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Steering wheel Shake

Discussion in '2nd Gen. Tacomas (2005-2015)' started by mxmaniac, Jun 25, 2010.

  1. Sep 14, 2014 at 8:29 AM
    #661
    Tech1

    Tech1 Well-Known Member

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    I'm sorry to hear that arbitration didn't work out for you, I currently have a arbitration teleconference meeting appointment set for October. I'm not holding my breath, after my 2012 Tacoma having the same issue and no lemon law attorney would take the case. All lemon attorney's have to be able to support the case on a safety base foundation and steering wheel shake is not considered
    a safety issue, not in there opinion anyhow.

    So I thought I would just give it a shot on my 2014 Tacoma, I'm also considering going to social outlet like Facebook or News Media.Toyota
    dealership on Monday going to look at again and check alignment,balance a tech
    really took some interest in it and also noticed R/F tire stepping after I showed it
    to him, I'm hoping they fix it, I really like the truck otherwise.


    Jon
     
  2. Sep 14, 2014 at 11:22 AM
    #662
    Taco5speed

    Taco5speed Active Member

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    If they saw how much my steering wheel is shaking they would change their minds quick about it being a safety issue. Words of advice...Avoid all firestone shops. Terrible. Going to toyota first thing tomorrow.
     
  3. Sep 19, 2014 at 11:53 AM
    #663
    Tech1

    Tech1 Well-Known Member

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    I agree any steering wheel shake to me is a safety issue, also I went to Firestone for some input and their attitude sucks totally blew me off. They will never see my business that's for sure.

    Toyota rotated bad tire to the rear and did alignment on Monday 8th, I still have shake ! maybe a little better hard to tell it's always been up and down.
     
  4. Sep 19, 2014 at 12:16 PM
    #664
    XJ1100JKen

    XJ1100JKen Well-Known Member

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    I used dynabeads in F/R tires on our KLR650 (now 685's!) and I will never use them again. First, they do not work as advertised, still had high speed (started around 65mph and prevented us from going much faster) and low speed surging. Second, every damn time you check the tire pressure, one of those beads gets stuck in the valve and deflates the tire! Third, after you've tried them and decide to get rid of them, they're a PITA remove. If you are using tubes, buy new tubes. Once I replaced the tubes, spooned the new tires on (shinko 705) and balanced them out, it was smooth sailing all the way up to 80+mph (16 tooth front sprocket)

    I wouldn't waste my time messing with them.
     
  5. Sep 19, 2014 at 12:42 PM
    #665
    XJ1100JKen

    XJ1100JKen Well-Known Member

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    Try to find as much documentation about premature wear and failure of components when a vehicle has excessive vibration. Having documentation from a certified technician (prev employed by toyota big plus) or an expert witness might help too. I made the mistake of playing fair, I shared ALL my documentation, emails and records with the company Toyota uses for dispute resolution. They shared all that info with Toyota. So when it came time for our hearing, every point or issue we brought up was shot down the toyota rep, we made his job easy. We should have held our cards close to the vest till the meeting.

    Another thing that might make a difference. Are the repair invoices from the dealer listed as Internal or Warranty? It should be printed to the right of the completed repair. I was told by one attorney that the 3 or 4 (depends on state) repairs or failed attempts to fix whatever problem you're having must be filed as warranty, not internal.

    We are done with the LL thing.. A client of ours that works at a law office spoke to their lead litigator, he said TN is pro business, not pro consumer or pro employee. It's one of the worst states in the nation for claims against manufacturers for defective products and for wrongful termination. Might explain, in part why so many auto manufactures have factories here.

    Good luck to you.. send me a PM if you want access to any of our information.
     
  6. Sep 19, 2014 at 5:39 PM
    #666
    Ma Deuce

    Ma Deuce Well-Known Member

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    But they sound awesome at stop signs :)

    I had beads in some 35x12.50s to try to help keep them balanced in the winters when I would get ice/snow packed in the wheels. The sound was the only real difference I noticed.

    I highly doubt they could take care of the Tacoma vibrations, but it would be cheap & easy to find out. Just by some copper head bbs, break the seal of the tire and poor them in.
     
  7. Sep 20, 2014 at 9:25 AM
    #667
    jage

    jage Well-Known Member

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    Ha! No, my shake is not bad enough at the moment to mess with anything- it's like an egg on it's end, and I'm not touching anything for fear it will return with a vengeance.
     
  8. Sep 20, 2014 at 12:28 PM
    #668
    Ma Deuce

    Ma Deuce Well-Known Member

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    lol, probably a good call.
     
  9. Sep 22, 2014 at 10:47 AM
    #669
    Capt. Obvious

    Capt. Obvious Fearless Keyboard Warrior

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    I've used balancing beads before with great results, so I decided to use them on my '12 when I got new tires (265/70/17 Hankook Dynapro ATMs). I'm getting really wicked vibrations at around 45mph and then again around 65mph. I had zero vibrations prior to getting the new tires.

    I put 5oz of beads in each tire, which should be more than enough since they are the P-rated version. All wheels were properly centered on the hub and torqued in the correct pattern. I swapped the front wheels to the back, and the vibration stayed in the front, while the rear is perfectly smooth.

    I know these trucks are known for having sloppy steering, and upon doing some research about why I could be getting extra vibrations with the beads, I discovered the sloppy steering in these trucks could be the reason why the beads don't work.

    I'll save you the lesson in physics, but the gist of the issue is that when there is slop in the steering causing vibration, the beads will move in an attempt to compensate for said vibration. However, because the vibration is not caused by the rotation of the tire, the beads aren't able to "find" the right spot to balance the tire out. This leads to a magnification of the vibration, especially once the tire speed/imbalance reaches the frequency of the steering vibration and it becomes becomes harmonic. This is the reason that a lot people who use beads on their motorcycles have problems with the beads, slop in the bearings (usually the neck), causes the same harmonic vibrations.

    So, long story short: due to limitations in the design of the Tacoma's steering components, beads probably aren't a good idea.
     
  10. Sep 23, 2014 at 11:48 AM
    #670
    Survival Systems

    Survival Systems New Member

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    I had a bad shake on my 99 Tacoma. Turned out it was one bad tire that was cupping from uneven wear. Rotated it to the back and the shake came from that location. Learned my lesson, got to keep those tires evenly rotated and worn! The new 04 Tacoma is so smooth I sort of marvel at the lack of shaking.
     
  11. Nov 21, 2014 at 11:15 AM
    #671
    dden

    dden Member

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    I have a 2006 Tacoma pre runner with same thing: Steering wheel shakes at 50-70 mph. First noticed it when I went in to have breaks checked. Mechanic said breaks were good and I did not need breaks yet, but, when I drove off, I noticed the shaking. Went back and he removed the front tires to see if they were balanced. He said they were in balance and did not know what was causing the shaking. He put the wheels back on and I drove off again...this time the shake was completely gone. I went for new tires about 2 months later (also got alignment), and now the shake is back. Have been back many times to re-balance, but can't correct problem. I am running 265/70 R17, which is the same size I have had for the last 50K miles without problem...any ideas?
     
  12. Nov 21, 2014 at 11:22 AM
    #672
    jaymac10

    jaymac10 Well-Known Member

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    The only advice I can give is to make sure the shop is using the proper adapter!

    http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-tacomas/347674-steering-vibration-after-new-tire-install.html#post9288588

    http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-tacomas/341106-duratrac-vibration-2.html#post9260519

    Cheers,

    Jay
     
  13. Nov 22, 2014 at 8:12 AM
    #673
    Tech1

    Tech1 Well-Known Member

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    Have a friend up the street with a 2006 got his fixed, dealer replaced spring in
    the rack and pinion there is a recall.

    With that said my last 2 tacoma's 2012 and 2014 and this issue neither one was able to be fixed by dealer, and the 2014 was bought back though arbitration.

    The previous post are correct, make sure they are using the right adapter and a road force balance machine. Most dealers have this so you shouldn't have a problem getting this done.

    Also from my experience I don't believe it's a tire brand issue, I think it's a defect in these trucks some have and some don't. I wish you the best of luck as for me I'm done with these trucks there's other options
     
  14. Nov 23, 2014 at 6:10 AM
    #674
    sgtnewundies

    sgtnewundies Well-Known Member

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    I would advise anyone considering purchasing these trucks or Toyota products in general consider looking elsewhere. I understand finding a quality manufacturer is a difficult process. Toyota was once a reliable, reasonable company to deal with. We can honestly say its not that way anymore. What Toyota charges for their products combined with the quality and the way they disputes warranty's its just not worth it.
     
  15. Nov 25, 2014 at 5:58 PM
    #675
    dden

    dden Member

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  16. Nov 25, 2014 at 6:03 PM
    #676
    dden

    dden Member

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    Just went today and got road force balance. Tech said the tires were already balanced to nearly perfect. He also recommended new ball joints, tie rods, and steering rack bushing, although he said he could not guarantee that would fix the shaking...
     
  17. Jan 26, 2015 at 6:19 PM
    #677
    tonyt915

    tonyt915 Well-Known Member

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    Not sure if this one's been mentioned, but has anyone checked the vents in the rotor? I've had a shake since the first trip off road, at first thought it was mud in the rim so cleaned them. Shake never went away till today after I noticed about 3/4 of the rotor on one side was packed with mud while changing the brakes, and about 1/2 packed on the other side. Cleaned the rotors out and truck drives smooth once again.
     
    Crom likes this.
  18. Jan 26, 2015 at 6:41 PM
    #678
    45longcolt

    45longcolt Well-Known Member

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    You might be on to something here that has plagued Tacoma owners for the longest. Not only your mud causing an imbalance but wonder if the rotors themselves could be the blame for some of the shaking/imbalance we see on some Tacoma's. Not all the leaf springs are heat treated properly, perhaps all the rotors aren't true balanced either.
     
  19. Jan 26, 2015 at 7:32 PM
    #679
    tonyt915

    tonyt915 Well-Known Member

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    I know I've had new rotors on other vehicles that were not balanced and it drove me crazy thinking the wheels were out of balance, never had factory rotors that weren't balanced though. It's definitely possible
     
  20. Jan 27, 2015 at 8:21 PM
    #680
    dden

    dden Member

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    I am almost certain that, in my case, it was caused by the way the wheels are mounted on the truck. The last time I took my truck to my mechanic to have the recommended steering rack bushings replaced, I had him test drive it first. he said the shake was so bad that I should get the bushing replaced immediately. So I had him check the brakes while I was there, and I ordered the bushings from my local off-road parts store. When I left the mechanic that day, after he checked the brakes and then put the wheels back on, the shake had completely disappeared. Thinking back, I realized that I first felt the shaking after having the brakes checked several months back, so I took the truck back to my mechanic to have him see if there was something wrong. He removed the wheels and replaced them again and the shake was gone. The shaking did not reappear until I had new tired installed at my local Evans Tire Co. I took it back 4 times in the following 3 weeks to try to have the shaking problem corrected, but was always unsuccessful. Something with the way my local mechanic is putting the wheels back on makes all of the difference in the world...
     

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