Weird front end shimmy at higher speeds

Hey there everyone! I'm a new member with a new (to me) Tacoma. I have noticed a front-end shimmy starting at about 68-70 mph and continuing at higher speeds. I just had the tires balanced. I notice a slight pull to the right, so I'm having an alignment done. Can an alignment issue cause the shimmy? Should I be concerned with any known front end bugs for this model year? The truck is stock-no mods. Thanks in advance for any answers!

 

You're doing the right thing by getting an alignment.

It's the process of troubleshooting & process of elimination.

The only thing I can think of ...is to check your tire pressure. Make sure all tires have same pressures.

It could be other things... An allignment is the first and most obvious (at this point) on your TO DO list.

Good Luck and report back.....

 

Janster, thanks. I hope the alignment settles things. I will let you know...

 

Tire pressure has a huge effect on pulling to the right/left especially when braking. An alignment may fix it but be sure your tires are at equal pressure like was already mentioned.

 

Maybe a bad wheel bearing? I know I had an issue with mine recently that caused my truck to wobble at hwy speeds but never noticed it just driving around in the city.

 

Check your tie rod ends too. Mine wandered all over the place at higher speeds. When I had an alignment I had them replace the inner/outer tie rod ends on my driver side and it cured it almost completely. I also had my rack bushings changed at the same time so that may have had a little to do with it as well.

 

Hey there 99nmtaco-- The previous owner lived in the mountains and really rode the brakes. My first order of business was to change the front pads and rotors. The rotors were warped and heat-blued, and three out of four of the pads were cracked from heat. So the wheel bearings were just repacked--but a good thought.

FFirg--when I had the brakes done, they did a thorough inspection of the front end and said it was tight. What should I be looking for in case they missed something? What should I be asking them to check?

Thanks everyone for your replies...

 

What type of tires, what size, and how worn? Any uneven wear between tires, or especially across a tire's tread (uneven wear from previous misalignment)? This could cause shimmy or pull.

Even if a shop says they balanced wheels, they don't always get it right. Also, if you have the stock TRD aluminum wheels, they are sort of notorious for being difficult to balance, and there is a special tool out there to help, but a good tech at a good shop should be able to get a good dynamic balance without it.

Oh, and welcome!

 

had the same thing but up around 50-70 mph. initally thought alignment and rotors as well, checked everything and found my right front strut was blown/wasted (small fluid puddle under control arm and a lot on the strut itself). haven't gotten around to replacing it yet but since everything else checks out that has to be the culprit.

 

Interesting. Yeah, if that wheel is jumping up and down, that would amount to a lot of time not having full pavement contact and keeping the truck going straight.

 

Thanks all. Problem solved. 4 new tires (had tread separation on the front right) and an alignment, and it has a super smooth ride. Thanks for all the feedback!