Steering shake Issues

Hey y’all, long time lurker. I’ve been chasing down a steering issue on my 2000 Toyota Tacoma 4x4 TRD, 5-speed manual, rear locker, Extra Cab—and I’m completely stumped. Hoping someone here has dealt with something similar or can help me figure this out.

Symptoms:

Steering wheel shakes and moves side to side slightly after hitting a bump

The truck sort of “dives” or follows every pothole


No clunks or popping noises

I tried my best to take a good video: https://youtube.com/shorts/NpphszRVLtQ?si=tyncnhOGBHsg4pJD

What I’ve Replaced (All OEM):

Steering rack (new)

Outer tie rods

Lower ball joints

Sway bar end links + sway bar bushings

Coilovers (King 2.5s, currently with 0 preload)

Alignment done after suspension work

Wheel bearings checked (no play)


Tires & Alignment:

I was told by a shop that it was bad tires causing the issue, so I bought a brand new set of all-terrains

Tires have been balanced twice—at two different shops

I’ve also had the truck aligned at two different shops

Still no improvement in the symptoms


Other Notes:

Shake is felt in the steering wheel, not the seat

No brake shake, no clunking, no popping

Truck wanders on freeway

Mechanic recently suggested lower control arm bushings might be the issue

I haven’t replaced upper control arms, UBJ or bushings yet

Steering shaft hasn’t been checked yet, but I’m starting to suspect it may be the last remaining issue


If anyone has had similar symptoms from LCA bushings, the steering shaft (tack weld mod), or something else I'm not thinking of, I’d love to hear your experience. Also, if anyone knows of a really solid front-end or suspension shop in North County San Diego (or even farther out if it’s worth the drive), please drop a recommendation. I’ve spent way too much time and money trying to figure this out.

Appreciate any help!

 

If those are the factory LCA bushings, they might be shot enough to permit significant wobble, depending on how badly the rubber has degraded. (25 year old rubber, not exactly... shocking). I doubt it's the upper control arms. There's a good chance the intermediate shaft is contributing, at the age of your truck. I know mine's got a little bit of back & forth in it that I need to get around to resolving. Maybe. Eventually.

If you can get the front end in the air, you can lever on the LCA bushings with a pry bar - they should move at least a little, but if they move and then don't come back they're definitely gone. Another symptom of them being on their way out/gone is if they move with minimal force. I would also say if those are the factory LCA bushings, it would be unsurprising.

 

Thanks man, I really appreciate the insight. I’m almost certain they’re still the factory bushings, but I just wanted to cover my bases and get some outside opinions before I start firing the parts cannon again. I’ll definitely check them out with a pry bar when I get home and see how they move.

 

What size and weight rating tires are you running? Load range E doesn't play well with little tacomas in general, especially with any aged softening bits up front. *not the balance, just the substantial weight that E carries over a C rating.

I would also suspect control arm bushings in this case. Did the alignment hit spec fine?

 

Spot weld the steering shaft from behind the steering wheel. The minor side to side steering wheel sway went away after I did that modification on my other Tacoma I sold.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/steering-wheel-play-tac-weld-fix.309681/

https://youtu.be/y_AsS2Km9rE?si=IpN1wa5kS44oVfwh

 

Was gonna suggest this as well. I am also hunting down steering wheel play. I found that using this method above I have play in the steering wheel and will be pulling it out to do the tack weld.

 

I’m running 265/75R16 Load Range E tires. I know E isn’t ideal for a Tacoma and definitely adds a good chunk of unsprung weight, so I’ve been wondering if that’s part of the issue too. The tires are only a couple years old, but I wouldn’t be surprised if that extra stress is starting to show in the front end. I had both shops say it hit spec, but I forgot to ask for the sheets to check the numbers myself.

 

Interesting, did that actually create a shake over bumps like I’m getting? I was under the impression that the tackweld mod mostly helped with wandering or play/loose steering feel at higher speeds, not a bump-induced shimmy. Will definitely look into it more closely, thanks.

 

Did you notice if your play was more noticeable over bumps or just general slop at all speeds? I’ve been debating the tack weld too, but just want to make sure it’s worth the effort of pulling the column. I wasn’t totally sure if the shake/shimmy I’m getting could actually be caused by the column, so I’d definitely like to hear more about the symptoms you have. Not sure if the video I took shows it clearly enough, but the steering wheel has a noticeable wobble over rougher patches.

 

On the 98, both freestanding and immediately after a bump.

 

If you haven't done the LCA and UCA bushings, 100% start there.

 

One of the unique symptoms that I have is driving really slowly off-road on bumpy terrain and I can feel the steering wheel very clearly jerk back and forth and it feels pretty disconnected from the actual truck itself.

I have also been experiencing general steering wheel vibrations at highway speeds. I swapped from my off road tires to my highway tires and that definitely helped reduce the steering wheel vibration wobble. I checked my tie rods and they seem fine, there might be a little inner tie rod or steering rack play. See this thread I started a couple weeks ago.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/loose-steering-and-tie-rod-play.856818/

When I put vice grip on the steering shaft and held that and turned the steering wheel there was definitely some play there. But I’m still a bit from doing the work as I’m too busy to get it done right now. I’ll message back after I pulled the column and weld it up.

 

Got it, that’s super helpful. Mine definitely has a bit of a shimmy right after hitting bumps and I will check the freestanding play, so sounds like it's a similar situation to what you had on the ‘98. I’ll dig into that thread and probably give the tack weld a shot. Appreciate the insight — hoping it makes a difference.

 

Yeah that’s been on my mind too. Haven’t done the LCA or UCA bushings yet, so I’m thinking that might be the next move. Pretty sure they’re original and probably tired at this point. Appreciate the heads up — sounds like it’s time to finally tackle those even if it doesn't fix my issue.

 

That actually sounds super similar to what I’m dealing with — especially that disconnected feeling at low speeds on bumpy terrain. The highway vibration mellowed out a bit when I swapped tires too, so it seems like there’s a combo of things going on. I haven’t tested it with vice grips yet, but I’m planning to soon. Been pretty busy myself lately, but hopefully I can get to it soon. Definitely curious to see if the tack weld helps once you get around to it — keep me posted.

 

Update for you guys:

Had about an hour free so I decided to go ahead and pull the steering column out(since its free to do). Super easy—took maybe 10–15 minutes max. I was fully ready to tack weld it, but then I figured I should check for play first.


I took a quick video (attached below)—not sure how clear it is—but it looks like there’s virtually no movement in the column. Like, seriously, no noticeable play at all. Definitely nothing like what I’ve seen in other videos where the shaft shifts or clunks. Now I’m kind of stuck—should I still tack weld it just to see if it helps, or leave it alone since it seems tight? Would love to hear what y’all think before I throw a weld on it for no reason.

https://youtube.com/shorts/e-SVkW4G-qU