Vibration

Does anyone out there have a vibration problem felt mainly in the steering wheel? I initially had a shimmy (shaking steering wheel) at freeway speeds but they balanced the wheels and that fixed it.


I still have a vibration though and it's present at just about any speed. Of course last visit to dealer was a "could not duplicate" scenario so now I'm stuck with an annoyance with no apparent fix.


The dealer does have the GSP9700 Force Balancer but that's about all I know. I'm gonna see if I can get them to move the wheels around and balance again but I have to see the Toyota Rep first. It might be another cause altogether but if I can't get them to acknowledge an abnormality, I'm stuck.


Wheels are the 17" alloys with Michelin Cross Terrains. Had 35psi in them and tried 32 with no difference. Also, I've slipped the gear into neutral when driving and the vibration doesn't change.


I just can't figure it out but I'm thinking either they didn't do it perfectly the 1st time (based on what I've read, perfection is a requirement in this area for 4runners), or I've got a tire defect somewhere.


Anyone have a suggestion? Thanks
03 SR5 2WD V6

sorry i dont have any suggestions, only a question. 4runners are grat cars but why did you get a 2WD?

well if it's present at any speed then it can't be your tires. If it is speed
dependant than that's a possibility. If not could be motor side or torque
convertor imbalance. next time you go driving see what speed ( engine, road, gear, what ever you can take notice and post it back here, I'm sure all that information will spark somebody to have a more difinite answer.

Could it be a torque converter issue even when in neutral? I'm leaning toward a wheel/tire issue but I can't be sure. If a tire is out of round, wouldn't I feel it at slow speeds too? When in park or neutral or when revving, there's nothing out of whack. Only when driving and it seems more pronounced on rough or not so smooth roads. Hopefully, I'll find some answers if I can get them to balance the wheels again and rotate them.

sorry I can't remember what I'm replying to. anyway, the torque convertor is spinning at engine speed, so if it is Engine speed dependant
then it could be torque convertor. if it is speed related, than it could be your tires. if it is still at a fast rate while you are going slow, then you know it is not your tires. most out of balance tires can't really be felt on a bumpy road as much as a smooth road. if it is still present on a bumpy road, then I would lean more to suspension or MAYBE alignment.. but then again I'm not a toyota tech..... try out a site I visit.... yotatech.com it has some good articles even offroad.com. hope this helps.

The frequency does seem to corrolate with speed but I can feel it just as much, if not more at slower speeds.

I know that this is an old thread but my 04 4runner has the same problem.
I have a 2WD as well. The vibration is there on highways that are bumpy. I can feel the vibration when my hand is loose on the steering wheel and it's still there when I change lanes.
When I grab the steering wheel tight the vibration goes away.
I had a car that did this once and it turned out to be the shocks but this truck is brand new.
I'm going to have the wheel's balanced and see what it does for me.

Depending on how much your steering wheel is vibrating you might be a little crazy. There are some people that can really feel the tread design of the tire as they drive. All-Terrains & Mud-Terrains vibrate the most. The lack of rotation creates cupping of the tread in the front and even I could feel the vibration most of the time. Tire seperation also occurs, that is when the steel belts start to come apart internally. The average person couldn't tell if one of your tires is seperating, but a good tire guy could (I once was a great tire guy). And last but not least, HAVE YOU USED ANY FIX-A-FLAT IN YOUR TIRES? Cause if you did that just might be the problem. You can never balance a tire with Fix-A-Flat in it.

Oh yeah, alignments have nothing to do with vibration problems, unless a poor alignment caused the tires to excessively wear in an uneven fashion. Then your tires would simply be out of balance.

Dealer balanced the tires and vibration is gone.
Thanks for all your replies.

my 2wd lexus seems to do this as well. Is your 4runner front wheel drive?

My 4runner is rear wheel drive only

Same problem with my '95. I've replaced the tires and rims, no help. I learn to live with it.

I have a '99 4Runner and replaced the stock rims and tires 2 years ago. I had an irritating vibration that normal balancing was not taking care of. After much searching and frustration, I ran accross an old buddy of mine that builds off-road rigs for the Baja series races. He said that 4Runners and Tacomas are prone to having problems with aftermarket tires and rims because of Hub-centric balancing. He sent me this e-mail link, www.gadgetonline.com/vibration.htm, and I went down to my local Goodyear dealer and asked about the special balancing, they did it for $35 bucks and vibration has since dissappeared. They said that when I get new tires that I may have to have it done again. Hope this helps.