Steering wheel shaking....

99 montana and the steering wheel shakes back and forth driving down the road. I think i need to replace the pads/rotors but could something else be causing the problem? i dont think it could be the tires, they look to be in good shape. any ideas?

At a guess, I'd say it sounds like a caliper that may be seizing up combined with a warped rotor.

Often, you don't even have to touch the brakes to experience it.

Root cause for the caliper; age, salt/slush, moisture and old man winter.

Root cause for the rotor; - a caliper that doesn't fully release after apply.

OR, it could be an outer tie rod end...

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when applying the brakes when going down a highway/interstate, you can really feel the vibration in the steering wheel too

Sounds like the front rotors are warped, if you feel vibration in the steering wheel when you apply the brakes, the pulsation is coming from the front. if you feel it in the pedal, usually it's the rear brakes that are pulsating.

welli think i might have found the problem.after removing the wheels and inspecting i have found the passenger side sway bar link is missing the top rubber piece and metal washer. Its just a nut there against the sway bar. so im assuming with the gap there thats why i hear the pop and steering wheel issues. advanced auto has a sway bar repair kit i hope will fix the problem. also on the drivers side with the bottom A arm which attached to the front, it looks like the rubber washer inside it is offset and not centered compared to the other side.

i have also found a shattered outer tie rod bushing. split and smashed. so do you replace the outer tie rod or just the bushing?

well besides the destroyed tie rod bushing, the front tires, i guess have torn belts inside which also was giving the rough/bumpy ride. we'll find out today after getting the tires replaced. The tires needed replaced anyway so its no real loss for new tires.

Outer tie rod ends and control arm bushings are common problems on these vans, and they led to the failure of the sway bar link. The tires could have been the cause or an effect of the other bad parts.

totally different van after the new tires. rides so much better now. Im still shocked about the missing top rubber bushing/washer on the sway bar link.