When turning, the steering wheel shakes - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

jnattanas · 10-18-2010, 09:40 PM

I have a 2006 Toyota Camry XLE V6 with 58000 miles.

As I begin to turn into a turn or just slightly turn the steering wheel left or right, I get a shake in the steering wheel. The steering wheel doesn't shake once I'm in the turn and the steering wheel doesn't really shake when I'm going straight. This issue gets worse as the speed rises, and is especially noticeable at highway speeds, but it is evident at much lower speeds.

I am also getting a slight rumbling noise from the front end under almost all conditions except perfectly smooth pavement. I'm wondering if these two issues are related... It doesn't get worse over major bumps or when turning, and it doesn't really get worse with speed.I have rotated the tires since the noise began and the noise/shake did not change, so I do not think it is a bad tire - which was my first thought.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Glenn8963 · 10-19-2010, 04:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jnattanas

I have a 2006 Toyota Camry XLE V6 with 58000 miles.

As I begin to turn into a turn or just slightly turn the steering wheel left or right, I get a shake in the steering wheel. The steering wheel doesn't shake once I'm in the turn and the steering wheel doesn't really shake when I'm going straight. This issue gets worse as the speed rises, and is especially noticeable at highway speeds, but it is evident at much lower speeds.

I am also getting a slight rumbling noise from the front end under almost all conditions except perfectly smooth pavement. I'm wondering if these two issues are related... It doesn't get worse over major bumps or when turning, and it doesn't really get worse with speed.I have rotated the tires since the noise began and the noise/shake did not change, so I do not think it is a bad tire - which was my first thought.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

since this shake seems to happen only when making turns and not going straight, i am thinking the rack or the pump is going bad. it takes pressure to steer the car which is what the pump is for. if the pump is bad, there isn't enough pressure to steer. if the rack is bad, basically the same thing here, as it needs pressure to turn. look for fluid leaks at the rack. look for low fluid level in the pump. use the proper fluid to top off the pump.

the rumbling noise could be low tire thread on those tires. when a tire wears down, the rubber compound is stiffer than the outer layer. may be time for new tires.

jnattanas · 10-19-2010, 06:28 AM

Thanks for your response.

A while back, I the intermediate steering shaft replaced due to, what I understand, was a relatively common problem with that generation of Camrys. I don't know if that may have something to do with it...

I'm having no other symptoms that I can notice relating to the steering - I would think if my steering rack/pump were going bad, that the handling would be sloppy/imprecise. But, I haven't noticed any changes. I have also recently had fluids checked at dealership during an oil change.

Also the tires are all new within the last year or so...though the noise does sound more like a bad tire than some other noise (like a wheel bearing.)

gdanaher · 10-19-2010, 07:00 AM

A wheel bearing is going to give you a continuous hum whose pitch changes with the speed of the car. It could also be related to tire balance, so I would rotate front to back and see if it helps.

BlackCamSe · 10-19-2010, 07:25 AM

Sounds like your cv joint. Crawl under your car and check the axel shaft and look for tears in the boot.

jnattanas · 10-19-2010, 08:20 PM

Thanks! A CV joint is a possibility...I will check that tomorrow. I've already had the tires balanced and rotated. My only other thought was to get the car rebalanced and see if that does anything. I don't know if this is normal of a car that simply needs balancing - it is possible they didn't balance it correctly the first time. Is it normal for a car that simply needs balancing to get worse when turning slightly left or right? If so, I may just have them rebalance the tires and see if that does anything... That wouldn't explain the noise, but would explain the shaking.

BlackCamSe · 10-19-2010, 09:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jnattanas

Thanks! A CV joint is a possibility...I will check that tomorrow. I've already had the tires balanced and rotated. My only other thought was to get the car rebalanced and see if that does anything. I don't know if this is normal of a car that simply needs balancing - it is possible they didn't balance it correctly the first time. Is it normal for a car that simply needs balancing to get worse when turning slightly left or right? If so, I may just have them rebalance the tires and see if that does anything... That wouldn't explain the noise, but would explain the shaking.

usually when its a balance issue its going to feel like that all the time, not just when turning. Definitely sounds like a CV joint, half shaft, or wheel hub/bearing. I mean if you wanted to eliminate tires/balancing as the issue you might want to rotate the tires and see if that helps. Basically use a process of elimination. Start with easiest and simplest issues and rule those out, then start looking into the more serious things. But it deff sounds like a suspension/steering issue to me.