Ive got an 08 and recently noticed slight steering wheel vibration on the highway at 60-70mph every so often. I'm going to have the dealer check it out at my first oil change. I think some said the suspension tsb took care of it.

 

While it's always possible there are other issues, it's been my experience that a vibration which is only noticed over about a 10 MPH range is typically a tire balance problem. Usually having them balanced will cure it however occasionally there's a problem with the tire or rim. (JMHO)

 

Most people with this shimmey have BFG's, which I have personal experience with. There has been alot of talk on this forum over BFG's. If you google the 65 MPH Shimmey you'll find more.

 

I agree, I have BFGs and I got the same thing occasionally.

 

TSB ST004-06 also adresses this issue

 

Well, I always thought that it may have been those wonderful Dunlop AT-20's, but put on new tires about 3 weeks ago and still there...maybe rims...?

 

i had this problem for the longest time but after my last dealership alighnment it seems to be gone completely...weird

 

i experienced this once the other day and i have 2 say i was a bit puzzled.....simply because my Lexus GX 470 does the same exact thing...i mean cmon people u can go the extra mile 2 buy these great Lexus vehicles and still get the same quality.....it must just be one problem the toyota car company cannot figure out

 

It could be lug centric wheels being balenced on a hub centric tire machine. Find a shop that has a finger plate adapter if you have lug centric wheels(stock).

 

Shimmy @ 55-65mph is almost always a tire balance problem.
If not tire balance then a tire out-of-round problem.

The BFG Rugged Trail AT out-of-round problem has been well documented.

As Dave suggests above, in rare cases its a wheel problem.

 

just got $700+ worth of 265/70/16 tires and there still seems to be some vibration.
rims were checked by dealer before the new tires and claims they are fine. maybe driveline vibe I read about somewhere maybe I need to have the rims looked at again and be a little more firm:hammer: I will have the balance rechecked first then to the dealer:ugh3:

 

Just went back to the dealer the other day, balanced again with what they called "special adapter" i assumed lug-centric, vib still there possibly worse i think the only cure is to get rid of the truck...

 

^ that's extreme...

 

i would love if there was a less extreme measure....and to a prior post i think it got worse with my rear leaf tsb, the suspension is harder and doesn't absorb as much of the vib making it seem worse

 

I also feel a slight vibe between 60-70mph, had it with the Sport rims and the Gunner 6. If I increase to 70+ seems to smooth out.

 

A couple years ago I had a vibration in one of my cars that was driving me crazy.

I had just bought a set of Michelins, and after several trips back to the tire center for re-balancing, feeling impatient, I walked in to the shop area where my car was on the lift. I grabbed one of the wheels and spun the tire as hard as I could. You could see the flat spot (excess radial runout) !

They mounted another pair and before they could waste any more time with balancing, we spun these too. More "wobble".

They gave me a full refund, and I never went back.

No tire is "perfect", but excess radial runout or lateral runout and you can still "balance" a tire and wheel, but you will still feel the vibration as if it were out of balance.

Hunter makes a machine that will test for "road force variance" and provide actual numbers for the deviance. Find a shop in your area that can do this.


Edit: Found it! Read about it here...

http://www.gsp9700.com/

You can also use this site to locate a shop that uses this machine.

 

OK so is it a shimmy or a vibe? You guys are using the two words inter changeably.

A shimmy to me is the truck pulling slightly from side to side with no input from the driver.
A vibe is more like an up and down kind of motion causing an other wise level object to appear in motion.

I noticed a shimmy on my way home this afternoon (in a week old '08) and it was the road that was causing it. I know this because my Celica does the SAME thing on the same patch of road. Now if my Celica acts like my truck does on the road... then the only common factor is the road.

Granted the out of round talk could very well be valid. But try a different road, or a different lane on the freeway before doing anything drastic.

 

Mine would be the shimmy you described. just a slight steering wheel vibration and a feeling of a side to side vibration on the front end.
It's not the road, i'm sure of that. So i guess i'll have to ask the dealer to look into it.

trying to decide if i want to deal with trying to get the leaf tsb too on my 08

 

every vehicle i have owned has had some sort of vibration, even when brand new... part of it is probably the road, plus some from the tires... i just deal with it unless its extremely bad

 

I had a steering wheel flutter/shimmy problem on my truck. I've got the 17" Bridgestone Dueler H/T 686 II's...I believe I got the numbers right. Anyways, I went to the dealer several times to get it fixed by doing the "special" balancing. The tires on front now are smooth as silk at all speeds. The set on the rear will still shimmy just a tad sometimes between 65-68 MPH. We'll see when I rotate them again in 2,000 miles.

My baby is at the dealer now getting the leaf spring TSB done. I hope it doesn't set it off again.

There IS a TSB out there for steering wheel flutter/shimmy. I believe it calls for tightening up the rack.

Don't get rid of her, as it can be fixed. My maintenance manager and lead tech were trying to tell me my flutter was normal or within Toyota specs. I looked them both in the eye and said, well it wouldn't be normal if it was YOUR truck now would it!!?? It got fixed......

 

ya id say "Flutter" is the better word to describe this:steering wheel going side to side. Good luck getting it fixed, if anyone does do tell of how.

 

just to follow up, went to the dealer for an oil change, they claim that balancing the tires will fix it. We'll see

 

If tires are out of true axially, balancing them can compensate fairly well at a given speed. If the balancing maching turns the tires at 60mph, they will feel fine at 60mph, but will probably have a little vibration at other speeds. Better balancing machines can "average out" the wobble, and the tires feel better over a wider speed range.

Tires that are badly out of true radially are a lost cause. No amount of balancing will make them feel right.

The best solution is to reject wobbly tires, and send a clear message to Toyota and their tire suppliers.

 

a new transmission

Here's the latest: Had the tires road-force balanced...still vibrated.
Also started getting vibes a 25-30, nothing at 40-50, then from 50 on up.
Yes, VIBRATE - NOT SHIMMY. I know the difference.
Same vibration as when I had the dunlops on so knew it wasn't a tire issue.
Dealer tech took it for a drive, came back and said he def could feel it. After
more test drives they called Toyota directly and within an hour of me being
there they are putting in a new transmission and torque converter. Only 11K on the truck. Hopefully it will cure the issue.
They are not sure what the exact issue with the trans is but Toyota tech will
be tearing it down to see...

 

Here's the latest: Had the tires road-force balanced...still vibrated.
Also started getting vibes a 25-30, nothing at 40-50, then from 50 on up.
Yes, VIBRATE - NOT SHIMMY. I know the difference.
Same vibration as when I had the dunlops on so knew it wasn't a tire issue.
Dealer tech took it for a drive, came back and said he def could feel it. After
more test drives they called Toyota directly and within an hour of me being
there they are putting in a new transmission and torque converter. Only 11K on the truck. Hopefully it will cure the issue.
They are not sure what the exact issue with the trans is but Toyota tech will
be tearing it down to see...

Aha, if the shop called Toyota and was told to do this, then Toyota has been looking into this vibration as a possible transmission/torque converter issue for a while now. I can't wait to find out how this works out for you. I have a harmonic, pulsing vibe that starts at 50mph, gets worse through 60mph, then goes away and gets smooth again at 70mph and above. No shimmy at all, the steering wheel stays rock solid through all speeds, it's a pulsing vibe. My truck is stock. A one piece driveshaft didn't fix it, new Bridgestone Revos didn't fix it, balancing didn't fix it, and my dad's '08 Taco has the same issue, but much worse. A change in RPM at 60mph, when the vibe is at its worst, will cure it. I just unlock the torque converter with a shift out of D and into 4th, and it smoothes right out. Sure seems like transmission to me.

 

 

Update:

New tranny didn't change anything...I actually think it's worse at lower
speeds now. UGH!

SO, dealership calls Toyota. Toyota says it appears to be a problem with
"some" trucks. They are sending the dealer a 'test kit' to install. Toyota says the problem the trucks are experiencing is only on x/cabs and double cabs only. Something about the mounts on the shaft/transmission. SO,
they're gonna see if this cures the problem. He says it's not the shaft itself
but rather the mounts.
I'm no mechanic AT ALL, so dunno what he means about 'mounts'. ???

This is gonna happen in two weeks so will keep you posted...

Keeping the fingers crossed.

 

Thanks for the update. The good thing is, it seems you are working with a terrific dealership. Sounds like they are really trying to resolve this. If they can pinpoint the problem, I'll be a happy camper, because it may be the difference between me keeping the truck, or trading it off. It's sad, because everyday, I admire the looks of my truck, get in it, admire the comfort, start it up, admire the engine, then take off down the road and get pissed at the rough running powertrain.

 

I've searched the many threads but didn't see many people mention the road condition.

My truck has this steering wheel shaking problem too. It only slightly noticeable at 70 mph+. Almost gone below 60mph. No shake when braking. But the weird thing is that it'll almost disappear on some newly paved, really nice and smooth highway, even when I hit to 85 mph+. But for most road, the wheel still shake.

I've done the balance. But it doesn't seem to be a balance problem since the shake happens to all speed above 70 mph. Could anyone know the possible reason? Thanks.

Isaac