wheel would shake really bad when I drove above 50 mph on the highway. Also, there was a very loud grinding noise that I had not heard before. I took the car back to the Honda service center and they said the technician couldn't find anything wrong; but suggested that it "might" be a wheel bearing problem. They also said that it would cost over $400 to fix it; but they can't promise me that replacing the wheel bearing would solve the problem. I told them that I would be in touch and I left. I don't want to spend over $400 on a hunch! I did notice that the steering wheel was no longer shaking like it had been before. What do you think about all this? I'm at a loss and I'm really disappointed and frustrated. I purchased my car from this Honda dealer 5 years ago; and I have rarely missed a service appointment in those 5 years. Now, I'm feeling very distrustful of this company -- seeing that I didn't have the problem before I took my car in to have the tires rotated; but now I have a problem that will cost $400 plus to fix. NOTE: The Honder service technician agrees that my tires are fine.
Hi Tina,
It looks like you're on a mission and I don't blame you. I left you some feed back on the other article so there is no sense repeating myself. The vibration is gone, but is the grinding noise gone too? let me know, take care for now Tina :)
Thanks so much, I really needed an honest opinion
Your welcome Daniel,
I just reread your previous comment and I wanted to add something to it. Your shocks could be bad, but it's not the root of your problem, I'm guessing it's a balance problem, bent rim, or a broken belt in a tire.
There a two ways of checking your shocks/struts, one way is to look at them and see if they are covered in oil and dirt, if they are leaking oil from the seals, dust and dirt will stick to the oil, the strut/shock will need to be replaced.
The second way is to perform a bounce test, position yourself over the wheel and bounce the body of the car up and down, then stop bouncing it, if the car continues to bounce 3 or more times after you stop, the struts/shocks and no good and need to be replaced.
If you have time, could you come back and let me know what the out come is, it really help me out knowing if I'm correct in my diagnosis. Thanks Daniel, I really appreciate it :)
This was an amazing post. All the information I needed to diagnos my cars vibration. Thank you very much!
You are very welcome Isiah, glad I could help :)
Hey eddie,
I got a question! I just got an alignment done on a 1997 mercury villager. Before the alignment was done, it wasn't shaking. I also just replaced a tie rod on the right front tire. After i hit about 30mph, it starts shaking and gets really bad at 50mph and above. what exactly can be the problem? plz help!!
Thanks, Sandy
Hi Sandy,
I recommend calling the shop where you had it fixed, it sounds like something may have been left loose or not tightened properly. If the vibration is real bad, I recommend having it towed back to the shop. Let me know what you find out, thanks Sandy.
Thanks Eddie it was just a wheel balance after all
Hey Daniel, that's great, and you didn't have to replace your shocks!lol. Go figure right? Thank you for coming back to update me, you're the best :)
2000 honda accord
Slight Steering wheel vibration-please note that this only really happens when the car is driven on the interstate. I just put 4 brand new tires,alignment was done as well. My car has 140000 miles on it. Can someone please give me some advice on what I should do?
Hi Mike,
I recommend going back to the shop that just mounted and balanced your tires, it's possible they didn't balanced them correctly or you have a bad tire. They should not charge you anything to re balance the tires or at least look into what is causing it. They should have road tested it before they gave it back to you, so it's their problem. I would start there and if you have time, could you let me know what happens. Thanks Mike, take care.
The rotors needed to be turned and that was what caused the vibration.
thanks for your support
Hi Mike,
So they resurface your rotors, is the vibration gone? If so, the vibration must have been when you applied the brakes at highway speeds, correct? Let me know , and thanks for coming back to update me, I really appreciate it.
It was just a wheel balance that I needed, no more vibration in steering wheel now. Thanks Eddie
Daniel, that's awesome :) If you ever need anything, you know where to find me, take care.
Great article and very helpful.
After reading the articles here, I think I Have narrowed my problem down to 2 possibilities.
I just bought a 96 Chrysler T&C. Dirt cheap cause it has high mileage. About the only thing I am noticing so far is a shimmy and a knock from about 35-42 MPH only on acceleration. The shimmy is not just the steering wheel, but the whole thing.
I am assuming CV joint. I looked at it, and didn't see any leakage or cracking.
Does this sound CV joint to you? I thought maybe bent rim, but with such a little window, and only on acceleration, I somewhat ruled that out.
Thanks!
Hi Randy,
Thanks for the comment, it's nice to know I help with my articles :) If you suspect a CV joint, it would probably be an inner joint, outer CV joints don't usually cause a shimmy/vibration on acceleration, but an inner joint will.
It is very difficult to diagnose an inner CV joint because there is no procedure to test it, you could grab it with your hand and see if you can feel any play in the joint, but again, there is no real test. If the grease was leaking out of the boot or the boot was ripped open at least you would have a clue, but other than that it's trial and error unfortunately.
Make sure you look at the inner joints for leaks and let me know what you find, if you have any other information or other questions, let me know. Thanks Randy,take care for now.
What might be that speed specific? Starts at 35 and ends at 42 only while accelerating?
Thanks
Hi Randy,
Are you sure it's that type of shimmy, or do you think it could be a transmission/ engine shimmy?
I have seen transmissions shimmy between gears or slip at certain speeds causing a shimmy.
I have also seen EGR valves cause a situation where it sticks open for about 15 seconds causing a shimmy, almost like a tire vibration.
Without seeing or feeling it, it's really tough to diagnose. You're totally right, the window is very small and unusual, so it's going to be a tough on to diagnose.
I hope this helps, if I think of anything else I'll post it here, if you find out what it is, let me know when you have a minute. The only way you'll figure this one out is through process of elimination. I'll wait to hear back from you.
Thanks for the input. Will let you know what I find.
OK Randy, thanks.
Hi eddie
I bought galant2007 two months back.i feel slight viberation while driving wic worsens wen i deceletate from 100km/hr.
I saw a smal bomp too on one wheel's inner side.is this vibetation coz of this???
Hi Rizwan,
Yes it could be the cause but the best way to be sure is to put the tire with the bump in the rear, and balance all 4 tires, or at least the front 2. Let me know how you make out, take care for now Rizwan.
Really thankful to u.i'll be changing the wheel today n wil get back to u
Very good Rizwan, I'll be waiting to hear how everything worked out, and thank you for the update:)
Hi, I'm at my wits end. 04 xterra bouncy (yes even for an xterra) ride I could feel in steering wheel but only at higher (50-60mph)speeds. Wheels were balanced, bad tire replaced, new shocks. Now a shimmy in steering and if I let go it drifts to the right but doesn't pull when I brake. Only 72000 truly mostly highway miles. Gonna have alignment checked tomorrow. My real question is shouldn't bad cv joints or tie rods have been noticed when shocks were going on? Also scheduled to have throw out bearing replaced. Planning another raod trip soon but I'm leary now. Any help would be a blessing.
Hi Lauri,
My first question is, Why do you still have a vibration after having a bad tire replaced and the wheels balanced? Did the mechanic even test drive the car before giving it back to you? I would definitely make a issue with the service manager about your vibration issue, and no, an alignment will not make a vibration go away.
If your having an alignment done they should check the suspension before they do the alignment. CV joints won't cause a steering wheel shimmy but a bad inner joint could cause a vibration in the body on acceleration and deceleration.
Why did you replace your shocks? For a vibration? and why are you replacing your throw out bearing? That is a costly job around $800, it sounds like your dumping an awful lot of money into this car, is it all necessary? Maybe you should get a second opinion, I know it's a pain to get a second opinion but it could save you thousands.
I know why you're at wits end, there is no way you should be dumping all this money into a 70k mile car, in my opinion, you definitely need a second opinion. Let me know what you do, and if you have any more questions, don't hesitate to ask and I'll get back to you asap.
Hi Eddie,
my car is pulling to the left, esp. at high speeds,i also am afraid to drive faster then 60mps in fear of the wheel falling off. so, i recently took my 01 durango 4.7l in to get the front left lower ball joint that was worn out, and front left shock absorber cause it was leaking. they replaced front left lower ball joint and both front shocks. rotated the tires, and balanced them, and had an alignment done. now my suv pulls to the right just slightly. as well as the steering wheel is a bit off center. the repair guys tell me that this is normal cause if i wanted the problem to entirely go away, that i would need 4 new wheels on the 4x4 to actually drive straight. the shop said they did all the repairs but took it to another place to get the wheels rotated,balanced, and alignment. i brought it back to them telling them the situation as well as rode with manager that verified the problem, but gave me that answer, about getting new tires...is this a lie? also, they said i was leaking antifreeze now, which i looked and verified. so they have my vehicle still and will cost me even more money for the leak now, as well as the fact that the car still doesn't drive straight, and the rocking back and forth when starting from a stop up to about 40mph....thanks for your time Eddie. have a great weekend!
Hi Sad Dad,
Is the car any better now that the ball joint was replaced and the tires rotated and balanced?
Tires can cause a pull, but there is a way to tell if its the tires causing it, but it would take some effort on your part. If you swap the two front tires side to side, and the car pulls left, then it's your tires causing the pull, if it still pulls right then it's most likely the alignment.
If it is your tires, unfortunately it's a 4X4 and when you replace one tire you should do all for to keep the tires all the same tread depth. If you put two new tires and two worn tires together on a 4x4 it will cause problems in the drive train.
As far as the leak is concerned, It needs to be fixed, you don't want to run low on coolant.
If you happen to put 4 new tires on it and you plan on keeping the truck for a long time, I highly recommend putting some good tires on it, I just put 4 Michelin LTX on my 4x4 and I love them, the reviews were outstanding and they're a 70k mile tire, but I also dumped $1k into them, in my opinion it was well worth the money.
If you put 4 new tires on it and it still pulls, now the problem is the shops, not yours. Let me know what happens, an if you have any other questions, you know where to find me, take care Sad Dad.
thanks Eddie,
yeah, the car is a thousand times better. i can drive at high speeds without feeling that the wheel will shake off. also, it doesn't take a muscle builder to keep the suv on the road, because of the severe pull to the left that the suv had.
however, now it has the very slight pull to the right. also, from a dead stop to about 35mph, it feels as if the suv is swaying from left to right, but stops or i don't notice it after the speed has increased beyond that point.
i will look into swapping tires from their current sides to detect a difference in the ride. thank you for the idea for the home fix remedy.
as for the leak, i hear ya, cant drive a vehicle without coolant, at least prolonged usage. i just hope for the repair shops sake that they didn't try to get themselves return business by deliberately doing something to my vehicle. then again, it always seems like once you fix something, something else fails. i think that is law or something....
yeah, this is my first suv/4x4 and have just recently looked into tires, prices, brands. i will check out the others you mentioned.
thanks again for your time and expertise, i will be picking up my suv from the antifreeze leak/fix tomorrow, and will then try the swap of tire locations to improve the smoothness of the ride.
OK Sad Dad, keep me up to date, and like I said, if you have any other questions or need more advice, you know where to find me, take care for now, and have a nice weekend :)
Hi Eddie, I recently got a 2003 Audi A6, the car was shaking on the highway and pulling lightly to the right, I had balancing and alignment done, and it seems it got worse; also the guys at the shop changed the front tires to ones they had to see if it worked and it didn't. They said the wheels are bad and maybe the tires because the car sat on the dealer lot for about 5 months and maybe that damaged the tires.
Thanks in advance.
Hi Lucas,
Yes sometimes tires develop flat spots when sitting to long in one spot but driving it should soften the tires a little. But if changing the tires at the shop didn't fix it, why are do they say to change the tires. I would bring it to a shop that has a Hunter Road Force tire balancer, that machine will figure out the problem if it's in the rims or tires.
Driving a nice car like that, you don't want a vibration, so find a shop that uses that machine and your problems will be solved. Take care for now Lucas.
I am a single mom with a 2003 Mercury Mountaineer. It starts to feel like its swaying to the right when I am attempting to drive straight on the expressway and it shakes really bad at times once I go past 50 mph. It scares me. I've already gotten 4 new tires and need your help.
Thanks Eddie
Hi Single Mom, If you just got 4 new tires, you most likely have either a bad tire or a bent rim. I recommend bringing it back to the shop that mounted and balanced your tires and tell them your situation, they shouldn't charge you to look at it because they just did your tires and should have road tested it before giving back to you.
Let me know if you have any more questions and let me know what you decide to do :)
hi Eddie
did the tire rotation and found 1 of my tires had a bulge in it. not on the side but the tread was were it was bulging. never seen that before. switched in my full sized spare an is not wobbling from right to left at slow speeds any longer. Thanks for the idea!.
however there is still a slight pull to the right still, even after rotation and filling tires up to the correct psi. i am going back to the company that did the alignment and ask some questions about the alignment.
as for the leak, it has stopped since being fixed, however, now my suv seems to be running hotter then i remember.
thanks again. I am hopping one last visit to the shop should prove fruitful.
Hi Sad Dad,
The first guy who rotated and balanced your tires, was he blind or smoking something? lol. He missed the bulge in the tire, and the vibration on his road test!!! (if he even road tested it at all) I always say, the job is only as good as the mechanic doing it!
If it's still pulling right, it's a good idea to go back the the alignment shop and talk to them.
I would check your coolant level when the engine is cold, sometimes air gets trapped in the cooling system and after it gets hot the coolant level will drop, so make sure you top off your coolant in the radiator and in the overflow tank.
Let me know what happens with the alignment, if worst come to worst, have them rotate the tires from front to rear again and see if it helps with the pull. Take care for now Sad Dad, and thanks for updating me, I really appreciate it :)
I just replaced my tires and had them balaced.I still notice a shake in my stearing wheel and a shake when I push on my brake.What might be the problem in this case?
Steering* sorry dang phone!
Hi Eddie I have a 2004 Nissan Murano and I just replaced both front outer tie rod ends did an alignment, tire rotation and balance. The steering wheel shakes at speeds between 50mph and 70mph. It seams like if I go faster than 75 it almost disappears completely but increases dramatically if I release accelerator at those speeds. Thank You very much for your help.
Hi Ramona,
The shake you're getting when applying your brakes is caused by the front rotors. The way to fix it is to have the rotors either resurfaced or replaced. If the rotors are thick enough, you can have them resurfaced, but if they are to thin you will need to replace them.
For the tire vibration, I recommend bring it back to the shop that balanced the tires, and have them balanced again, it shouldn't cost you anything because they just balanced them, and they should have road tested it before giving the vehicle back to you, if they had road test the vehicle after the job, they would have noticed both vibrations and save you a trip back to the garage.
Let me know what happens Ramona, and if you have any other questions, I'll be right here :)
Hi Lou,
I would recommend bring it back to the shop that just did the work, it possible they may have left something loose. After having all that work done, the car should drive smooth and straight. I think a lot of mechanics are in a hurry and don't bother to road test the vehicles after doing the repair, that's my favorite part the job,lol.
They may just need to balance the tires again, but you can never be too sure, it seems they were in a hurry, so it's best to have it looked at again.
Let me know what you find Lou, I'm interested to see if it it's just a balance problem, thanks, and take care for now.
i dont know anything about vehicles but i got new rims and tires put on my car when i got it and ever since then it doesnt shake going straight but if i turn the wheel slightly to the right ot feels like my whole car starts shaking.. if i turn the wheel back straight.. its fine
Hi Mary,
It sounds like you have a tire with a broken belt, or a bubble on the sidewall. Take it back to where you had the tires mounted and balanced and have them look at it, it shouldn't cost you anything because they just did the work. Let me know what happens Mary.
Great article with good tips. Although at the present have no problems with my tires your article is good reference for any future tire problems.
Thanks GoGreenTips,
I'm glad you found it useful, vibrations and alignments are inevitable for any car owner, so you may want to bookmark it,lol. Take care :)
Hi Eddie, I recently had my brake pads and bushes cahanged on my peugeot 206 and since then when i accelerate on the motor-way my driver's side rear wheel feels like it's a about to fall off (bouncing). only happens when picking up the pace tho. Checked to make sure all nuts are tightly secured and they are was wonderinng if you had any idea what it may be?
Hello Gemma,
OK, so you checked the wheels and everything is tight, the only thing I can think of is when they took your wheels off, maybe one of the wheel weights fell off and is now causing a vibration? maybe?
Or maybe the wheels are over torqued and the rim is warped? That can happen sometimes when the wheel is not torqued evenly.
One other thing, make sure you didn't pick up something in the tire like a bolt, screw or soft tar. Once I had a customer stop on fresh tar and turned the wheel while sitting still, she picked up a huge blob of tar on the tire which caused a wicked bad vibration.
Check those things and let me know what you find, or if you have any other info, take care for now Gemma :)
Hi Eddie,
I was wondering if you can offer your opinion on my situation.
I have a 2002 Honda Civic EX 5-speed. I purchased it with 81,000 miles. I had bought it from someone who might not have taken care if it very well, it was lowered and had tints. The car's ride was rough with the lowering, so I decided to fix that. I had both axles, as well as my springs replaced to stock. After that, I noticed some shaky driving when hitting speeds of 40mph-60mph. After reading up on the problem, I found that alignment/balancing was the culprit. I brought it to Town Fair Tire, they aligned it and it was fine ... for a WEEK. Then it was shaky again. I brought it back 2 more occasions for Alignment and it was PERFECTLY aligned, they said. They said the vibration could be caused because the car was lowered previously and the tires were worn incorrectly. So I had all 4 tires replaced. SAME PROBLEM continued! At my wits end, I went back to get it checked out and I pull into the parking lot and BAM! my car starts lugging around ... They look at it and see my car was misfiring badly, disregarding the steering wheel shake at that point. I brought it to a mechanic who found that all 4 of my spark plugs were misfiring, my gasket was leaking oil into one of the plugs, etc. I had those all fixed and the tune up done. My check engine light was previously on, now it was off. Later that day on my way home from work, BAM! It's back on! I go back to the mechanic and he runs it on the tester and finds out it's my catalytic converter! GREAT! Another $500 to fix that! So as it is now, I haven't replaced the cat yet. Nearly $2000 later, I'm back where I started with the vibration issue. One thing I did notice, my CV joints still 'tick' when turning at times. The axles were replaced with BRAND NEW axles, not re-manned.
I am just at my breaking point here! $2000 later on a 2002 car and I can't bring myself to put anymore $$$ into this.
I've read MANY internet posts on this issue, it seems as though there's 50 different possible solutions here. I'm just sick of paying $$$ and not getting my problem fixed!
Hoping you can offer some insight here.
I'm thinking control arm, busings or CV joints (still bad? even though new?), but I am no mechanic. I was hoping to avoid taking it to a mechanic for diagnostics, but it may come to that.
It's a problem car obviously and I'm looking to sell it, but need to fix it up a bit first.
Thanks for your time!
Paul
Hi Paul,
I see you're in a bit of a mess, and I hope I can help.
The check engine light is probably just an O2 sensor, it may have been damaged when you had the miss fire, or the raw fuel that was dumped into the catalytic just needs to be burned off and then the code cleared. I would drive it about 50 miles and then clear the code again.
Did you replace the valve cover gasket kit to stop the oil from leaking into the spark plug tubes?
The only way to truly test a catalytic converter is to measure the exhaust temperature going into the cat and coming out of the cat. Every catalytic converter is different but they all work the same, the exhaust temperature going into the cat will usually be around 300 deg at idle, the exhaust temperature coming out of the cat should be around 100 deg more, so 400 deg in this scenario. The way to test the exhaust temps, is to use a laser pointed thermometer gun, just aim it at the front of the cat and then at the rear, the difference should be around 100 deg.
The o2 sensor is a more common failure than a cat, but the best way to test a cat is to check the temps, in and out.
The clicking noise would be constant if the CV joints were bad, not occasionally. If the axle nuts are not torqued properly, you could get a click noise from them occasionally, or you might have gotten a bad joint.
As far as the vibration goes, the alignment has nothing to do with it, it's either a aftermarket rim problem, a bad tire, low tire pressure, or a poor balance job. If you have aftermarket rims, a lot of times they have hub centering rings that get misplaced, now the rim doesn't center itself on the hub and causes a vibration, but that is the least of your problems.
If there is something I missed, let me know, if you have more questions, I'll answer them best as I can. Let me know what happens Paul, and I'll be right here if you need me :)
HELP I AM A WOMEN THAT JUST GOT NEW TIRES AND A ALIGNED ON MY HYUNDAI ASCENT 4 DAY 2002 .I GAVE THIS CAR TO MY SON WITH M.S. ON MY WAY TAKING THE CAR BACK TO MY SONS THE STEERING WHEEL SHANKS BACK AND FORTH REALLY FAST WITH SOME VIBRATION AND THE CAR SEEM TO BOUNCE UP AND DOWNWARD MAKING IT HARD TO STAY OF THE ENTER STATE . IT SEEMS TO DRIVE OK BUT STILL BOUNCY SOME WHEN DRIVING SLOW ,BUT AFTER YOU GET UP 65 OR FASTER THIS GET WORSE. MAY I ASK ANYONE MIGHT KNOW IF IT IS THE TIRES NEEDED BALANCED ? I HAVE NOT HIT ANYTHING AND TIRES NEW ALIGNED TWO DAYS AGO ANY INFO WOULD BE GREAT. THANKS TIN
Hi Tin,
I highly recommend bringing it back to the garage who just mounted and balanced your tires. It sounds like something was left loose or the wheels were never balanced. I don't know why they gave you back the car without road testing it, but I would be very upset if I were you.
Let me know what happens Tin, take care for now.
YES I AM BECAUSE THE GUY DID TEST DRIVE THE CAR , HE ALSO KNEW I WAS GOING OUT OF TOWN TO TAKE THE CAR BACK TO MY SON WITH M.S. AND HE HAD TO DRIVE IT EVERY DAY ON THE INTERSTATE . HE ALSO KNEW ITS JUST ME AND MY SON. GEES THIS KIND OF STUFF HAPPENS TO ME ALL THE TIME. MY SON KNOWS NOTHING ABOUT A CAR. BUT WITH NEW TIRES AND ALIGNMENT BELTS OIL CHANGE AND SO ON . AND THE MONEY. I THOUGHT IT WAS SAFE TO DRIVE, NOT KNOWING IT WOULD BE WORSE. NOW I GOT TO TAKE A TWO HOUR DRIVE BACK TO GET THE CAR MAKE AND APPOINTMENT AGAIN. THERE GOES TWO DAYS OFF WORK LONG DRIVE AND GAS MONEY . LOL GUESS THAT'S HOW LIFE IS . THANKS FOR YOUR INFO
TIN
Hey Tin,
You could always call the garage and tell them it's unsafe to drive and have them tow it back to the garage. Then have them call you when it's fixed, that will save you from taking a day off from work and all the waiting around you'll be doing.
When they call you and tell you the car is ready, take your son and go pick it up. I highly recommend road testing it with the mechanic before you leave the garage. Unfortunately that is not how life should go Tin, it people like that who give mechanics a bad name, there are a lot of good mechanics out there, you just need to find them and stick to them like glue.
Take care Tin, and let me know what happens :)
I just bought a car yesterday and the kid i bought it from said it needed something behind the hub.....I'm guessing he meant a wheel bearing but i'm not SURE....whatever it is it is making the LOUDEST scraping noise ever. it almost sounds as loud as the muffler but you can only hear it from the inside of the car. my breaks work find. Do you think its my bearing and if so how much would it cost to buy another on. 2001 grand prix SE. THANKS
Hi Jessica,
That sure sounds like a wheel bearing :) A bearing will usually cost around $40-$60 but the installation will cost about 1 1/2 - 2 hours of labor, what ever you labor rate is where you are. If you have any other questions, let me know, take care Jess, and let me know what happens cost wise, just curious if I'm close :)
I have a 2004 Nissan Murano I have a problem when i drive in highway my car is shaking i did tyre blance then still same after that i change new good year eagle tyre, but still shanking when i bring to gerage they are saying do tyre blance or change tyre i did both now i cant figure out what can i do, if you can write for me please.
Hi Ravi,
If you just had your tires replaced and you still have a tire balance problem, you may have a bent rim or the person who balanced them did not do a good job. You have two options, check the rims for dents on the inside and outside of the rim, or bring it back to the mechanic who did the job and tell them your not satisfied with their work.
Are you sure the vibration is while your driving at a steady speed and not when your braking while coming off the highway? That kind of vibration is caused by warped front rotors. Something is causing the vibration, it just a matter of finding a mechanic who is will to take the time to figure it out. Let me know how you make out or if you have any other questions Ravi, take care.
Had 4 new tires put on 2009 honda. Within 1 week two drivers side were loosing air. I returned to shop. They said sensor was causing it. I looked at original invoice for tires and sensor was replaced then as well at no charge so they must have broke it then too. They replaced it again on monday april 9 . I noticed the front driver tire loosing air again and planned on bringing it back in saturday the 14 . Unfortunatly my son flipped the car and totaled it before then . He said he felt steering wheel shaking violently and could not control car. Could this have been due to tire?
Hi Kathie,
Sorry to hear about your son, hope he's OK. If the steering wheel was shaking violently, I personally would have slowed down and called a tow truck, but we're all different. A low tire would cause a vibration.
If you have aluminum rims, the tire was probably loosing air because the mechanic failed to remove the corrosion at the bead. Moisture and debris get caught between the tire and rim and cause corrosion, if the mechanic did not sand the corrosion off the rim, it will usually cause a slow leak. It hard to say if that is the case here but it is very common. Let me know if you have any other questions or if I can help in any other way. Take care for now Kathie.
Hey Eddie,
Too bad I didn't know this before, or I may have saved some money.
My 2005 Wrangler was vibrating bad at over 50. I needed new tires so at the same time I had them put on I got a 4 wheel alignment. I should have waited to see if the new tires did the trick, and then maybe I wouldn't have paid for an alignment.
Hey BLACKANDGOLDJACK,
I think you did the right thing anyways, It's always a good idea to do an alignment after installing new tires, because if your alignment is out you could ruin your new tires. Thanks for the comment, BLACKANDGOLDJACK take care :)
Eddie, you say in the comments to get the tires balanced again when you rotate. I never did that before. Never thought of it, actually, and nobody ever said anything to me about it.
At what mileage would you recommend rotating? And you feel balancing is absolutely necessary? I don't want to pay $100 if I don't have to. Lol. Of course I don't want to buy new tires sooner than I have to either.
Hey B&Gjack,
I usually rotate tires when there is 2/32 difference in tread depth. The rule was (best tires in front) but now the tire manufactures have done extensive testing on traction control with all kinds of weather conditions, now the rule is (best tires in the rear) this is so the rear tires don't loose traction and swing the ass end of the car around.
The only reason I say to balance them when rotating them is so you don't run into a tire vibration after you rotate them, it save you a trip back to the shop. If your car doesn't shake at all before you rotate, you can just rotate without a balance, but the rear tires have a funny way of hiding vibrations.
I like to be proactive and at least give the customer the option, specially if they plan on taking a long trip with the car, most service advisers don't even want to give the customer the option because they're scared the customer will think they're getting ripped off. I say place the cards on the table and if they don't want the service,don't buy it, but at least give them the option.
So it's not really a mileage thing, it's more of a measuring thing, lol
I just bought a 2007 Chevy Equinox 2wd and every so often while driving on the highway at around 50-70mph the car will vibrate/make a noise coming from the driver front side. When I pull over to the emergency lane and come to a complete stop and then drive off again the vibration/noise goes away. When I mention this to the shops near by they look at me like im crazy and the problem is that it doesn't happen that often to where they can take it out for a test drive and have it happen to them so I was told to wait for it to get worse??? Doesn't that just sound wrong? I checked my lug nuts and bolts and I also checked my tires balancing and eveything came out good - so now im clueless - HELP PLEASE!
Hi Mickey,
Is the vibration in the steering wheel or does it feel like it's coming from the motor or transmission? Does it happen when your driving at a steady speed, on acceleration, or deceleration? The possibilities are endless for this kind of vibration, so the more information you can give me, the better. Does your car have a cylinder management system, does it shut down cylinders while on the highway to conserve fuel? Do you have the i-VTEC V6 with Variable Cylinder Management? Let me know as much info as possible, and I do my best to figure this out :)
I had my front and rear brakes replaced 6 months ago and also had the tires checked and was told in good condition. Now 9,000 miles later, both rear tires are bald on the inside. I did not have tires balanced, shouldn't they have told me to do this to avoid ruining my tires? I did not authorize rotate/balance and guess it is my fault but they also did not emphasize the importance of doing this. I guess we live and learn.
Hi Debbie,
Rotating and balancing the tires would not have helped you in this situation, this is clearly an alignment problem, it sounds like your rear camber alignment is out and is causing the inside of your tires to wear prematurely. I would recommend having a 4wheel alignment done, just as long as your rear alignment is adjustable, some vehicles with a solid rear axle don't have adjustable rear suspension. Let me know what you find out with the alignment, I'm curious to know how bad it is out, thanks Debbie :)
Hey Eddie,
You told Debbie to get a 4wheel alignment. Do you need to do that with 2WD drive vehicles? I never heard that before.
I bought my teenage daughter a 2005 Honda CRV a little over a year and a half ago. Put new tires on that and a 4wheel alignment too, like I did with my 2005 Wrangler, before winter.
Now the CRV is AWD. What exactly is the difference between 4WD and AWD? I understand it to be you shift the Jeep into 4WD and that's when it's engaged. The AWD for the CRV only engages when the computer says the car needs it. Is that about right?
So I hear your a Honda expert, 'eh? Haven't had any problems with the CRV. Knock on wood. But you'll be hearing from me when (and if) I do.
I have the same problem on a 2009 Audi A6 with new 18''. With the old 17'' i didnt have any problems. I switched and bought 4 second hand tyres that looked really good... but then i got to see the vibrations in the steering wheel and pedal when hitting 100km/h+.
The tyres are balanced i checked. The hub centering rings are ok. Only thing left was to switch back tyres to front and i'll have to go to the highway to test now, my guess is that one of the front tires had broken wires in them, but did not show anything, they have like 7mm left.
Any other ideeas of what can cause this problem?
Thank you
Forgot to mention that my car is FWD, so i guess that only the 2 front wheels have a great impact and can cause vibrations on steering wheel and pedals, that's why i switched back tyres in front.
That didn't work :(. Don't know what to do next...
Hey b&gjack,
Yes I have a few Honda years under my belt ,lol. Most cars manufactured today have suspension adjustments for all four wheels, usually big trucks with solid rear axles don't have any adjustments in the rear.
The difference between awd and 4wd is the manual engagement of 4wd. On an awd vehicle, I have never seen the ECM control the awd, but I haven't worked on every car either :) so I dono. On Hondas, they use a viscous coupling located on the driveshaft, to control the awd, it's similar to a Detroit locker differential, once the front wheels start spinning faster then the rear wheels, the friction discs in the viscous coupling lock together and engage all wheels together.
You have picked one of the best Hondas, the CRV has the least amount of warranty problems. But if you do have any problems, you know where to find me :)
Hey Alex,
If you didn't have problems before the new tires, I would have to say it the new tires. The person you bought the tires from we're getting rid of them for a reason, maybe because of the vibration. I recommend putting everything back to the way it was before the vibration and see what happens.
My recommendation when buying new wheels and tires is to spend the money on the best equipment and not used. Your tires are where the rubber meets the road, so to speak, it's your connection to the road, so it should be quality equipment, tires especially!!!
Swap all tires back and let me know what happens, and yes you probably have a defective tire.
Hi Eddie,
I have a 2007 Pontiac Torrent. I recently noticed my front passenger tire weight had fallen off and was lying beside the tire. What are the consequences of driving without this wheel weight?
i have a mazda 626 and the alignment is good and the tires seem good it drives fine until you get to 65 then it gets a rough vibration especially when i let off the accelerator at those speeds and also when i take a turn at a good speed it feels like it doesnt want to stick to the road it feels kinda loose any ideas?
its a wobbley kinda feel to it when you take turns
Hi nachomama,
You could drive the car forever like that, but you'll have a vibration. If you can see where the wheel weight was on the wheel, squeeze the clip in the wheel weight alittle and hammer back on the wheel, then when you have time you can have them balanced. Let me know how you make out.
Hello Joey,
The wobble sounds like a bald tire or a bent rim, the only way to know for sure is to look at your front tires and rims. Turn the steering wheel to one side and take a look at the tread, make sure there are no bald spots, also look at the inside of the rim for dents, its possible to damage the inside of the rim and not the outside, so take a close look. Let me know what you find Joey, take care for now.
Hi Eddie,
I have a 2008 Acura MDX, about a month and half ago I hit a pretty large rock and blew out my front passenger tire. I had the tire, and wheel replaced, because I bent the rim. Now I have a rythmic hum with I reach speeds of 50mph, and it seems worse when I am making a right hand turn, there's also a vibration when I apply the brakes at that speed. I'm taking it back into the shop that did all the work, but when I spoke to them they said that I may have a bearing going out. Could I have really messed up more than the wheel when I hit that rock? Should I just wait until the shop can look at it to determin if we need to realign or should I take it into to the dealer right away.
Thank you
Hi maisiedog , you're safe to wait for the shop to take a look at it, it sounds like you must of damage the wheel bearing same time. The rotors will have to be resurfaced for the brake pulsation but I don't think that has anything to do with hitting the rock. Let me know what happens when you find out whats wrong.
hi there,
I was wondering if you could help me out, I had a small leak and it turned out to be the seal from the CV Axle/Axle Shaft was leaking transmission oil cause it's an automatic honda S04, the mechanic also said that it shakes now because the ball joints and tir rod ends are finished and need to be replaced, could it be the CV Axle/Axle Shaft that was placed wrong causing this shake or is the mechanic right for thinkinng it's the ball joints because the car would not shake at all like that before and after he worked on it, it started shaking but I just didnt have enough money to replace everything on the same day. thanks
Hi jtzll,
If it didn't shake before the axle seal was replaced, then it was something he did. A worn ball joint or tie rod end wouldn't cause a vibration, unless it was completely junk. Sometime wheel weights fall off wheel when the wheel are removed and sometimes wheels are over torqued causing warped rotors and stretched wheel studs, resulting in a vibration. I recommend having your tires balanced or get a second opinion, what ever you decide, let me know what happens, or if you have any other questions, I'll be right here :)
Hi, I tried reading through all of these comments to find and answer to my question but there's just so much! It is very kind of you to take your time to be so helpful to so many proletarian. Ok, well I bought a 2002 Ford focus just yesterday and it was both shaking and vibrating in the front end. 3 of the tires were so half that the rites were sticking out so I figured that was the problem so I got 3 new tires. The shaking stopped but its still vibrating pretty badly, mostly on the drives side and can be felt on the steering wheel and gas pedal the strongest. Even when I'm at a complete stop its vibrating and doesn't really get better until I'm going over 70 mph. Is it likely that the wheels just need to be balanced or could it be something more serious? My husband doesn't think its the wheels because it vibrates at a complete stop.
I apologize for my typing mistakes, I am typing this from my phone. I meant the tires were so bald that the wires were sticking out.
Apology accepted Katie, I know the feeling :) your husband is right, it can't be the wheels if it vibrates when your stopped. I would have the motor and transmission mounts checked, it's sounds like one is broken possibly. Let me know if you have any other questions, and let me know what you find. Also, thank you for your kind words, I really appreciate it :)
Hi Edie this is Lou again with 2004 nissan murano. I finally took it to my trusted mechanic and they inspected the vehicle and found nothing wrong with steering or suspension everything looks tight. The problem is with the wheels. They can't pin point if it's the tires or the rims but they think it's little bit of both. There is no visible damage to the rims but i know i hit some potholes past 8 years owning the car. Chicago winters can be brutal. They balanced the wheels best they could with 2 or more oz's on each wheel and one of them which is in the rear now took 4 oz weights. They say it's a lot. The car drives better but still there is a little wobble at higher speeds. The car has 80k miles and I'm considering getting the new rims when the tires are due. Thank you again for your help.
Hi Lou,
Thanks for the feedback, I really appreciate it, replacing the wheels and tires will certainly change he ride quality. If you plan on keeping the car for a while, I recommend installing a good set of tires, like the Michelin LTX, it has a 70k warranty and ride awesome, I just dropped $1k on 4 of them, but well worth it.
Thanks again for the feedback, and if you have time, let me know what you buy for tires.
Hi Dave I just wanted to tell you that the tires on my murano are khumo solius kr21 and after 25k they show no or very little wear. Do you have any experience with those tires.Thank you.
Hi lou,
Khumo is a good tire, I have never used them myself but have mounted a few sets for customers and have had no major problems.
Hi Eddie,
I own a 2008 Honda Odyssey, and I've been having a difficult time diagnosing a rolling (non-braking) highway vibration between 60mph and 80mph. I can feel the vibration both in the steering wheel and in my seat. My tires are new from early this year and I've had the wheels balanced several times recently in an attempt to fix this problem. I trust the tire shop that does the balancing....I've used them for various problems for years. After some time of trying to diagnose the source of the vibration, one of the techs had me listen to him spin the rotor with the wheel off. There was a slight rubbing/brushing noise that occured on only one of the rear rotors. He suggested that replacing the rotor might (he emphasized might) cure the problem. Have you ever heard of a problem brake rotor causing a non-braking vibration?
Thank you,
Rob
Hello Eddie,
This turned out to be a very helpful article. Thank you for posting it! The reason I am writing this is because I have a problem and am hoping that perhaps you can help me. :)
I drive a 2000 Subaru Outback that seems to have a predisposition to "the shakes". It was bought in the fall of 2011. The Outback was on summer tires (look pretty worn), but was driving fine, with just a slight pull to the right. I had it inspected by a trustworthy shop (FATS Auto) and they recommended doing an alignment.
I did not do it immediately but instead waited until the winter to change the tires (to studs). The tire changeover was done at a small car rental place that charges less than FATS.
Soon, after the winter changeover the car began to shake seriously and to pull to the right... HARD
"The shakes" got worse with time, so I took it over to FATS for the alignment. That fixed the problem, but a slight right pull remained as before.
Now, I I just had the winter tires changed back to the summer tires at the same cheap car rental shop. And guess what?
"The shakes" are back and so is a hard right pull.
So, suspecting something fishy, I took the Subaru back to the rental place and told the mechanic the problem. He took the vehicle and balanced it. After the job was done, he said that he had done everything he could. He had balanced the tires (and mentioned that the the left back tire needed 3 ounces) and had also done some inflation.
I just drove the car home and "the shakes" have become worse and the right pull makes the car impossible to drive.
What should I do? It is possible to go the the car rental shop and complain once more, but I suspect that they will not solve the problem.
Perhaps, I should just buy new tires and have them installed in a professional shop?
Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated!
Thank you!
The Alaskan Subaru
Eddie,
Your article was very informative. My car vibrates at any speed over 45mph. Also if I press on the brakes hard the whole steering wheel vibrates. I just took my car to get an oil change and they told me I need new tires that my tires have less that 2/32nd of a inch left on the tread...would this be the problem or would it be rotors as well?
Hi Rob,
I have seen rotors cause this before, but it's very unlikely unless the caliper piston is sticking or the caliper slide pins are frozen. In my opinion, it sounds like you have a tire with an issue. I know you bought new tires, but some tires have defects, heavy spots, hard rubber spots, belts that are seperated, you get the idea. If the tire store you use has a Hunter Road Force tire balancer, it wound help to determine which tire has the problem, if not, it will take process of elimination to figure it out. If you could find a shop with a Road Force machine and a good mechanic, I think your problem would be solved. Let me know if I can answer any other questions Rob, or when you figure it out, thanks.
Hi Alaskan Subaru,
The tire that took 3 ounces needs to go if you want to fix the vibration. I don't know if I wound use a car rental shop to do any work on my car because car rental shops hire cheap labor with no experience. I would definitely change at least 2 tires at a professional tire store with an experienced mechanic, also, the pull has been persistent, so I recommend a 4 wheel alignment as well. Let me know what you decide to do, or when you resolve this issue, I'm curious to know what happens, thanks.
Hi Jamie,
I recommend having the two tires replaced, and yes, the rotors are usually the cause of the brake pulsation, you can have them resurfaced if there is enough meat on them, or if they're too thin, just have them replaced. If you replace the rotors, replace the pads too, unless they're like new. If I can answer any other questions Jamie, let me know, and let me know how you make out, thanks.
Eddie,
Actually, I was having the same problem before I got the new tires....it was actually one of the reasons why I got new tires. That's why I'm thinking it must be something else. I will try to find a shop with a Hunter balancer to see if we can figure this out.
Thanks!
Rob
Hi Rob,
If you had this vibration before the new tires, maybe it's a rim? The balancer has to be a Road Force machine, it will check the tires and rims for imperfections.
You can try resurfacing the rotors, but it common for rotors to rub like that, especially Honda rotors, it's usually caused by pad impressions, if you look at the rotor closely, you usually can see an outline of the brake pad, the rotor is raised in that outline, and that's what you hear rubbing. Let me know what happens or if you have any more details you can think of.
Eddie,
I had thought about the possibility of a bent rim, but wouldn't the tire shop have noticed this when installing the new tires and/or when balancing the wheels several times? Or is this something that could maybe be missed?
As far as the rotors, when you say that it's common for Honda rotors to rub, does that mean you think it's a possibility that that's what is causing the vibrations and that resurfacing them could cure the problem? I just want to be sure I was understanding you correctly. I appreciate all of your help with this.
Thanks,
Rob
Hi Rob,
As far as the bent rim, it all depends on the mechanic. The mechanic should have been looking for anything that might cause the vibration, but could have overlooked the obvious.
You said the Odyssey had this vibration, that's why you replaced the tires, now your mechanic is looking for something out of the ordinary, the mechanic can't fix your problem with a quick balance so now he's searching for something.
In my opinion, it's not your rotors because you don't have a vibration when braking, if you had a brake pulsation and a non braking vibration,it could be caused by a sticking caliper piston or frozen slide pins, but you don't have a brake pulsation, so I would say no to the rotors.
The reason I say you could try resurfacing the rotors is so you could scratch that off the list of possible causes. Unfortunately your mechanic is using the process of elimination technique to diagnose the vibration, that's why I suggested finding a shop that used the Hunter Road Force machine, it could save you time and money searching for the cause of the vibration.
I know not many shops have the machine because it's expensive and even worst, most mechanics don't want to spend the time using it properly, they would rather use it as a balancer and not as a tool to diagnose vibrations. Most mechanics don't want to chase vibrations because there's no money in it, unless they are a hourly mechanic,and if they're hourly, they probably don't have much experience, I know it sounds sad, but it's true.
If you have any more info or questions, don't hesitate to ask, sometimes it's hard trying to diagnose and explain things without actually seeing the vehicle, so if you don't understand my comments, just ask me to explain myself :) Take care for now Rob, and let me know what happens.
Hi Eddie,
Wondered if you can help me. I have a brand new 2012 Nissan Versa that at high speeds pulls to the right, and feels as though it is rocking back and forth. High speed being 60 to 75 mph. I took it back to the dealer with the complaint of the car bouncing at high speeds and they balanced all the tires. This seems to quiet the bouncing down. Then it started up again. I took it back to the dealer and they told me this is how the car rides. Then this weekend I had a chance to take it out on the highway and drove about 400 miles when I discovered the back and forth movement and pulling to the right. All this amounted to an exhausting ride of fighting to keep the car in the lane. Now I am afraid I have a safety issue because someone pulled in front of me and I had to swerve suddenly and the car started the side to side rocking (violentlay) almost causing me to lose control of the vehicle. Any thoughts on what could be going on with this vehicle?
Thanks
Hi Wilma,
That is very unusual for a new vehicle. Sometimes when a car sits for a while, the tires develop flat spots, but usually after driving the vehicle a couple hundred miles, the tires heat up and the flat spots go away.
As far as the pulling to the right, does it happen on both lanes of the highway? The highway will usually be crowned to divert rain water to each side of the road, so sometimes vehicle tires will follow the crown, if you're in the left lane, the car will drift left, if you're in the right lane, the car will drift right.
If you're struggling to keep the car on the road, there is definitely a problem. I recommend taking it back to the dealer and test driving with the service manager, if you don't get anywhere with the service manager, call Nissan's customer relations # located in the owners manual, you should definitely get some result then.
If you have time, could you come back and let me know what you decided to do and what the results were? If I can answer any other question for you Wilma, I'll be right here :)
I am having a pretty bad shimmy in my front end on my 1995 BMW E36. It's not the balance of the tires. Tread wear is normal and all boots around the rack and pinion look to be good(no cracks or leaks). This vibration started around 120 KPH and is now doing it as low as 60 KPH(seems to be getting worse,fast). I do have an audible clunk in the front end when hitting a bump, could this be Ball joints in the lower control arm ? Just wanted to see what you think before I order them.
Thanks ahead of time
Hi Whit1990,
Have you ever used fix a flat in your tires? Sometimes that causes a bad vibration.
Ball joints don't usually cause a vibration, but I have seen tie rod ends cause vibrations. The best way to check the ball joint is to jack up the car from the control arm and check the ball joint for play by either using a pry bar between the control arm and joint or under the tire and lift up, if your joint is as bad as you think, you should feel or see play in the joint. While your wheel is in the air, grab the tire at 9 & 3 o'clock and shake it to see if there is any play in the tie rod end.
The audible clunk could be something as simple as a sway bar bushing or sway bar link, I recommend checking them as well. Can you reproduce the clunk by bouncing the car in the driveway? If you can, have someone bounce the car while you look to see what's making the noise. Let me know what you find or if you have any more info or questions, I'll be right here.
Hi Eddie this site is great please can you help me? I have a BMW 3 series and I had a puncture on the freeway while travelling at speed on my front left tyre. I stopped as soon as I could and changed to the space saver spare wheel. The next day I went to a tyre shop and had two new front tyres fitted and balanced. Ever since this happened I am getting a strange vibration at all speeds in the drivers footwell. I don't get any steering wheel vibration. I have had the wheels rebalanced but i still get the same vibration. Could this be a damaged rim? could this be something to do with the fact that I only fitted budget tyres? Or do you think I have damaged something on the front of the car? Please help! Daz
Hey Eddie how's it going? Jive got a problem as well with my 90 ford mustang GT. I'm thinking about replacing the tires because they are over due but I'm not sure what would cause this shaking other than that. When it first started it was because I blew the seal out of the back of the transmission where the yoke goes. Got it replaced about 4 times, got a transmission rebuild. After the transmission rebuild I took it up to highway speeds around 70mph and broke the bell housing into 3 peices. Got that replaced and it is STILL shaking at 70 and above. But at 100 it stops shaking. It is very confusing and frustrating.
Hi Daz,
The vibration could be from budget tires, I'm not sure that you damaged the rim when you had the flat tire, but if you did, the mechanic should have picked up on it. I recommend bringing it back to the shop that mounted and balanced the tires an let them know your not satisfied because you have an annoying vibration, you don't want to drive the car for years with this vibration, so have it fixed now, and don't wait too long. If you have any other questions, just let me know, and if you have a minute after you get it fixed, could you come back and let me know what happens, I would really appreciate it, thanks Daz :)
Hi Jacob,
I'm doing very well, thanks for asking :) Seems to me you have been having some issues with the drive-train. Have you ever had the drive shaft balanced and u-joints checked? It sounds like the drive shaft has a vibration that is causing the output shaft seal to leak or possibly a bad u-joint, I'm not so sure it's the tires causing the vibration, how is the vibration on deceleration from high speeds? My 66 Mercury had a bad vibration between 60- 80mph, but at 110mph it was fine, but the vibration got much worst slowing down from 110mph. I would have your drive shaft balanced at a speed shop, at the same time they will check the u-joints and then see what happens. Let me know what you decide to do, and if you do balance the drive shaft, let me know how you make out, I'm very curious, thanks Jacob.
Hi Eddie thanks for your rapid response to my question. I have been back to the tyre shop today and the guys there where only to happy to help. They checked the rims and tyres which were fine and rebalanced the wheels again which were fine. They agree with you that the small vibration could be down to the fact that I opted for the budget tyres on the front which are Riken Maystorm2 b2 tyres. To be fair to them they did recommend that I fitted a more expensive quality tyre made by a quality brand when I opted for the cheap option. I asked the guy to come on a quick road test with me and he felt that the small vibration in the footwell and the road noise we could hear was due to the budget tyres on the front. I have a pair of Dunlop sp sport 9000 on the back that will need replacing in a couple of months. I have decided to leave the budget tyres on the front until the back tyres need replacing. If the front tyres are still causing a vibration then I will change all 4 tyres for good quality expensive tyres. I thought I was saving money by fitting the budget tyres but this was clearly a false economy! You shouldn't fit budget tyres to a £30k car! I have learned my lesson and will only fit good quality tyres from now on! I will come back to you in a couple of months when I'm due the back tyres and will let u know how I got on. Thanks for your help and have a great weekend. Daz
Hi Daz,
That is a hard lesson to learn, but one you will never forget. I wrote another article on cheap tires and where to do your home work when purchasing them, so before you buy new tires read this article at http://www.simple-car-answers.com/Car-Tires.html
I want to also thank you for the feedback, it really helps me to know if the advice I'm giving is helping people, and it helps other readers with similar problems, so thanks again Daz and I'll be looking forward to hearing back from you in a few months, take care :)
Hi Eddie, how's it goin. Hope you can help me. Had a local garage replace our 1998 honda crv's auto transmission last week with a second hand one. Everything was fine till yesterday. While driving, I heard a like a bolt or nut (something metal)fell off then car steering wheel starts vibrating at 60kph. Brought it back to the garage, explained to the mechanic what happened. Later on the day, the mechanic told me that they've balanced the wheels and rotated the cv joint. Drove home but found out that the vibration is still there. I'm thinking maybe the transmission just died or center bearing issues perhaps. Any ideas? Thanks -Tom
Hi Tom,
I'm doing very well, thanks for asking :) I recommend returning to the garage for a third time and have the mechanic go for a ride with you, I know it sucks having to return to the garage a third time but it's the best solution. Once the mechanic says he fixed it a third time, tell him you would like to road test it with him again just to verify the vibration is gone. This will ensure you wont have to return for a forth time.
The noise you heard could have been anything from a rock kicking up from a tire, or a loose wheel weight falling off, or it could have been a tool the mechanic left in the engine compartment, what ever it was, it's gone now and you have a vibration. I don't think it was a bolt, nut, or anything major like the transmission failing, but it's hard to say without looking at it.
So I recommend returning to the mechanic and verify it's fixed before you take it home. Let me know what happens Tom, I'm interested to find out what is causing the vibration, thanks and take care for now :)
Hi Eddie,
I'm hoping you can help me out. My steering wheel is vibrating at high speed (specificly 105km. I took it to a mechanic and he balanced the tires. After that, i noticed it was still shaking. I took it in once again and they did a more indepth look to see what was going on and they couldn't find anything. I decided to get a second opinon from another shop and they said my tires were out of round. They even brought me out and showed me how the tires were wobbling on the tire balancing machine. So, i went and bought brand new tires get them balanced and put on and it is still vibrating! It's definately not as bad as before, but still drives me crazy. Any thoughts?
Thanks :)
Hi Tanya,
I feel your pain, vibrations can drive you crazy. It's possible you may have a rim that is damaged. The first thing I would do is bring it back to the last shop, and tell them your not satisfied with the way the car has a vibration and see if they can fix it, ask them to check the rims for damage as well. If they can't fix it, you will need to find a tire specialist who has a Hunter RoadForce machine, this type of tire balancer can check your rims and tires for problems other balances can't find, like heavy or hard spots in the tires, you may have got a defective tire from the factory, it happens a lot. Let me know what you decide to do, and if you get it resolved, could you come back here and give me an update? Thanks Tanya, take care for now :)
Hi Eddie, I have a loud knocking noise in back wheel, the car is not pulling but this slowing appearered after last tyre change/balance/rotation, I took the wheel cover off to discover the nuts were on the wrong way ( the tapered edge facing out) but it's been 2 months since the mechanic visit, and I don't understand why my tyre hasn't fallen off!!!
Please explain.....if possible.
Hi Lee,
I think you were very lucky. Most mechanics use an air powered gun to install lug nuts, these guns can torque lug nuts to over 250 ft lbs, that is extremely tight, tight enough where it's almost impossible to loosen them with a tire iron. You are very lucky to have caught it when you did. I recommend bringing it back to the mechanic and having the lung nuts, wheel studs, and anything else that got damaged,replaced, even if the wheel studs look OK, have them replaced because they have been stressed big time! All I can say is it was pure luck the wheel didn't fall off. If I can answer any other questions Lee, I'll be right here.
Hello Eddie,
I just had a alignment done to my car and I’m putting two new tires on it today. But when I was at the mechanic shop, the mechanic told me that I needed new "tire Rods", and that my steering wheel will continue to shake if I don’t get that fixed is this true? I haven’t driven it over 50 mph yet. because im still at work. Can you help?
Great hub, although you didn't mention wheel bearings. This is the worse kind out of all the causes of wheel vibration. Camber, toe in and castor can cause wheel vibration to these can be effected it whishbones and track rod ends have been replaced.
I just drove my car on the highway and it still shakes the steering wheel doesnt shake anymore but the car still shakes.
Hi jp993,
I didn't mention wheel bearings because wheel bearings do not cause tire vibrations, just noise. I have see some pretty worn and damaged wheel bearings, and none of them have ever caused a tire vibration.
Camber, castor and toe wont cause a vibration either, it can cause your tires to wear uneven and also cause a drift or pull to one side bout never a vibration, over time it will cause a tire vibration only because it's destroying your tires.
If you have worn or damaged tie rod ends (inner or outer), this could cause a steering wheel vibration because the tire cannot track straight because of the play or looseness in the tie rod.
Thanks for the comment tho, take care :)
Hi Gabe,
The first thing I recommend you do is call the shop that did the alignment and tell them a mechanic at another shop says you need tie rod ends, this should have been caught before the alignment was done because when you replace tie rods (inner or outer) you will need an alignment again.
The vibration may be caused by the two tires you didn't change, did you balance the two older tires?
It's rare to see a tie rod cause a vibration, it has to have a lot of play or looseness in the joint.
So call the shop who did the alignment and ask them to double check the tie rods (I'm assuming the alignment and tires were done in two different shops?)
Let me know if you have any other questions Gabe, sounds like someone is not telling the truth or not doing there job right, could you keep me up to date with what happens? Thanks, I really appreciate it :)
GREAT HUB! I have a vibration when taking off at between 20-25 mph that has been driving me crazy! This Friday I was going to take the car in for alignment..lol...Now I'm going to look into things a bit deeper. THANKS!
Hello Maddambutterfly,
You can still get the alignment, but I know it's the cause of your vibration. That type of vibration is usually caused by a inner cv joint, drive shaft center carrier bearing, or u-joints, it all depends on what kind of car you drive. Are you driving an early Honda CRV? Because that vibration is normal in the CRV, lol. Let me know what kind of car it is, maybe I can help, take care for now :)
hi eddie..nope I drove a Honda for 22 years and traded it in for the 2007 PT cruiser that I'm driving now. I have read that 2006/2007 have faulty driver side axle shafts. The fix is to order a turbo one. I hate having to hunt and peck for a problem. That can become very costly!
Hello Eddie,
My name is Elizabeth and I have a 2004 Saturn Vue, SUV. I had no problems with my car until I had to replace the tires last August. I had been told by Firestone. I went to Goodyear and told the manager that I wanted to purchase the same type of tires that was already on the car, which were Bridgestone tires. He told me that he had some tires better than that, which were the Eagles LS 235/60/R16 tires.My tire is a P215/70/16 DuelersHT HT. But since they had been put on my care I have been spending excessive money on gas, I have been have severe suspension problems, the car vibrates noticeably. I notice a much slower driving patern and hard to pick up any speed. My transmission started acting up and eventually went out some months later. I had Firestone to balance and to do a alignment. But, then I had to return so they could reverse the wheel balancing, because the car vibrated badly. I changed the brakes, I had the fuel injector flushed, I changed the air filters, I changed the shocks, they all went out at one time since the vibration and shimming of the tires. I also notice that when I get up to a certain speed my car feels like it is gliding back and forth, therefore I had to stop driving on the freeway. I called Goodyear, and told the manager about the problem ,and he said that the wrong tires had been put on my car, and bring it in and he will change them out and replace them with the 215/70/16 fuel max crossover, I do not know if this tire better than the Bridgestone DuelersHT. I told him that I wanted to stay with the same grade of tire that my care had previously. But he keeps trying to make me take these tires I do not want these. I am also still have problems maintaining an alignment. Please help me figure this out. Lizzie.
I will be doing that tomorrow. The reason I was asking was because when I had my old car I took it to get aligned ( At a different place) The mechanic told me the same thing that I need to get new tire rods for it because they were bad. So he said he did the alignment and that if I wanted to he would do it for $552 but because I was a new customer he would only charge me $475. And I was going to do it but I was broke at the time so I didn’t. Well as a few days went by my car got really missed up and was making a hissing grinding sound and I was on my way back to the mechanic but couldn’t make it so I stop at a NTB and he looked at my wheels and he said "Are you sure you need tire rods. and I explained what the other guy said and he said "No it just needs an alignment really bad and balance" he lifted the car and should me the tire rods which looked to me as almost new. He did the alignment and balance and my car worked perfect. Do you think this is happing to me again?
No Gabe, I recommend just getting the two rear tires balanced first and see how it rides. The shake is in the body, not the steering, which leads me to believe it's the rear tires.
When a mechanic recommends work on your vehicle, ask them to show you what's wrong, ask them questions and push them for answers. I have brought hundreds of customers out to their vehicles just to show them what is wrong while it's up on the lift, that's how I earn their trust and you should do the same to your mechanics.
Let me know how the balance job works out, and if I can help you in any other way, don't hesitate to ask :)
Hi Lizzie,
WOW, sorry to hear your having so many problems. First of all, the mechanic screwed up by putting the wrong size tire on your car, now the store manager want's you to put his recommended tires on your vehicle??? What's wrong with people anyway?
If you liked the tires that were on your car, be very direct with the manager and tell him, thank you for the recommendation, but I want the Duelers. If you want Duelers, get Duelers. We had those on the CRV and they were a great tire, don't let the manager talk you out of them, you will be much happier in a year from now.
First of all, the shop screwed up, now it's time to pay up, and get you what you want. Let me know what happens Lizzie, and don't let them talk you into something you don't want :)
Hello Maddambutterfly,
You read that 2006/2007 have faulty driver side axle shafts on what vehicle, the CRV or the PT Cruiser? You got to be talking about the cruiser because Honda never made a turbo. Let me know because that's great information for some of the readers here, thanks for the feedback :)
Eddie the 2006 and 2007 and a few 2008 PT cruisers have faulty driver side axle shafts which cause vibrations. The regular axle shaft is not balanced and the turbo one is. They say to get a turbo one put one and that takes care of the issue. I have so much to look into. My mechanic is going to love me on Friday...:)
Maddambutterfly, it's good to be proactive and know what you want done before you walk into the garage, that way you only have a few surprises, lol.
Thanks for the info, I'm sure somewhere in this pile of comments there is a PT Cruiser owner who has had the problem, and now they have the answer :) Thanks again for the feed back, and if you have any questions about what your mechanic is trying to sell you, I'll be right here ;)
i have a 2005 f150 and i have a shake in the rear, feels like the driver side wheel, i've had the tires balanced, changed, rotated, and re balanced again, i've changed the rear shocks. i've noticed that the brake pads on this side are worn more that the passenger side. could this be a warped rotor causing this vibration. it vibrates the worst around 48 to 52 mph, thanks
Hi Jason,
It's possible the caliper is sticking and the rotor is warped causing the vibration, did you notice if the rear wheel spins freely?.
Did you check the rear u-joint? U-joints can cause a pretty bad vibration especially on acceleration and deceleration.
You kinda have to rule out the wheels and tires because of the amount of moving around they did, it should have changed something if it were the wheels and tires. Let me know what you find Jason, I'm very curious, thanks.
Hi Eddie.... Informative posts!
I am still not sure how to approach my problem so I will ask...
I've just taken my vehicle back to the garage so they can give it another once over.
My car is a 2003 GrandAm. I'm the original owner. I got new tires put on in 2009. They are GoodYear Assurance Triple treads. About 6-9 months after the tires went on I started having issues with slow leak of tire pressure. It began only on two tires but evolved to all four. I was advised by my father that they may not have properly prepared the rims (sanding corrosion/sealing). What is done is done.... Since then I've had the rims machined /sanded and the tires reinstalled/balanced three times.
The last time I took the vehicle to the local dealership (I just moved and tried a garage closer to the my place) they removed machined and balanced the two front tires and rotated them to the rear of the car. They also did the "multi-point inspection" signing off that everything was good...brake pads/tire wear excellent (no issues according to the paperwork)/air pressure all set to the recommended 32psi.
When i left the garage I noticed that when braking there is an obvious shudder through the car to the steering wheel. I had no issues with this before the car went in.
Within 48 hrs and probably about 20km I checked tire pressures to find they were not equal around the car and that one was about 10psi low... I and also noticed that there was no weight on the drivers side wheel (previously all the wheels have had weights- since the first time machined).
I suspected that there was an issue with the balancing of the tires and that maybe they should recheck their work. I contacted the garage and they said it could be the rotors.
They will be checking my car again tomorrow and have shrugged off the missing weight and did not seem concerned with the tire pressure issue.... instead they gave me a thorough explanation of why it is likely the rotors.
Would it be unreasonable to ask that they rebalance the tires and top up the air pressure and that we go from there before they start re-surfacing or replacing the rotors & brakes?
Any advice would be so appreciated for $ is tight and i have little time to continue bringing the car back over and over - single mom in university and working full-time.
Hi Julie,
I have to commend you for being a single mom, working full time and going to college, it will all pay off some day, so don't give up :)
The vibration you have while braking is caused by the rotors or drums (not sure what's on the back), the rotors can be resurfaced it there is enough materiel, it will have to be measured by the mechanic. If there is not enough material, you will have to replace them or live with the brake pulsation temporarily while you save some money, it's not dangerous, just annoying.
A missing wheel weight is not uncommon, some wheels just don't need weight on both sides, but if you have a tire vibration, that's the first place to start.
Be adamant about them checking the tires for leaks, it's very easy for a tire to pick up a nail, and hooray for your dad, he knows about the rims needing the bead sanded, not to many people know that, even some mechanics don't know that,lol.
I hope I answered you questions thoroughly, if I missed something, don't hesitate to ask again. Let me know how you make out Julie, take care for now :)
I just replaced the vacuum hose on my 2001 Ford Taurus. I guest I was lucky I did not wait any longer, since it is a cruical part of keeping the engine running smoothly. I like your articles. They are very informational.
Thank you for the feedback Margaret, I appreciate it very much :)
Hi it's Julie. I'll let you know how it goes. They are changing the rotors and I'm picking the car up tomorrow. Thank-you for taking time to reply.
i have 04 grand prix when i turn either right or left at high speeds like on the hwy round about it sounds like my driver side tire is gonna fall off i just replaced tie rod on driver and passenger side i found they where both worn and i still have same issue
Hello:)
I just purchased a used 2003 Mountaineer and the steering wheel vibrates a little:/ I also noticed that when I turn the steering wheel completely the car seems to stop. Is this supposed to happen? the only thing I'm 100% sure is that the SUV needs new tires, would this even help any of my problems? Please help:)
Hello Eddie,
Sorry for such a delay. I just wanted to follow up and say that I acted upon your advice and replaced the tires. Got a new set of Michelin Primacy tires and had them installed at Costco.
You were right! The problem went away.
So I just wanted to thank you for all the help and advice! It is truly wonderful that you are willing to spend the time and efforts helping clueless people like me! :)
Thank you again!
Hello Alaskan Subaru, no worries, everything takes time. That is awesome, glad you got rid of the shakes, sometimes going cheep doesn't pay off. FYI, you're not clueless, we all have our strengths and weaknesses :) Take care, and if you ever need some advice, you know where to find me, and don't forget, if you have friends or relatives that have automotive questions, share this on Facebook or just tell them where to fine me :) Thanks, I really appreciate it.
OK Julie, thanks for the update, I really appreciate it :)
Hi Cee,
Is it a noise you're hearing or is it a vibration? Could this be a wheel bearing noise? Read this other article I wrote and watch the video, I'll will show you what a bad wheel bearing sounds like, I do a demo on a vehicle at about the 2min mark if you want to fast forward, http://hubpages.com/t/29bd76 let me know if this is what you hear :)
Hi Wendy,
Is the vibration when you're driving? When you say you turn the wheel all the way, and the car seems to stop, stop what, rolling? or vibrating? Give me a little more info and I'll have a better answer for you, thanks Wendy :)
when I begin driving the car, and the car completely stops when I completely turn the steering wheel.
The car seems to stall when I completely turn the steering wheel right or left, but as soon as I straighten out the steering wheel the car is fine. Sorry im really bad at explaining things.
No that's OK Wendy, no need to be sorry :), I have a hard time explaining things too :)
I believe your car is a 4wd, but is it 4wd all the time or only when you shift it into 4wd? the stop rolling when turning is sort of normal because the the drive-train is straining because all 4 wheels turn at the same rotation speed and when you make a tight turn the inner wheels turn faster than the outer wheels,so the car will stop rolling because of the stress, if that makes sense.
The engine stalling is not normal, either your idle is too low or the power steering pump is putting to much strain on the engine and causing it to stall. If you bought it from a dealer, bring it back and have them check it, if you bought it private sale, you have to have it checked by your mechanic.
If you have any other questions Wendy, please don't hesitate to ask, take care for now, and let me know what happens :)
Hi Eddie,
I have a 95 toyota truck with 300,something miles on it. My front passenger side tire flew off on the freeway just minutes after getting them rotated, they forgot to tighten my lug nuts; obviously. I'm curious as to what kind of damage could have been done? My tire was recovered at the site. I brought my truck to another mechanic to have it repaired seeing as I don't feel that safe with the people who rotated the tires in the first place. The other mechanics repaired the wheel hug and replaced the wheel studs, brake rotor, and lug nuts. After getting my truck back it's not driving the same, the steering wheel vibrates and it now seems to be making a loud waaah noise; not that my truck was ever really quiet but now it's much louder. I figured the tires most likely need to be balanced and so I brought it back to the mechanics to have them once more thoroughly inspect my truck to make sure it's safe; which is really important right now because I'm almost 8months pregnant and need to be as safe as possible. They checked out my truck yesterday and assured me it is completely safe and that there is no further damage to my truck due to the accident, just that there's some things that need to be done to make it run/drive smother due to the age of my vehicle but nothing that makes it unsafe to drive. So the balanced the tires and said the two front tires were extremely out of balance. When I went to pick up my truck yesterday I noticed an obvious big silver nail stuck in one of my tires :P so they're patching my tire today. Anyways just wanted to tell you a bit of my story. I'm really wondering and wanted to ask you what damage could have occured when my tire flew off going about 55-60mph? And are there certain things I should be telling the mechanics to check or look at?
Thank you so much for your time
Hi Cdice,
You are very lucky, sorry to hear about your accident. I'm wondering about the noise you hear, do you think it could be a wheel bearing noise? If you watch the video where I explain what a wheel bearing sounds like, you should have a better understanding on the noise, if you go right to the 2 minute mark on the video I'll show you the noise on the vehicle http://hubpages.com/t/29bd76
It's possible the wheel bearing was damaged as well, also your alignment should be checked, that was a very hard hit to the suspension, and there is no doubt it could have bent a control arm, tie rod, or knuckle assembly.
If you have any other concerns or questions, don't hesitate to ask, and if you have time, could you let me know what happens, thanks Cdice, and take care of that baby, no more added stress :)
Hey i have a 99 honda crv and we just got the tires replaced now it shakes do u think they balanced them wrong?
Hi Melissa,
Yup, or you have a defective tire, I recommend returning to the garage and telling them your problem, and after they fix it, tell them you would like to verify it's fixed by road testing it with the mechanic or service manager, that way your not stuck returning to them for a third time. Let me know what happens Melissa or if you have any other questions, I'll be right here :)
Hi Eddie,
Well I picked up the car from the garage, gave it a test drive and all is well now. No more issues with braking ... and I will just have to monitor the tire pressure myself for now. There are no nails or anything like that in the tires... and I think I really just need new rims. Maybe one day...or by that time, maybe I will be able to get a new car. Thanks for all your help.
That's great Julie, I'm glad you got that squared away. There is a manufacturer who makes a valve stem caps for your tires that monitor the tire pressure, it's green when the tire pressure is OK, and red when their getting low, just an FYI. Thanks for the feed back, and if you ever need a question answered, you know where to find me :)
Thanks Eddie for your help and advice it's much appreciated! I'll definitely let you know what happens, might take a little while, but I'll be sure to get back to you.
You're welcome Cdice, and there is no time limit here, I have readers come back months later to update me :) I just like to know if the advice I'm giving works, plus it help other readers with similar problems. So thanks for the feed back :)
Thanks I did go back it turns out there was a rather large bubble in the tire they replaced it now the car rides fine again
Hi! I need help. A couple weeks ago we had to replace one of the tires on my car (the front driver) because it kept going flat. Then a few days later the passenger front had to be plugged because of a nail. Since then the steering wheel vibrates when I get to about 60, and gets worse as the faster I go. So naturally, I'm thinking alignment because it needed one last year so I had that done at a different place closer tohome.. Still vibrated (I see why now). So I took them to another tire place and had the front two tires balanced. Still vibrates. We were told it could be a bubble in the tire we had put on, so we took it back to them. The guy that helped us said that the tire I just got balanced was like 25% off. But he replaced the tire just in case the one they'd put on was causing the problem. And its StILL vibrating. What in the world??? Could it be the tire I had plugged?? This is really frustrating, and I don't have money to be throwing around unnecessarily. Thanks!!
Hey Melissa, that's great, glad it was that simple. Thanks for the feedback, I really appreciate it, take care, and if you ever have a question, you know where to find me :)
Hi Heather,
To find out if it's the plugged tire causing the vibration, all you need to do is rotate it to the back and see if the vibration changes. I know you don't have a lot of money but this is my recommendation.
Did anyone check the tire pressure in the plugged tire recently, I know it was just fixed but low tire pressure could cause a vibration and it seems like everyone is focused on the tire that had been replaced.
Try rotating the plugged tire to the rear, but remember, the rear tire may not be balanced either, but the vibration should change a little. Let me know if this helps or if you have any other questions Heather.
hardlymoving Level 2 Commenter 6 months ago
Good article. Some other thoughts: Well shake can also be caused by a bent wheel which wheel balancing will not fix -and- a out-of-balance tire with good tread cannot be fixed with a wheel balance job as well. Both have happened to me and was difficult to diagnose.