Driveline Vibration

After purchasing a new 2011 SR5 that was manufactured in February, 2011, I joined the forum because of the same two issues as listed in this thread (1) steering wheel shimmy and (2) even worse, the surging / bucking / shudder / jerking / pulsating feeling when driving between 30 and 50 mph while the RPM is around 1200 to 1400.

First, good news for (1) the steering wheel shimmy. After 3 trips back to the dealership the all-terrains were taken off and replaced with new tires. They did this after another new 4runner was brought in a few days before mine and needed new tires because of the same issue. I have now driven for a few hundred miles on the new tires and steering wheel is finally calm.

Now, for the bad news....regading the surging / bucking vehicle, it's been back to the dealership four times so far. On the last trip I finally had a Toyata regional service rep say the problem is related to the catalytic converter, oxygen sensor and fuel sensor. In a summary, the sensors fight between monitoring the lean to rich ratio and the onboard computer can't keep up so the car is constantly fighing between increasing and decreasing fuel flow. Right now I am beign told "Toyata knows of the issue, but it is a matter of applying available resources among all current issues. Toyota cannot confirm when they will begin applying resources to this particular issue".

I take this to mean we are stuck living with it until enough of us raise a stink. I recommend contacting the Toyota Customer Care number and have them open a file number on your complaint. If your drivability problem is as bad as mine, you can also consider arbitration to help get Toyota to "apply resources to this issue"!

I am curious if this issue exists in all 2011 4Runners, or is it just some of us?
 
I have the same problem as well with the shimmy and chugging/pulsating. The quick fix on the tires was to balance them on a hunter 9700 balancer. after that no problems, rides as smooth as glass. For the very frustrating chugging that I experience between 45-50 mph i am still scratching my head on this one. The one thing i have noticed is when i put the 4runner in 4th gear the chugging stops. Rpms go up a lil but when I put it back into drive it resumes. Toyota has told me time and time again to just drive it and thats how all 4runners are, which is bs. I am unsure what to do any advise would be very appreciated.
 
4WD 4RNR said:
For the very frustrating chugging that I experience between 45-50 mph i am still scratching my head on this one. The one thing i have noticed is when i put the 4runner in 4th gear the chugging stops. Rpms go up a lil but when I put it back into drive it resumes. Toyota has told me time and time again to just drive it and thats how all 4runners are, which is bs.
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That sounds like a harmonic vibration of the driveline. My '03 has a harmonic, helicopter-like sound from the front end between 62-70 mph. There was a TSB for the GX470 that adds vibration dampeners. Clearly my experience isn't directly related (4th gen vs 5th gen), but it sounds like you may be experiencing something similar.
 
M1911 said:
That sounds like a harmonic vibration of the driveline. My '03 has a harmonic, helicopter-like sound from the front end between 62-70 mph. There was a TSB for the GX470 that adds vibration dampeners. Clearly my experience isn't directly related (4th gen vs 5th gen), but it sounds like you may be experiencing something similar.
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My 11 TE do have the humming sound between 70-75mph speed range. I call it the "Axle-sound" as it sounds just like when you drive by a 18-wheeler or big moving truck and you hear those truck sound and I think it is from their axle???

My sound only appears if I accelerate. As soon as I move my feet away from the gas pedal, the sound stops.
 
wxxiong said:
My 11 TE do have the humming sound between 70-75mph speed range. I call it the "Axle-sound" as it sounds just like when you drive by a 18-wheeler or big moving truck and you hear those truck sound and I think it is from their axle???

My sound only appears if I accelerate. As soon as I move my feet away from the gas pedal, the sound stops.
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I only hear my sound at a steady state speed, like on a flat road with the cruise control on. As soon as I accelerate or take my foot off the gas, the sound stops.

Either way, I think it is a harmonic vibration of a driveline component.
 
I've just developed a vibration in my vehicle recently but it's really bizarre. I had Duratracs put on about 8,000kms ago or so and only in the last few days have I noticed this vibration, which is more like a studder above 60km/h. It kind of feels like the road is very slightly bumpy and it's trasmitting through the vehicle. The place I feel it most is my seat, not my steering wheel which is actually very subtle.

I up'd the PSI from 33->45 in my Duratrac load E which should be fine but that was over 1,000km ago easily. I also rotated my tires with my oil about 6,000kms ago. Any sort of "offroading" at site with a lot of mud etc was at minimum 900kms ago (likely 1,100km or so) and I've cleaned the suspension and underneath thoroughly a few times now.

Does this sound like textbook unbalanced issue? To me it does but given how much I've driven on the tires I'm not entirely sure what to think.
 
msommers said:
I've just developed a vibration in my vehicle recently but it's really bizarre. I had Duratracs put on about 8,000kms ago or so and only in the last few days have I noticed this vibration, which is more like a studder above 60km/h. It kind of feels like the road is very slightly bumpy and it's trasmitting through the vehicle. The place I feel it most is my seat, not my steering wheel which is actually very subtle.

I up'd the PSI from 33->45 in my Duratrac load E which should be fine but that was over 1,000km ago easily. I also rotated my tires with my oil about 6,000kms ago. Any sort of "offroading" at site with a lot of mud etc was at minimum 900kms ago (likely 1,100km or so) and I've cleaned the suspension and underneath thoroughly a few times now.

Does this sound like textbook unbalanced issue? To me it does but given how much I've driven on the tires I'm not entirely sure what to think.
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Check to see if the balance weights came off one of your wheels and/ or have them re-balanced to start with.I've had the weights come off one of mine already when I had the Mojave's.
 
Thankfully it was just a balance issue but I think I'll lube the driveshaft and change the oil in both diffs and the transfer case just to be safe.
 
I recently purchased a 2001 4runner and noticed that there was a slight "humming" noise at about 60-65 mph. I drove it for about a thousand miles and then suddenly last night, it turned into a definite "vibration" at about 40-45 mph hour. The whole car shook and it could be felt through the steering wheel, the gas pedal and it was so bad that i stayed off the freeway when I took it to the dealer. My guess was something in the driveline or u-joints. The dealer just called a few minutes ago and said that both the front and back u-joints were going bad and that the driveline needs to be replaced. $750!!! This better fix both problems or I will be very upset. I will let you know how it drives after tomorrow's pick up.....
 
my previous 2010 limited did this.. and i hated the feeling.. it felt old... i ended up trading that for a 2011 TE and it doesn't do it.. so i know it's something that shouldn't be there and isn't normal.. i wish they'd own up to it and try fixing it rather than giving up after a couple tries and letting you deal with it.. I'm wondering.. maybe axle seal is dry/low on oil.. been through water? maybe drive-train needs to be lubed it?
 
New member, just got into a 2010 SR5 (86k miles) and I have noticed the vehicle exhibits the exact behavior described throughout this thread. I have read and reread this thing trying to soak up all the info I can. I did not notice the vibration when test driving with the dealer, but i was in a different city and had my full focus on the road being unfamiliar the locale.

So far, the vibration is most notable at freeway speeds (60-70mph) and seems to come and go. I am not super picky so I can live with it once I get enough info to be able to reasonably say it is not harming things to the point of mechanical failure. I am going to do everything in my power (within reason) to reduce the vibrations though. Assuming it's the tires I'm running (Hercules Terra Trac HTS) I'll follow what others have said worked based on this thread, but I was planning on picking up some more aggressive rubber in the future so it's possible I'll just always have to live with it.

Something new I have found though is that when breaking there is a lumpy feeling in the brake peddle that you can also feel as a passenger. Doesn't feel transmission related (I hope) because you can feel the frequency slow as the vehicle slows. It' not a lurch or a buck or kick, just a diminishing lump. The brakes, rotors, calipers all look original so I am planning that as a potential first upgrade.

I've subbed this thread hoping that there might be other owners fighting the same battle with higher mile vehicles. I'll respond with updates for posterity, hoping this thread ain't dead! :deadhorse:
 
jared

My resolution was tires. I also learned that the 4Runner needed road force balancing. I recently had new tires put on my CTS as a place that only did spin balance. I drove and it did the same thing as my 4runner. I took it to the dealer and he told me that car too needed to be road force balanced. I dont know if the tires these days are made crappy or what but it seems to be a trend. I dont know about your tires but I ended up going with Michelin tires. I ended up replacing the tires around 50k - 60k miles. I know have 97k and vibration is still gone.

As far as your brakes.... I had to replace the front around 80k miles and the rears just got done. If you think they are original you are probably due.

Hope this helps.
 
Resolved

gmoney2626 said:
jared

My resolution was tires.

I dont know about your tires but I ended up going with Michelin tires.

As far as your brakes.... I had to replace the front around 80k miles and the rears just got done. If you think they are original you are probably due.

Hope this helps.
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[MENTION=64182]gmoney2626[/MENTION] Thank you for taking the time to respond to my earlier post. I recently was in the woods moving some tree stands and ended up puncturing the left rear tire. Got to learn how to swap my spare in the woods and found a great excuse to feed the fiance as the reason to get new tires.

For anyone else who may stumble on this thread, I too went with Michelin's and the vibration has stopped. Tire Discounters @ Polaris in Columbus, Ohio did road force balancing for me. I am really pleased with the outcome.

On to the next project! :party:
 
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