Steering wheel moving on its own while driving

JGONZO2398

MEMBER
2001 HONDA ACCORD
3.0L
V6
2WD
AUTOMATIC
293,000 MILES

Hey everyone, weird issue going on here. I have noticed that the steering wheel has been steadily moving on its own while driving the vehicle, it does not matter if I am driving fast or slow. A couple months ago I had the power steering rack and hose replaced with fresh fluid installed. I have only recently noticed this issue which I find odd, as you can see in the attached video, the car is being driven at a slow speed and the steering wheel moves on its own from side to side. Note that I took the car for a front end alignment immediately after the steering rack replacement.

Video (Click to make bigger)

2 Replies

KASEKENNY

MECHANIC
18,907 POSTS

Hi Jgonzo,

The most likely cause is a tire issue. Either a bulge in a tire or one of your bands in the tire broke causing it to be uneven. When your tire makes a revolution and it drives over the bulge it actually raises the wheel like you hit a bump. However, this is in the tire so it is soft and it forces the steering to move a little.

This is caused by a defective tire (if they are new), hitting something like a pot hole, or just worn unevenly. Replacing the tires is the only fix.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-car-tires-work