Hello All,

I've had my wagon for 8 months now and since purchase, I've have an annoying vibration in my steering wheel at 50+ MPH. Feels exactly as if the wheels were out of balance. The sensation does not stop unless you are under 50mph and the frequency of the vibration increases as speed is increased. Vehicle specs:2012 Wagon, bought at 40k miles, currently at 45k miles. CPO vehicle in excellent shape.

Attempted fixes:
-New tires. No change
-Road force balanced twice. No change
-Right axle replaced by dealer. No change
-Replaced right lower control arm thinking right compliance bushing had failed. No change
-Inspected brakes. Pedal does not pulsate and pads look fairly new.
-Inspected suspension 5 times while on lift. Vehicle is all original and clean title. Nothing loose or out of the ordinary. I've completed the basic ball joint and wheel bearing tire pull/push tests which all resulted in zero wheel play. Tie rods also look to be in good shape with zero play.
-While at speed, accelerating or braking does not reduce or eliminate the feel. Only slowing down below 50mph

The vehicle has been at the dealer 3 times. The first visit they diagnosed the passenger axle to be worn so it was replaced. The last two visits they stated nothing was wrong after shop Forman test drove. My inkling is that it's something on the suspension knuckles since the vibration frequency increases with speed. Any insight would be appreciated.

Cheers!

 

All cars vibrate. All cars vibrate more, the faster they are driven. These are just facts.

Customers whose vehicle had excessive vibration and then after much work was done, tend to be much pickier about ANY vibration, as they are now especially feeling for any vibration.

I’m not saying your vibration is normal or excessive.

It certainly seems that your dealership has covered all the bases. The only thing I might add is to request that they use an electronic vibration analyzer. This is a tool that can help locate vibrations. Here is a picture of one manufactured by OTC.

 

I agree with you regarding being hyper sensitive, I would have said that myself. Looks like you work in the business and you should understand that just because the dealer rules out any defective components doesn't mean an issue doesn't exist, it just clears them of any liability. In many cases people are encouraged to visit another dealer. Which may be an option I opt for in the future. Lastly, while I appreciate your insight, it's not normal when you can feel the frequency increase through your steering which correlates to the speed. There is such a thing as road feel, however this is not it.

 

Is your steering wheel...lock lever locked all the way down? (the handle that you releases for the steering wheel up and down, down and back)

looks like you've covered all the major causes.

 

left Axel ?
half shaft bearing ?

 

How about bad wheels, not tires. Since it increases with speed, seems more logical. Have you tried moving front to back and vice versa, or swap with another car's tires? Guessing here.

We're getting near the end of the rope, time to start grasping

 

Thanks for your help boy's!
Great idea, never checked. I'll look into it today.

I was thinking the same thing. But after inspection they look and feel perfect when tested. Also, comparing to bad axles symptoms, I do not feel the same vibrations.

I rotated wheels twice and had them road force balanced. Both times with minimal weight. They are perfectly round and true.

Since the feeling is related to wheel speed. I'm thinking it may be the rotors even though they do not vibrate when applying the brakes. Or a bushing in the suspension or ball joint. I'll keep you guys posted if this problem is solved. I honestly hope it get's worse because it will be easier to diagnose.

 

I was paranoid about the inner driveshaft bearing been bad ....i took it apart to inspect for wear and found nothing !

sorry for bad grammar lol

 

No worries.

It freaking weird what's going on. Still trying to figure out what causing the vibration. I have a niche that it maybe the brake rotors even though they do not pulsate while braking.

 

If i ever change my axel ; i'll order oem or better Raxels !

 

Agreed!

 

I just replaced my wheels with the (heavier) 17" wheels. Two of them had minor dents on the inner wheel but the tire shop said its normal and not a safety concern. I always had a vibration in my wheels. I kept the same tires (near end of life) but I will say that the vibration significantly reduced. On the highway there is no vibration in the steering wheel any more.