Steering wheel vibration Poll

[Haydenatx]

FINALLY FIXED IT!

I am happy to report that after 2 years of chasing this issue I have finally found the culprit.... One of my TRD pro wheels must be out of round or something. I ordered them on ebay so it's possible that one was dropped during shipping and dented juuuuust enough to throw the whole thing off. I knew it wasn't the tires because I have had 3 sets of tires on these wheels and the issue never went away.

After installing Spidertrax 1.25" spacers last week the vibration got violent. Like the steering wheel moving one inch either direction... So I went to a friends house to use his jack and tools. I knew that since the wheel was shaking that it had to be one of the front wheels. I swapped the front driver side wheel for the back driver side. Vibration still there. Went back and swapped the front passenger side wheel for the back passenger wheel.... Vibration gone. Since I had a full sized spare with TRD wheel I removed the bad wheel and put it on my tire carrier. That wheel will never be mounted to my truck again. I want to take it out into a field and give it the old office space treatment...

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[ellroy2]

I had the dealership put on new Michelin Defender LTX MS tires back in May. The vibration after the new tires was 90% better. However, within the last couple of weeks it has started to come back. It is now noticeable again between 60-65mph.

Ironically ever since they did an alignment during the new tire install, the truck will drift to the left when the steering wheel is straight and center. I have taken it back 2 times since to have them correct it but it is the still the same. I had them address the alignment issue a few weeks ago when I was in for my 12 month service. It was still the same so the next day I went back and had one of the reps drive around the block. He acknowledged it was off and said to bring it back in and they will fix it.

So now I have a off center steering wheel and a vibration. The vibration didn't really become noticeable again until after my 12 month service, so once I take it back in for the alignment I will bring up the vibration again.

I have been up to the dealership with this issue more times in the 1st year than I did over 8 years with my 08 4Runner. It is very frustrating that I don't even enjoy driving this truck down the highway, especially after working so hard to be able to afford it.

But it is even more frustrating that there is no consistent fix and that Toyota won't acknowledge or address the issue. Maybe if enough people seek arbitration then they will start to take notice....

 

[Throwback]

Yeah I have to believe it's something symptomatic of the truck itself, not the tires/wheels, at least in my case.

On my commute on the same roads at the same speeds I have some days with absolutely zero vibration and some days with the 55-60mph steering wheel shake.

 

[1jzgte]

That's a bummer, I was hoping my future set of tires (Michelin LTX) would be the end all solution to this problem. Looks like it wont fix it according to your experience.

 

[MissouriBreaks]

FINALLY FIXED IT!

I am happy to report that after 2 years of chasing this issue I have finally found the culprit.... One of my TRD pro wheels must be out of round or something. I ordered them on ebay so it's possible that one was dropped during shipping and dented juuuuust enough to throw the whole thing off. I knew it wasn't the tires because I have had 3 sets of tires on these wheels and the issue never went away.

After installing Spidertrax 1.25" spacers last week the vibration got violent. Like the steering wheel moving one inch either direction... So I went to a friends house to use his jack and tools. I knew that since the wheel was shaking that it had to be one of the front wheels. I swapped the front driver side wheel for the back driver side. Vibration still there. Went back and swapped the front passenger side wheel for the back passenger wheel.... Vibration gone. Since I had a full sized spare with TRD wheel I removed the bad wheel and put it on my tire carrier. That wheel will never be mounted to my truck again. I want to take it out into a field and give it the old office space treatment...

Interesting. I will relate my experience with my former FJ Cruiser. Had absolutely no vibration up to 17,000 miles. At that point, I ordered TRD Pro wheels off the internet. Did not have enough funds for new tires and mounted the tires that had come on the FJ on the new wheels.

The guy mounting the tires had difficulty balancing the new wheels and my FJ developed a very slight, but still noticeable wobble that it had not had previously. This really annoyed me and I wrote it off to the new wheels being narrower than the old wheels and the tires not being proper for the new and slightly thinner wheels.

The new TRD Pro has no issues so far, but with only 650 miles, it is too early to tell. I did notice that the Nitto tires are a different size than the tires that were on the FJ, so I am still pinning the issue on the FJ to the tires. I could never narrow it down to a single wheel/rim like you did.

 

[ellroy2]

That's a bummer, I was hoping my future set of tires (Michelin LTX) would be the end all solution to this problem. Looks like it wont fix it according to your experience.

They are very good tires and the vibration was virtually gone for 2 months(over 2000 miles) after installation. The fact that the vibration has slowly come back within the last couple of weeks makes this even more perplexing.

 

[Supa LA]

I noticed this vibration on my brand new TRD OR yesterday while hwy driving. It made me very nervous. I was not sure what to make of it, the car has 200 miles on it and this was the first time i had experienced it. Now, on the way home, down the same hwy, i felt nothing. I have heard that the factory alignment from Toyota can be mediocre, at best. I may try to get it looked at by my tire guy here soon.

 

[1jzgte]

I noticed this vibration on my brand new TRD OR yesterday while hwy driving. It made me very nervous. I was not sure what to make of it, the car has 200 miles on it and this was the first time i had experienced it. Now, on the way home, down the same hwy, i felt nothing. I have heard that the factory alignment from Toyota can be mediocre, at best. I may try to get it looked at by my tire guy here soon.

I've done an alignment, I've done multiple balance and rotations at various tire shops. They've done road force and normal balances. I have bridgestone dueler alenza plus tires which are well rated at tire rack. They are however made in mexico. I wanted to try some Michelin tires to see if that fixes it. But according to the post above the shaking has returned after 2000 miles.

 

[Supa LA]

I've done an alignment, I've done multiple balance and rotations at various tire shops. They've done road force and normal balances. I have bridgestone dueler alenza plus tires which are well rated at tire rack. They are however made in mexico. I wanted to try some Michelin tires to see if that fixes it. But according to the post above the shaking has returned after 2000 miles.

I'm wondering if all new suspension components and wheels/tires would remedy it? There has to be a fix by the dealer, being under warranty if it continues.

 

[ellroy2]

I'm wondering if all new suspension components and wheels/tires would remedy it? There has to be a fix by the dealer, being under warranty if it continues.

If you read through the entire thread, you will not see any consistency with fixes. No common denominator. There have been many variations of tires, wheels, and multiple balances. Some people claim new tires fixed it, some new wheels, some a wheel balance, some a lift, new steering rack, etc. Then there are many that have tried multiple things on their vehicle with no positive results. Of those who have posted and claimed a fix, I wonder how many are still driving a vibrationless truck. Mine took 2 months to come back after new tires.

 

[Throwback]

I had not one vibration all day today, driving the exact same route that I normally do, probably 60 miles today, a good chunk running 60-75mph. Tomorrow I could have the vibration all day, or it could be smooth until next week. There is no rhyme or reason to it.

 

[GreyLife]

That's a bummer, I was hoping my future set of tires (Michelin LTX) would be the end all solution to this problem. Looks like it wont fix it according to your experience.

Nope!

Nothing will fix this. Its in my opinion after reading numerous threads here and elsewhere that nothing will fix this. But keep in mind that a Lexus GX had this problem and the fix was new preload springs. Theres a TSB somewhere on this site about it. Someone also replaced every single front end component including tires and rims and the shake was still an issue. The only component not replaced by him.....the power steering rack. I would suspect that is because you have to lift up the engine to remove the rack and put in a replacement. Toyota knows about this problem I guarantee. But they have not resolved it. And it wont get resolved until the next generation because they will have chosen a new supplier for the rack.

 

[ellroy2]

Nope!

Nothing will fix this. Its in my opinion after reading numerous threads here and elsewhere that nothing will fix this. But keep in mind that a Lexus GX had this problem and the fix was new preload springs. Theres a TSB somewhere on this site about it. Someone also replaced every single front end component including tires and rims and the shake was still an issue. The only component not replaced by him.....the power steering rack. I would suspect that is because you have to lift up the engine to remove the rack and put in a replacement. Toyota knows about this problem I guarantee. But they have not resolved it. And it wont get resolved until the next generation because they will have chosen a new supplier for the rack.

There have been a couple of owners earlier on in this thread that were able to get Toyota to replace the steering rack. If I recall, at least one of them claimed that the new rack did not fix it. But I suppose if they are replacing it with the same brand and components, then they would just be replacing a faulty one with another faulty one. But why does this only seem to be problem with some 4Runners? Does every truck have the same issue, but only some notice it? Even if it is a poorly designed steering rack, there still HAS to be a way to remedy the issue.

 

[Racehoss]

Could it be the Trd pro wheels? Who's got the vibes on regular sr5, trail or limited rims?

 

[007Tacoma]

Could it be the Trd pro wheels? Who's got the vibes on regular sr5, trail or limited rims?

Trail Wheels here. Every time I had a vibration, a rebalance fixed it. Most times I found that I had lost a weight or had something in the tire (screw, bolt, hunk of rock...). Recently switched to the Falken Wildpeak AT3/W on all 5 wheels. With this setup I have a slight vibration at 55 MPH, but it is barely perceivable.

 

[GreyLife]

There have been a couple of owners earlier on in this thread that were able to get Toyota to replace the steering rack. If I recall, at least one of them claimed that the new rack did not fix it. But I suppose if they are replacing it with the same brand and components, then they would just be replacing a faulty one with another faulty one. But why does this only seem to be problem with some 4Runners? Does every truck have the same issue, but only some notice it? Even if it is a poorly designed steering rack, there still HAS to be a way to remedy the issue.

Thank you for the reply. I didnt see that part. Very interesting. I actually spoke to my dealer about having the rack replaced for this problem but I got the standard corporate bullshit answer....everything is in spec, no problem found. THen they quoted me to have the rack replaced if I wanted it replaced and the labor alone would cost 2K. That doesnt include the price of the rack. And of course I would not choose the rack that Toyota chose to contract from the maker. Again, thank you for the info that I missed.

 

[ellroy2]

Could it be the Trd pro wheels? Who's got the vibes on regular sr5, trail or limited rims?

I think people have reported it on all types of OEM wheels. So I don't think the type of wheel is the culprit.

 

[Explore604]

Is everyone in this thread referring strictly to actual visible shimmy/movement of the steering wheel? Presumably due to tire/wheel balance issues that show around the 60 mph mark?

I just got a new TRD OR and seem to have a related (but different?) steering wheel vibration issue. Mine has zero visible movement or even feeling of movement showing up at any speed.

What I feel seems to be transmitted resonance or tingly feeling sensation. It is constant and does not change with speed or engine RPMS. It does seem to go away just before coming to a complete stop (auto trans disengaging?). It seems auto trans/driveline related.

Basically, it is like a minor sensation of when your hands go numb (pins and needles). I may be more sensitive to this that most. I suspect it's "normal" for this truck and most don't notice it.

Does anyone else notice this?

I did find one post somewhere of someone mentioning a similar things ("feels like hands going numb, annoying on long drives"), but not sure of details. Also, seems to be a common similar issue on Tacomas.

It's not road feel because it doesn't change with speed.

I did test drive two SR5's before buying the TRD OR and remember that there may have been this sensation but at the time I was paying attention to looking for the 60 mph shimmy (none had it).

Basically, I'd like to deaden/dampen the feel of the wheel in my hands. Apparently the 4runner already has a steering wheel shake damper seen here:

https://www.toyotapartsdeal.com/parts-list/2017-toyota-4runner/steering-wheel.html

Two parts are listed that fit with one specifying for "Limited Package". I wonder if Limited models get a heavier damper perhaps?

Thanks.
Sorry for the FRAT

 

[jron4]

2 weeks into my New to me 2012 SR5. Truck is CLEAN and in superb condition with 32k on it. Typically not enough milage to look into suspension issues.

went to the dealer took it for a test drive and had a very noticeable wobble, I simply chalked it up as balance was off since brand new tires were put on it. Sales guy said it would be fixed, fine no big deal. I picked up the truck after hours and didn't get to drive it after it was "fixed". It still had a wobble but very much improved. I set up an appointment and had them look at it again. They re balanced the tires and it got better but not perfect.

It only happens around 55-65 mph. But not all the time. In my situation it comes from the passenger side.

Its not terrible... however it is slightly annoying

 

[jron4]

Could it be the Trd pro wheels? Who's got the vibes on regular sr5, trail or limited rims?

No, I experience it with my stock SR5 rims