Need Help Diagnosing Handling Problems [04 Limited 4WD]

[49erPress]

i am so glad i found this forum, and i hope you can help me figure out what is wrong with my 4runner. it a 2004 limited 4wd and i love it.

i had an accident last summer. since then, i get a vibration at high speeds, and at high speeds (65+) on windy days or on roads that are not well maintained or in traffic the car feels unstable.

the repair shop keeps rebalancing the tires and that helps for maybe a few weeks, but it doesn't fix it. they keep saying it is fine, but while on quick weekend trips my wife and friends have driven it and they all feel it. i guess it is a hard problem to feel in a 20 minute test drive on fairly new roads.

i would appreciate any thoughts or experiences you have had with this sort of thing. this has been going on for nearly a year, and i just want my 4runner back and fixed.

 

[paraordnance]

that accident must of done something to your truck. My 04 Limited 4WD is rock solid all the way up to governed 112 mph

 

[ABooker]

Did you have the alignment checked? Also, if one of the rims is bent, that can cause problems too no matter how many times the tires are balanced. If that doesn't fix it then maybe the frame is bent from your accident.

 

[Pirate VI]

Mine has never been in an accident, and I get vibration between about 50-60mph which is alot worse now that I have bigger tires on it, and I have always been able to feel the wind on windy days when I am going fast. btw I just had an alignment done last week and had them recheck my tire balance.

 

[4boer]

"keeps rebalancing"? How many times have they done it? Find another shop. Or have the boss ride with you at speed, then rag on him about all the balancing you have paid for. Odds are their test drives were two blocks long at 40mph max. Good luck and let us know.

 

[49erPress]

thank you for the input.

they have rebalanced the tires at least five times.

i have replaced the tires. the shop that replaced the wheels and the repair shop have said the wheels are find and are not bent.

they aligned the tires when they did the initial repairs, and i had it aligned when i replaced all of the tires.

 

[Will816]

Thats the sucky part about accidents, things can get tweaked and knocked out of true but still seem fine or falls within specs, but that vibration comes to get you. You can try replacing the cheap stuff, or maybe figure out which side the vibration comes from and swap that wheel with your full size spare and see if that helps, but honestly you may have a shaky 4Runner forever. Sorry

 

[tacundra]

Consider checking yout driveshafts....

Is the vibration something that is faster than the rotation of the tires? I had to replace the driveshaft(under warranty) on my previous runner.

I currently have a 2004 limited 4x4 as well. Most solid vehicle I have owned.

 

[49erPress]

Consider checking yout driveshafts....

Is the vibration something that is faster than the rotation of the tires? I had to replace the driveshaft(under warranty) on my previous runner.

I currently have a 2004 limited 4x4 as well. Most solid vehicle I have owned.

i am not sure i understand your question about the vibration. the vibration gets worse the faster you drive. when it gets bad, you can feel it in the passenger seat.

 

[Kmvreter]

... i had an accident last summer. since then, i get a vibration at high speeds, and at high speeds (65+) on windy days or on roads that are not well maintained or in traffic the car feels unstable...

What kind of accident? How bad and what was repaired?

 

[49erPress]

Re: Re: Need Help Diagnosing Handling Problems [04 Limited 4WD]

What kind of accident? How bad and what was repaired?

it was raining, i hit some standing water and it spun out. i nailed the guard rail almost head on and then two more times in the back and along the drivers side.

all of the front body work, rear body work including the hatch, and the rear quarter panel on the drivers side. no frame damage and little engine work.

 

[Kmvreter]

Re: Re: Re: Need Help Diagnosing Handling Problems [04 Limited 4WD]

it was raining, i hit some standing water and it spun out. i nailed the guard rail almost head on and then two more times in the back and along the drivers side.

all of the front body work, rear body work including the hatch, and the rear quarter panel on the drivers side. no frame damage and little engine work.

Sorry to hear it was so extensive.
No frame work but maybe they missed something in the suspension. Did they look at front and rear components like linkages, control arms, bushings, etc... Did any of the wheel or axle ends take a hit? Vibration that gets worse depending on speed seems like something is bent or loose (versus a balancing harmonic that only happens, comes and goes, over a narrow speed range, usually +/- 60 mph.) What kind of repair shop is doing all this rebalancing?

Is your insurance aware of your ongoing ride complaint? If not, then make them aware and they should pick up the ball and get it looked at and fixed. Some repairs go deeper than just body work. Sounds like they didn't fix it right from the outset so make them (the insurance) accountable to fix it. Give them a chance to respond. If they won't, then take it to a reputable dealer, let them go over it with a fine tooth comb to find it, fix it, and then take the bill back to the insurance. Take it to small claims court if you have to (keep the lawyers out of it.) Either way, it's fixable. If not, it will affect potential future resale value.

 

[rook]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Need Help Diagnosing Handling Problems [04 Limited 4WD]

. Some repairs go deeper than just body work. Sounds like they didn't fix it right from the outset so make them (the insurance) accountable to fix it. Give them a chance to respond. If they won't, then take it to a reputable dealer, let them go over it with a fine tooth comb to find it, fix it, and then take the bill back to the insurance. Take it to small claims court if you have to (keep the lawyers out of it.) Either way, it's fixable. If not, it will affect potential future resale value.

Best advice yet!

Most body shops are not very good at the mechanical side of things and often source out that part of the repair.

I disagree with just handing a bill to the insurance co. That might not go over too well, but you can call them for a supplement to the original repair. When the appraiser comes out, show the documentation (your repair orders) to support what is wrong.

Its a little tough for us to diagnose much further. Good luck.

 

[Kmvreter]

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Need Help Diagnosing Handling Problems [04 Limited 4WD]

Most body shops are not very good at the mechanical side of things and often source out that part of the repair.

I disagree with just handing a bill to the insurance co. That might not go over too well, but you can call them for a supplement to the original repair...

I agree and that's why I said "Give them a chance to respond..."

 

[EH007]

Consider checking yout driveshafts....

.

This is good advice. You didn't say how bad the accident was, but if the shop that did the repairs had to remove the driveshafts for any reason, they should have indexed them to ensure that they back in the same exact postion as they were removed. Or if they replaced either of the driveshafts, then you might have gotten one that wasn't properly balanced.