2022 with Steering Wheel Shake - Need Advice

Did she have them rebalanced at different places? I've had mine rebalanced at a chain and still had wobble. Then, went to my off-road shop and got them rebalanced and they were perfect.

Totally agree! Mine came with Dunlops. They sucked in snow, and the online ratings reflected that. I changed them out at 1300 miles after nearly crashing in a snowstorm.

 

I'm also dealing with it however I didn't notice it until I put my lift wheels and tires on. But I'm also having alignment issues that are I believe related to the shop so I'm using considering it's only set to 1.75 in the front. But my very slight shimmy is in the same speeds mentioned four tires and wheels I'm running the f n FX pro Wheels and hankook tires

 

I would find a better shop. Have them rebalance the tires. Any time I've had a shimmy I've been able to fix it with a rebalance of the tires.

 

Ive got about 600 miles (mostly highway) now on my 2022 SR5Premium (its got all of the XP package items minus the wheels/tires due to shortage of black TRD wheels so i got a rebate on that and already have the TRD venture wheels on order) with the factory wheels and tires (17") and haven't noticed any of the above mentioned shake or similar issues... i would say that you could have an issue with either the wheel balance, factory defect with one of the tires (had a brand new BFG MT with slipped belts once) or defect with one of the wheels... or could be lugnuts are not properly torqued (too much or not enough... ) or an alignment issue.

either way your dealer should check all of these items ...

 

And if the dealer is saying that this is one of the smoothest running 4Runners out there with obvious shake/shimmy, they are being completely dishonest. My guess is that they are unable to bill Toyota for the issue and thus don't want to eat the cost of their mistake.

 

If unable to balance with multiple places and times, it's bad tires.

Try to get them replaced under warranty or off you a credit to swap to a different tire. I pretty much swapped to BFG KO2 for free because they were the same price as Dunlop AT20 due to trouble with balancing the Dunlops.

 

The wheels could also be defective. The only way to tell is to put on a different set of tires. if they fail, its possible a wheel or wheels are bad.

 

Same here. Put the Michelins on as soon as I got it and sold the original tires.

 

Hmm mine came with Defender LTX M/S. Was actually gonna dedicate them towards winter driving for now.

 

As a mechanic the first step would be to rotate the front tires to the rear and road test. If the shake moves from the steering wheel to the body it is the tires. Bad quality tires can cause this as well as balancing issues. Next question would be how much weight is being required to balance the tires and are they being balanced statically or dynamically? Meaning stick on weights in the middle of the rim vs weights on the outside and inside of the rim. The more the weight required the per tire the more questionable that tire is. Quality tires like Michelin from experience take far less weight to balance on average. Dynamical balancing is superior meaning weights on the inside and outside lips. Today's modern lipless aluminum rims are not conducive to dynamic balancing meaning appearance over functionality and putting said tire's quality in the spotlight. That said my 2022 with factory Bridgestone Duelers tires on lipless rims has no shimmy yet.

 

Other than actual snow tires the Defenders perform very well in winter conditions. You should be fine unless you are dealing with extremes.

 

I too have the 17" pro rims on terra grapplers. When I initially took delivery of the 4R the shake at 6o-63 was bothersome. Dealer warrantied a tire and rebalanced all 4. Found the alignment was out as well. The issue still occurs, especially if the 4R sits for a week or two. When ready for new tires going to try the KO2s. Put a set of those on my son's Jeep and they are quiet and smooth. I think the issue is the tires and more noticeable on the 4R due to the larger 33 tires and stiffer suspension than that of a car.

 

Yeah, I wouldn’t buy them intentionally for winter driving. But they’re brand new. I can wait and get meaty tires for the summer.

 

Thanks for all of the replies on this. I embark on a 1500 mile trip tomorrow, so I think this will be a great exercise for the tires.

If the shimmy is still present (or has gotten worse), I am going to take it back to the dealer and ask them to balance them. If they do make things worse per their previous statement, they will just have to fix it.
What I have learned from the comments here are this:

• yes, this is a common issue
• Not ALL 4Runners experience this, but what I’m seeing it may be less than 50% of 4Runners.
• It is most likely wheel/tire related
• It CAN and SHOULD be fixed by the dealer under warranty.

I will update this thread later in the week during my travels.

 

I have had balance issues with the 4Runner its entire life. Comes and goes. Some days no steering shake, other days steering shake. It drives best with 20 PSI over dirt tracks in the Maine woods, then I dont notice it.

 

Freezerdoctor, I hope you are able to figure out the fix for the steering wheel shake. I too, had to deal with a similar issue. It was so annoying that I was starting to regret trading in my 2018 Tundra for the 2021 4Runner. I started to hate driving my 4Runner.

The shakes started after my first 5k tire rotation, so I had a strong feeling it was a tire balance issue. It would come and go and tend to vary as I made turns.At times it was so bad that the whole car was shaking, along with the steering wheel. I went back into the dealer to rebalance the wheels and the vibration went away…but it came back after 500-800 miles. The 4Runner came with the Dunlop tires. I drove it for another 5000 miles or so and then swapped the tires at Discount Tires with BFG KO2. Since then no more vibration and no more steering wheel shakes.

 

I get a slight steering wheel shake sometimes. It’ll go and come. Aftermarket wheels and tires

 

Same. Comes and goes. Meh,.. i just drive the thing.

 

Same, this vehicle is a tank

 

Hi Everyone,

I am about 1000 miles into my trip - Raleigh, NC to Montgomery, AL, to Nashville, TN. Shake is still noticeable between 50 and 60. At higher speeds, I definitely feel a vibration, but the steering wheel doesn't visibly shake. I think this is still due to the tires/wheels/whatever. For a little while in the first day, I felt like I was feeling driveline vibe - similar to my Jeep TJ prior to adjusting the driveshaft angles. I overanalyzed every little bump and vibe I was feeling. Almost like I was looking for a problem.

Funny thing is, the more time I spend in it, the more used to it I get. The "nuances" it bother me less. Maybe that's a good thing.

When I get home, I am going to rotate the front to the rear to see if there is a difference in feel/shake. From there, I will start down the path of having the dealer balance the tires as needed.

If that fails, I will see if we can come to terms on a new set of TRD Pro wheels with new tires (gonna do this anyway - I was just going to wait a little while if I can).

I will say this...I freaking love this thing. It's not a luxury vehicle, but I think that is part of the reason for loving it. Kinda nostalgic with its manual A/C and all (My wife makes fun of me because I didn't even know this was the case - I thought that all new cars had that).

Will update further when I return and rotate the tires.

 

Yeah, the 4runner is just a cool vehicle. I was instantly smitten, and it continues to grow on me, occasional vibes,
intermittently noisy needle bearing and all.

 

Ive seen this a couple times on GM products. The wheels them selves were not perfectly round. Had to remove the tire and set it on the flat ground to watch it rock back and forth on its own. Old timer mechanic that worked with me said "you can balance an oval, but that dont mean its round!"

Take it back, have them check the balance again. If it still does it, have them rotate the tires front to rear and test it again. Make the service manager drive with you so you can show him. If the balance and rotation doeasnt take care of it, make them give you a loaner and keep it till its fixed. Cars should not shimmy/ wiggle/ vibrate at mild highway speeds at all....

 

I have had it on my 2021. It happens when my tire pressure is under 33. I generally run my tires at 34 now, after doing the chalk test. As long as I keep my pressure consistent, the shimmy does not happen. Dealer dropped them to 32 after a 5k service for rotating etc….and sure enough had the shimmy until I got the pressure back up…

not always tire pressure, but it seems to be in my case.

 

Dealership ended up having to rebalance 2 tires(road force). Appears to be fine….for now.

 

I can't believe that the 5th gen 4Runner has been around this long and there is still no concise cause and solution to this.

 

I dont think that there is a concise solution because there’s always been multiple variables. 4runner has big soft tires compared to most vehicles. I think it comes down to that, because little off balance situations magnify. Put bigger tires, and it gets more sensitive. But, basically, once you rule out tire defects, you are down to balancing. Alignment can also dampen out resonances, or allow them to build. Caster and toe-in can be stabilizing factors in all this.

The trick is finding a good tire guy/shop to care enough to consider all details together.

 

I once had a chat with a dealer service advisor, and he seemed knowledgeable. His take was that the issue was about the lugs being overtightened leading to that very issue. I don't know how realistic that is for all these people to be having this very problem even on brand new vehicles and specifically the 4Runner having so many examples of said issue.

Finding a good tire guy is about as easy as finding a good prosciutto guy. Near impossible.

 

Im not sure about the lug nuts, unless they are grossly over tightened or loose. Sounds to me like a convenient do-nothing explanation.

I wonder if people with the limiteds with the lower profile tires have as many issues. We have tall sidewalls. More rubber to flex and amplify energy…

 

Hmm interesting. I am curious about that too. In the past I have had some SUV's with some meaty tires and never heard of so many issues with wobbles. Only time I thought it was normal was on Wranglers. Man, I love Wranglers but they sure are terrible vehicles. (I had more than one so I am not hating on them!)

 

body on frame SUV’s? That probably plays a part too.

All this said, balance issues really seem to be solvable issues on nearly all the posts I’ve come across.