Jerking to side when braking and/or hitting bumps

T

texadelphia

New member
I've noticed that when I'm coming to a stop on a road that isn't completely smooth my rig will sometimes jerk to one side if I hit a bump and I'll have to correct at the steering wheel to keep it straight.

I checked my control arm bushings and tie rods and everything seems tight. I still have to check bushings in the rear, sway bars, and lower ball joints.

Combined with highway vibrations it makes me think there's something in my suspension that's loose but I can't seem to find anything that's a problem. I don't want to just start throwing parts at it. Could it be that this is somewhat normal and just a bad road/truck suspension thing?
 
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Did you check the calipers and rotors? Stuck calipers will pull, esp. if its on one side. Warped rotors if severe can give some vibration while rolling as well as when stopping.
 
I took a look at the rotors and didn't notice any strange wear and the wheels spin freely. I didn't pull the calipers to try to move the pistons but I didn't see any signs pointing to that. I also don't notice any pull on smooth roads.
 
texadelphia said:
Bought it a few weeks ago so I don't know the last time it was aligned.
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I'd start there personally. Any decent shop will let you know of issues in the suspension at the same time. I would take it to an independent shop rather than a chain like Firestone or similar. Just look up reviews locally for the shop and go from there.
 
Probably not rust since you're in Oregon, but my 2001 had 265k miles on it when the passenger rear control arm mount rusted through. It was getting a little squirrely for a few weeks, then got really bad right before its final drive to the dealership to trade on another vehicle.
 
rexassian said:
I'd start there personally. Any decent shop will let you know of issues in the suspension at the same time. I would take it to an independent shop rather than a chain like Firestone or similar. Just look up reviews locally for the shop and go from there.
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agree with this.^^^
find one with good reviews, even ask here for your city.
I dont think this part of forum is used enough ( below). I have met people up here who are members on the forum and didnt know this section was available. ( its in a poor location, the bottom of sponsors page, I think it should be further up)

hopefully for your area someone can help you out, either through this thread you started or the one below

https://www.toyota-4runner.org/american-t4r-clubs-click-to-view-/
 
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That is most likely a seized caliper. My 4th gen was doing the same thing a few weeks ago and I replaced the calipers, rotors and pads and problem was solved.
 
Just went for a drive and couldn't get it to pull too either side on smooth pavement no matter how hard I braked. It only jerked when there were obvious ruts or pot holes and it didn't seem to favor either side...sometimes it was to the right and sometimes to the left. So I'm thinking it might be an artifact of the road surface. Like ruts or imperfections in the road are pulling it to that side. Still going to get the front wheels off the ground and see if there's any kind of asymmetric behavior...like if one side can be spun when the brakes are applied.

Sent from my moto x4 using Tapatalk
 
texadelphia said:
...So I'm thinking it might be an artifact of the road surface. Like ruts or imperfections in the road are pulling it to that side...
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It may be an 'artifact' of the road but its a Feature of this vehicle to not handle road bumps too well and 'bounce' off the intended path. Kinda of like when you turn onto and thru railroad tracks, the rear end jumps a bit to one side as it hits the tracks, nbd. Luck.
 
Sounds like lower control arm bushings. Its hard to check them with the coilovers attached as there is always pressure on the bushings. Either look up how to check them with a pry bar or remove the front suspension. You won't be able to check with just your hands. Better to do this before an alignment or as been advised, bring it to a shop that knows what they are doing
 
jgue467 said:
It may be an 'artifact' of the road but its a Feature of this vehicle to not handle road bumps too well and 'bounce' off the intended path. Kinda of like when you turn onto and thru railroad tracks, the rear end jumps a bit to one side as it hits the tracks, nbd. Luck.
Click to expand...

I'm am curious how much of what I'm feeling is just how the truck handles and how much is that there's something wrong.
 
St Runner said:
Sounds like lower control arm bushings. Its hard to check them with the coilovers attached as there is always pressure on the bushings. Either look up how to check them with a pry bar or remove the front suspension. You won't be able to check with just your hands. Better to do this before an alignment or as been advised, bring it to a shop that knows what they are doing
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I was prying on the control arms with a pry bar but it was on the ground. I haven't been able to find anything on how to check these bushings in particular but I've seen some things on general suspension bushing checks. I should probably do it with the car on stands though.
Been having some trouble finding an alignment shop I'd trust. Yelp is a confusing place.
 
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Went for a drive last night. My wife drove while I was trying to notice symptoms and I noticed a clunking noise/feeling coming from somewhere as we were driving some winding back roads. It would happen every time she would turn into a curve. I could feel it in the seat, like it was coming from underneath, but I'm wondering if it could be lower ball joints.
 
If the lower ball joints were that loose your tire would be half off. Definitely put the tire up in the air to test the control arm, then you only have the compression of the springs applying pressure. What happens is the rubber in the bushings become broken and worn, but the weight of the vehicle and the compression of the springs keep the inner part of the bushing compressed against the bottom of the outer core. Everything seems to work fine until you hit a bump and the inner part of the bushing shifts. Key signs of the control arm bushings being worn is that it is unidirectional, it can go any direction depending on which way it is leaning. Brake problems usually pull in one direction
 
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