New Owner, some concerns
 

Hello everyone.

New to the forums and 4runners in general.

Let me tell you a quick story.

About two months ago I purchased a brand new 19 Tacoma SR5.

I had tons of vibration problems to include brake pedal, gas pedal, seats, steering wheel.

I also had the "rumble strip" vibrations when slowing. After many dealership trips later and no fix, I decided to trade it in for my 4runner.

I now have a 19 T4R TRD OR, all stock.

I am having steering wheel vibrations in this vehicle, especially at highway speeds. Barely noticeable around town. I also have a minor steering wheel wobble at highway speeds at around 60mph. After tires warm up, the wobble pretty much goes away but it does come back here and there. Vibrations persist though. Feels like I am holding hair clippers. It's a "buzz" type vibration.

I can also feel some vibrations in the brake pedal when slowing down. It's weird in the sense that it doesn't always do it, and sometimes its worse than other times.

I have lost a lot of sleep over the Tacoma, and now i'm starting to lose sleep over this one, especially after losing money on my trade.

A few questions;
Are steering wheel vibrations of any kinda normal in this vehicle? Is it something I just need to live with?

I want to do a leveling kit, front only, and I am concerned this will just make things worse. Your thoughts on this?

I am taking the vehicle in to Discount Tire for RFB today, but not too hopeful it'll completely remove the vibrations all together.

Is it crazy to think the steering wheel should have ZERO vibrations of any kind?

I have read through tons of post on this forums and others. It seems some have found fixes, and others not. From what I can tell, there are far more people that have found NO fix as opposed to ones who have actually found a fix.

I appreciate any feedback guys. Thank you

I suggest you try looking up users here who live in your area. Ask if they have the same problem. If they so no, arrange a ride to compare vehicles.

Have you had 4x4 vehicles in the past?

Thank you for the reply.

Yes I had a 2016 Nissan Frontier 4x4. Had ZERO steering wheel or pedal vibrations.

Hi and welcome to 4Runner!

It certainly sounds like a front wheel(s) out of balance with the steering wheel and brake wobble. I do not have this issue while in 2WD, there is a little feel through the steering wheel while in 4WD. I would say to have the dealership rebalance the tire/wheels, I would not pay for a balance. I had very little experience with the stock Dunlaps as I went to an AT tire at 500 miles thus I cannot comment if there is a problem balancing the OEMs. If you are still going to Discount Tire, ask about that tire or any suggestion for a better balanced tire.

Lastly, I did a front lift to level out my Trail and I have no wobble from it.

Thank you. I am taking it to Discount Tire because my friend works there and will do it for free. Also, I have VERY little faith in dealerships, especially here in Vegas. They all seem to be clueless.

A buzz vibration doesn't seem normal if that's truly what you're feeling, but the steering wheel shake is pretty common. Start with balancing tires as a first step. I never could get my stock tires perfect. On my 2nd set that balanced well, no issues.

Are the stock BRIDGESTONE DUELER H/T tires garbage?

Have you asked the dealer? You said your friend works for DT but if it's alignment or other on a new 4R I would drop by the dealer. I have zero vibrations with my 4R but when I went to a more aggressive tire it has a different feel which is expected. Good luck getting this resolved.

I have an appoint with the dealership tomorrow.

I wanted my friend to take a look because I know he actually gives a crap.

If there is anything wrong, he will write up a report for me so I can take it to the dealership in case they give me the "its normal" crap.

BTW, I also called Toyota corporate to tell them I had problems with two brand new Toyota vehicles, and they pretty much told me to pound sand. Their CS is horrible.

I've had my TRD ORP for just over a year. I had the dealer throw on TRD Pro wheels with Terra Grapplers and I've never felt anything like the symptoms you described. I ran SpiderTrax spacers for a few months and had some shakes as I sped up to highway speeds. I now have FN FX Pro wheels with Ridge Grapplers and am back to zero issues.

I would bet it's related to your wheels/tires but none of that is normal.

This video demonstrates what I have at certain speeds:

YouTube

I have a 2018 TRD OR with the stock Bridgestone Dueler H/Ts. I have about 7k miles on it, live in the SF Bay Area and have driven to SoCal, Seattle and Utah. Zero wobble/shaking or vibrations.

Seems like a tire balance issue imo. Rims are either not mounted correctly (they're hub centric though and no lug centric so this probably isn't a cause) or the tires aren't balanced properly on the rims.

I swapped my duelers out within the first 900 kms so I have minimal experience with them.

The quick and dirty answer is yes, there are better alternatives.


I've had a similar issue and it all had to do with tire balancing. Make sure you get your vehicle road forced balanced. The 4runner steering in relation to tire balancing is very sensitive. They should be able to balance the tires with very minimal weight, if not then the tire weight between all 4 individual tires is off enough where it is likely causing the issue (tire quality control in manufacturing).

After getting road forced balanced with my Cooper AT3's the "shimmy" went away almost entirely, but if the wheels get out of balance it will return. This has been a common issue with these vehicles at the 55-70 mph range (something to do with the frequency and oscillation of the wheels/tires at this speed) Another thing to check is if there is mud and/or dirt on the wheels and rotors as this weight can also cause the wheels to get out of balance. Finally be sure that your tires are properly and equally inflated. I've found that sometimes a difference of greater than 1 psi between the tires and the tires being under or over-inflated for the weight being carried in the vehicle can also have an effect.

Thank you very much.

Yes I have been messing with the PSI. This morning I set all 4 to 36PSI exactly. Seemed to help a bit