I have a 2005 Subaru Legacy and the steering wheel shimmies all the time. My Subaru mechanic can't find a reason for this. I did try another general mechanic, without telling him that this appointment was really a 'second opinion' and after rotating all the tires, numerous test drives he couldn't figure it out either and referred me to my original mechanic, telling me that he's the best Subaru guy in town.
View 5 RepliesWhat might be the problem with my 2001 Pathfinder 4WD. I notice steering wheel shaking/shimmy when driving but not all the time. The vehicle has 125K miles. Is it tie rods, struts, warped rotors, alignment? What it might be before going to a repair shop. Have had tires rotated and balanced.
View 2 RepliesIn the past month our 2005 Subaru Legacy has had a vibration(intermittently) where the steering wheel going slightly back/forth 60-70 MPH. I understand a wheel balance can cause this. However intermittently does not make sense. My wife simply speeds up to 80MPH and it disappeared or less than 60. Any clues?
View 2 RepliesIn the couple of days since my last oil change, my 2003 Subaru Legacy (161K miles) won't start after sitting for some time. It turns over and runs for literally one second, then dies. It is standard transmission. If I have it out of gear and apply gas, it will start and stay started, but if I take my foot off the gas, it stops. I don't have to apply a lot of gas (not floor it). Once it is warmed up it runs fine. It seems to start fine if it sits a little while, but anything over an hour, and it doesn't start. One place I read said it could be the security system, with my key needing to be re-programmed. Other possibilities seem all over the map.
View 9 RepliesI recently purchased a brand new 2016 Legacy, and the moon roof leaks every time it rains. Water drips in at the back edge of the moon roof into a plastic tray that is supposedly part of the drainage system. I have had the moon roof replaced and the same issue still occurs. The dealership now says that the moon roof and drainage system are working as designed. I have a hard time believing that Subaru designed the moon roof to leak. However, the service manager at the dealership did show me another 2016 Legacy on the lot that had the same leak. I contacted Subaru regarding this issue and was told that they trust their service department's analysis of this issue.
View 1 RepliesI bought a brand new 07 Legacy 2.5i sedan at the end of 2006. At 1500 miles the steering was problematic, took it in to the dealer, and by the time they were done, they replaced the entire power steering system. They said the problem was with the power steering rack, which they replaced. I asked if this new part was from the same supplier, so could also be defective, and apparently it is. I am rather alarmed, this is the 1st brand new car I have purchased in 20+ years.
View 27 RepliesThere is a knocking, hesitation in the wheel rotation? transaxle?
View 4 RepliesAfter having the wheels aligned, my 1997 Legacy wagon developed a vibration. It started to shake at about 60 mph. Now it vibrates when the car is "under load", going up a hill and accelerating . The vibration disappears on the down hill or decelerating. I had the drive shaft rebuilt ($500.00), and the problem is basically the same.
View 5 RepliesAs I was driving home the other day, I noticed the steering wheel on my 99 Subaru Legacy (130,000+ miles) became considerably stiffer than ever before. I pulled into my driveway (where, incidentally, the wheel loosened up) and checked the power steering fluid. Unsurprisingly, it was low.
I haven't been on the road since, but I did turn the car around in the driveway. Aside from the wheel gently stuttering or pausing initially (it's done this when cold for a while now -- I always assumed it was a loose belt or something) the wheel seemed normal.
I made an appointment with a mechanic and described my symptoms. He said he'd have to take a look but suspected it was a bad power steering pump. Is this the only possibility? Could it be a bad belt or a leak somewhere in the system? If it is the pump, how much should I expect to pay to have it fixed?
So a bit of background, I'm not the original owner, it has about 190,000 miles on it, and is almost definitely due for an oil change. Anyways, I was driving home, the car was running fine, I got into the left turn lane and had to come to a complete stop in the intersection. As I was about to turn, I felt the steering lock up, and there was no throttle response, I was in a bit of a panic so I didn't see if the engine shut off but several warning lights went on including the check engine light. I turned the key into the off position then restarted the car and it worked fine for the small remainder of the drive. What caused this or how I could prevent it from happening again?
View 3 RepliesI've got a 2006 Camry (4cyl) with 136K miles. Yesterday, I noticed a mild shimmy in the steering wheel around 35 mph. If I take my hands off the wheel it shimmies back and forth about 1/4 inch or so. I pulled over and checked my tires, but didn't find any obvious defects. The shimmy goes away at higher speeds, and drives fine at freeway speed.
I am somewhat certain that I need new struts pretty soon because there is some slight inside cupping on the front tires.
2004 Dodge Intrepid. 70000 miles. Shimmy in steering wheel. Seems to come and go at about 7 second intervals. Suspension, tires, balance, alignment all check OK. One mechanic suggested steering rack valve problem. Could the computer possibly have anything to do with the 7 second interval?
View 16 Replies2003 Honda Civic. Any speed between 30 and 50, car suddenly starts pronounced steering wheel shimmy, too intense to ignore. You can park, start up again and it's gone.
View 1 RepliesI'm wondering if I have a problem or if its a matter of not used to this new "fly-by-wire" steering system cars are going to.
When I put my hands at 11 and 2 on the steering wheel and slowly slide my hands down to 9 and 3, the steering wheel has a shimmy/vibration. Doesn't happen while driving, turning, or anything. Is this normal? I could get the camcorder out and do a small video of it.
My wife's Corolla has 71k on it. She recently had tires put on, and now she has a shimmy from about 30mph on up. It seems worst at 60-65. In all of my years, this is a classic example of a tire(s) out of balance.
I've taken it back to the shop that replaced the tires twice to make sure they're balanced, and then took it to a second shop to be certain that the first shop was on the up and up and actually balanced the tires. Everything checks out as being balanced.
Another possible cause could be a bad/worn out axle. The whole front suspension was rebuilt 9,000 miles ago. Everything checks out and there are no leaks anywhere. So that rules that this as well.
What else could it be? Is it possible that one (or more) of the new tires are out of round? Maybe a bent rim? But is seems awfully coincidental that this only started happening after the tires were replaced. What might be the cause of this mystery shimmy?
I have a 2001 Subaru legacy outback station wagon that is making a rotational squeeking/screeching noise from a passenger side wheel (haven't determined which one). I hear the noise when I am going slow, below 20 mph, though I can't tell if it is still making the noise at higher speeds. It stops completely when I apply my brakes. The brakes and tires were replaced within the last 3 months, this noise has been occurring for much longer than that.
View 3 RepliesMy old and often very reliable '93 Subaru's power steering died the other day. I was driving and my engine suddenly started making a deep ticking sound. I pulled over and with it running, popped the hood. The sound was coming from the front of the engine near the visible belts. I decided to keep driving. After about 10 miles that's when the power steering died. Then my battery light and break light came on (which in the past has usually indicated that something is up with the battery or something is drawing from the battery more than it should). THEN I began to smell burnt rubber.
What I want to know is this: my boyfriend says that it's probably the surpentine (sp?) belt or the pump thingy that runs the steering. First, I want to know if I can drive it to the shop or if that is a dangerous thing to do. The steering is really hard but I can still make it work. I'm a grad student and I don't have the money to get a tow, but will will find the money if I have to. Second, is my boyfriend right and will it cost a lot? Again, poor grad student.
2002 SC430 with 50k miles. I have a set of aftermarket Dolce rims that are 18" with the stock size tires. I have the eccentric spacers on them as well. They have been mounted and balanced. I also have a set of Dunlop snow tires on my stock rims. Obviously I do a seasonal change over.
With either set of tires I am getting a steering wheel shake at 60-65 mph. By 80mph its gone and the car glides perfectly. There is no pulsation in the brake pedal and there is minimal wear on the pads. Below 60mph there is no issues as well.
Tires are wearing evenly. Some roads will make the movement worse, but it always goes away at around 80 mph.
Now both sets of tires were mounted and balanced by the same shop. I assume that could be it...there machine is faulty. But I would like some other possibilities before I try somewhere else.
I have a 2001 Toyota highlander with 160000 miles on it. I recently got new tires and alignment. The problem is when I reach 65 my steering wheel starts to shimmy. The wheels were balanced and the shimmering last for ten to fifteen minutes. What might be causing this?
View 5 RepliesVibrating at 50-55mph, also at 75+, was reduced considerably when forward transmission mount was replaced. Still shimmies and feel little in the steering wheel. Have replaced tie rod ends, back struts and tires. Need to figure out what I am missing.
View 2 Replies2010 FJ Cruiser has an intermittent shimmy that you can feel in the steering wheel at highway speeds. Noticed it not long after new tires. Go around a long curve and it starts, then stays until you go around another curve and then stops. It is as if the wheels have to align a certain way for some harmonic effect. I had the tires rebalanced and rotated. My mechanic said they balanced up very well. Shimmy is better but not gone. Wierdest thing is that when it happens, if I keep my foot on the gas and gently press the brake the shimmy stops and the returns as soon as I let up on the brake. When I asked my mechanic if it could be 2 slightly warped rotors he said the shimmy would be worse braking not better.
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