Steering wheel judder above 60 mph

[Shevek]

Hi,

Our 2010 Yaris 1.33 has recently started to have a pronounced shaking in the steering wheel at anything above 60 mph.

Hoping its something as simple as balancing or perhaps tracking and not something more serious.

Any tips on where to start?

TIA

Shevek

[Derek.w]

Loose wheel nuts exspecialy if you had a puncture repair recently ie in the last 14 days.

2 nd check for missing balacing weights on inner / outer rims and on the center type are stick on type.

3 rd time to check ball joints and linkages for play so maybe time to take it to a garage.

[DerekHa]

1 hour ago, Derek.w said:

Loose wheel nuts exspecialy if you had a puncture repair recently ie in the last 14 days.

2 nd check for missing balacing weights on inner / outer rims and on the center type are stick on type.

3 rd time to check ball joints and linkages for play so maybe time to take it to a garage.

Agree with my namesake on this Shevek. Steering wheel shaking at around 60ish is classic for wheel balancing being needed, a missing balance wieght or even a bulging tyre wall all fairly easy to check for yourself. Doubt that yopur tracking will be the cause as you'd have differnet symptoms.

If it's balancing you can usually drive through the shaking and it'll die down when your travelling faster. Possible also to have a buckled wheel at the front which might be more difficult to spot. Does sound like a trip to a tyre bay for them to check anyway.

[Shevek]

Thanks Dereks 🙂 I will book in with my local tire shop

[TonyHSD]

Does the shaking goes away below or above 60mph, has it increases with increasing the speed or disappear? 

Tyres check and balance is the first step. Check the tyres carefully removed from the car, check tread pattern for dry rot, side walls and particularly inner side, the wheels and everything on all 4 corners, rotate the tyres front to rear or X pattern if they are non symmetrical without rotation.
If the tyres are very old, cracked or worn below 4mm, just replace them all for peace of mind and safety. However there are many more reasons why your car shakes at 60mph, sometimes very difficult to find out the real reason.

Suspension thoroughly checked for free play and particularly ball joints, tie rod ends, these components when aged even with minimal play at speeds and especially in heavy winds can cause off set to the alignment and make the car shaking like it dies have imbalanced tyres. 

Another common fault that makes the car shake at speeds are brake callipers stuck pistons, if they does not return freely they will cause brake pad drag and vibrations. 

Important to note here, unless you and the mechanic are certain that the parts in question are really worn out better do not change them as if you keep changing parts and the shaking continued it might cost a lot of money, time and unnecessary repairs. Proper diagnosis is the most important thing. 
Good luck and let us know what happens. 

[Shevek]

Hi all,

Finally go to the bottom of this!

It was the brakes.

One of the front callipers was seized and both front discs were badly corroded.

Most likely caused by the car being used very little since my wife was forced to remote work since COVID - it does less than 1500 miles per year now.

Hopefully that will change soon with both of our children taking their driving tests later this year.

Very happy wife now though, says its like a new car 🙂

Thanks for all the help!

[Stevie J]

I had a front brake caliper seize on my mk2 when I owned it, and that was a low mileage car which only covers less than 3000 miles a year. First sign I noticed of something odd was a loud clunking from the left corner when stopping and turning the engine off after a longer drive, and I wondered what it was causing it. Then I noticed the car not rolling back when stopped at a junction or on a slight incline with the handbrake off. One night when driving home from my mothers I noticed a loud squeaking noise start developing as I was driving, and thought I'd better stop to see what was up - on stopping, it was a cold wet night, I took a torch round to look at the wheels and there was steam coming from the passenger side front wheel - I touched the metal of the wheel through the hubcap and it was very hot, so that confirmed it, a binding brake caliper. There was no wheel wobble though at 60mph, and apart from the squeaking that it eventually started making, no other obvious symptoms.

Took the car to the fast fit garage and had them change the caliper, I think it was either a rusted slider pin or a seized piston, but either way, it was severely binding on.

Did not need discs but they did change the pads. and advised that I keep and eye on the other caliper - such as once in a while after a longer drive putting my hand on the wheel and comparing the heat with the other side. That is the most obvious giveaway is hot wheel after a long run with little braking being done.

[protecttour]

Is it in the steering column ? I have a similar 'knocking ' in the steering wheel andbehind the dash . I changed wheel bearings , new tryes , its not the disc, calipers, or pads. I looked around and found this;

https://bn1.cari.com.my/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=1217559&extra=page%3D1

Apparently it's an Estima problem , Im going away for work but I will get the column fixed when I'm back to see if its that. Ihave tried the other obvious stuff.

[protecttour]