PLEASE HELP... Horrible tire vibration on 08 Tacoma

[mateo613]

I drive an 08 LB 4 door TRD Sport Tacoma that currently has 2,000 miles on it. Since the first day I bought the truck I noticed that when driving at highway speeds first thing in the morning the steering wheel will almost vibrate/shake your hands off. Once the tires warm up, the vibration is gone and everything is normal.
I know this is not just my truck, as I test drove my identical truck in early January and I noticed the same issue and notified the salesman. I am running 32lbs of psi in each tire, and I have already taken it back to the dealer for a tire balance. I am running the factory Bridgestone tires on the truck. Can anyone offer any assistance?
Thanks,
Matthew

[05Moose]

Always had the same problem (53K miles later). Alignment won't help this problem. I used to figure it was a design problem of the truck or poor quality tires. Had the problem with Dunlops & Rugged Trails, but when I got the BFG All Terrains the problem went away completely. That leads me to believe it's a tire issue...which would explain why it stops once the tires warm up. BTW, it should only do it when you accelerate quickly up to highway speeds. If you accelerate slowly, you probably won't experience the shake.

[Splicer]

Moose is right, it sounds like a tire issue. It's a new truck, if the dealer can't fix it they should replace tires until it is fixed.

[mateo613]

Originally Posted by 05Moose

Always had the same problem (53K miles later). Alignment won't help this problem. I used to figure it was a design problem of the truck or poor quality tires. Had the problem with Dunlops & Rugged Trails, but when I got the BFG All Terrains the problem went away completely. That leads me to believe it's a tire issue...which would explain why it stops once the tires warm up. BTW, it should only do it when you accelerate quickly up to highway speeds. If you accelerate slowly, you probably won't experience the shake.

It's very interesting that you say this.... My wife has a 2005 Honda Accord that we bought new. The Accord came with Bridgestone tires on it, and we have the EXACT same problem that I am having with my new truck. The tires now have 50K on them, and it's almost time to replace them. I am hoping that a new set of tires (Michelin's) will fix her problem. I wonder if the dealer will fix my problem even though I have 2,000 miles on the truck. Any thoughts?
Matthew

[TRDSport]

I had the same problem with my truck from day 1 (TRD Sport longbed double cab). I took it back to the dealership and they said one of the front tires had "road damage." They replaced the tire under warranty and I have not had anymore problems with the steering wheel shaking at highway speeds. I now have almost 10,500 miles on the truck.

[mateo613]

Originally Posted by TRDSport

I had the same problem with my truck from day 1 (TRD Sport longbed double cab). I took it back to the dealership and they said one of the front tires had "road damage." They replaced the tire under warranty and I have not had anymore problems with the steering wheel shaking at highway speeds. I now have almost 10,500 miles on the truck.

Thanks for the great info, I guess I'll be taking the truck back to the dealer. I don't know if it's just me, but taking the truck in for service is a major beating... First you have to convince your service writer of the issue (and hope he can duplicate it), then you have to find a ride, rent a car, or take the shuttle. Last, the dealer will probably tell you that they were not able to find anything wrong, and then you start over again. I just might deal with the vibration and put new tires on it at a later date! Thanks for the post, at least I know the truck probably has nothing wrong with it.
Matthew

[Splicer]

Originally Posted by mateo613

I don't know if it's just me, but taking the truck in for service is a major beating... First you have to convince your service writer of the issue (and hope he can duplicate it), then you have to find a ride, rent a car, or take the shuttle. Last, the dealer will probably tell you that they were not able to find anything wrong, and then you start over again.

It's not just you... and my dealer is an hour away which makes it even worse, and I have to take a day off work to take the truck in for anything. So there are a few little things that are not quite perfect, but I'm ignoring them -- it's not worth the hassle.

[dnels]

I too may have a problem with my tires (Dunlops 265/65/17) on my TRD Sport.
Pulls left (sporadically) and has a slight vibration in steering wheel between 20-25 MPH.
Going to the dealer on Monday (for this and the fact that the cigarrette lighter was missing).
They said standard procedure is to start with a tire rotation (even through it only has 900 miles on it).
Not thrilled about that if the problem goes away because all it means is that they took a bad tire on the front and moved it to the rear. Eventually, that tire will move to the front again.
I would prefer if they try to identify the bum tire and at least swap it out with the spare.
If I remember, I'll post my outcome next week.

Best,
Dave

[05Moose]

Originally Posted by dnels

I too may have a problem with my tires (Dunlops 265/65/17) on my TRD Sport.
Pulls left (sporadically) and has a slight vibration in steering wheel between 20-25 MPH.
Going to the dealer on Monday (for this and the fact that the cigarrette lighter was missing).
They said standard procedure is to start with a tire rotation (even through it only has 900 miles on it).
Not thrilled about that if the problem goes away because all it means is that they took a bad tire on the front and moved it to the rear. Eventually, that tire will move to the front again.
I would prefer if they try to identify the bum tire and at least swap it out with the spare.
If I remember, I'll post my outcome next week.

Best,
Dave

Well that just sounds like your left front tire is a little out of balance. That'll give you a vibration at the right speed and will cause it to pull to the left because of the wobble.

[Pavilion]

If you are all worried about your dealer, take it to a tire store that sells and warranties your brand of tire and have them take of it. After all Toyota does not really warranty the tires. The manufacturer of the tire covers the warranty. Go to the expert from the beginning. Toyota techs do not really know that much about the tires themselves, if it is not an alignment or out of round hub, the tire store will take care of it. Had a problem years ago with Toyo Proxes tire and went to tire store and it was taken care of right away and I drove away with a new tire (no pro ration) free.

[DevinSixtySeven]

1- Check that the alignment is correct. Correct, not "in spec"...alignment can be "in spec" and still be complete garbage. Excellent tires can mask poor alignment, and awkward (very tall, very wide, bias, heavy, etc) or damaged tires can accentuate poor alignment. If it's not aligned correctly you'll be treating a symptom, and if the aligning technician doesn't know how to do it, you may think it's aligned and assume the problem lies elsewhere. If it's aligned the right way, you'll know any major vibration is coming from the tires.

See DJ's posts regarding alignment. He designed the Hunter system.

2- If the truck is aligned correctly and the tires are balanced, check them inside and out for damage--bruising, belt separation, etc. which would cause a vibration. Ask about "road force balancing". FWIW I've experienced internal separation myself, and seen bubbling and bruising on a few of the Dunlops and Rugged Trails as provided from the dealer. At the time, the alignment was great and every single tire balanced...but still had a bad vibration, and lost the tire at 75mph. Incidentally I also noticed the effect more on the driven axle vs the steering axle, under heavy throttle. The tire shop was great, got a new, free tire out of it.

3- If your tires exhibit vibration for a few miles after they've been sitting, either they're huge, they're bias ply, they're a double steel belt with a stiff sidewall, all those things together, or they're just plain junk. You certainly can't go wrong with the suggestions here and get a good set of tires! But be absolutely certain they're going on a truck with a good alignment, or you may be masking the actual problem. Two off-the-lot trucks with similar vibration problems makes me think alignment, based on DJ's descriptions of factory alignment settings, but it won't hurt to ditch that garbage OEM rubber.

-Sean

[dnels]

What could I get for my Dunlop Grandtrek AT20 (265/65/17) as take-offs with 1000 miles?
Tirerack has them priced for $115.
Maybe $90?

Thanks,
Dave

[dtacow]

Originally Posted by dnels

What could I get for my Dunlop Grandtrek AT20 (265/65/17) as take-offs with 1000 miles?
Tirerack has them priced for $115.
Maybe $90?

Thanks,
Dave

Not sure, but you'll be hard up to find anyone to buy them, unless you can get a dealer to give you some money for them.

In regards to the OP, it is probably a balance issue.

[L R H]

Originally Posted by dnels

What could I get for my Dunlop Grandtrek AT20 (265/65/17) as take-offs with 1000 miles?
Tirerack has them priced for $115.
Maybe $90?

Thanks,
Dave

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On a non high end OEM spec tire you can usually get ~ 40-45% of new. If you luck up and find someone who needs 1 or 2 of that specific tire due to an accident/road hazzard, you might get 60-75%. They just don't hold much value, and most looking at takeoffs are looking for a low price.

[05Moose]

FYI, try the steering flutter TSB as an option...attached.