Steering wheel vibrating and shaking, usually at high speeds?

Tiny
AMY BRYANT
  • MEMBER
  • 2002 PONTIAC GRAND AM
  • 4 CYL
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 130,000 MILES
The first thing I noticed was when I turned my steering wheel soon after starting it, and at low speeds, there was quite a loud grinding sound when I turned the wheel left or right. That has been going on for 3 weeks or so but did not seem to alarming. Then, 1 week ago, the steering wheel started shaking and vibrating quite violently on the highway. That is scary. It doesn't do it the whole time, but off and on at higher speeds. It happened at lower speeds a few times after driving on a bumpy road, but it didn't last long.

I took it to a mechanic, and they did a complete vehicle inspection. They found a nail in one tire, which they replaced, and then they rotated all four tires. They thought that it would fix the vibrating steering wheel problem.

They thought the grinding when turning sound was probably the struts, but that would be a $1000 fix, and was not a safety issue.

Next time on the highway, I had the same vibrating steering wheel problem.

My car is getting pretty old and rusty, so I'm not sure how much money I want to put into something that is not a safety issue.

What are your thoughts on this problem? And is it a safety issue? Or just annoying.

Thanks,

Amy
Saturday, October 15th, 2022 AT 12:20 PM

1 Reply

Tiny
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • MECHANIC
  • 109,885 POSTS
Hi Amy,

Is there anything you can think of that causes it to happen or causes it to stop? Are there any odd odors from the vehicle after driving it?

As far as struts are concerned, I don't see how they would cause vibrations. I guess the strut mounts, if bad, could make noise when turning the wheel. Do you know if the ball joints were checked when they had your vehicle? That could cause a creaking sound.

Is it loud enough for you to record the sound and upload it for me to hear? If so, could you do that?

I attached the directions for testing ball joints below. Let me know if that is something you feel comfortable doing.

Let me know.

Joe

See pics below.
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Saturday, October 15th, 2022 AT 10:34 PM

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