This is typical of a tire with a broken belt. You described it sufficiently, but the additional clue is you will see the steering wheel oscillate back and forth as you drive slowly, as in through a parking lot, if a front tire is the cause. If it is a rear tire, you will feel the seat move back and forth as the tire goes around.
Broken belts show up in two different ways. In the most common way, you will see a raised hump, or tumor, on part of the tread surface, or you will see the tread pattern squirm back and forth as the tire goes around. You can feel the raised area by running your hand over the tread too, but be very careful when you do that. If this type of problem goes on long enough, there will be wires from the steel belts peeking through, and those really smart when you get poked by them.
Most people find it difficult to identify the tire with the broken belt because it is easier to do with the vehicle jacked up or on a hoist. The best approach is to have the tires, steering, and suspension systems inspected at a tire and alignment shop. The people there do this every day. Most shops do not charge for inspections if they sell you tires or do other related repairs.
A broken tire belt that is ignored will lead to a blowout, and you do not want that to be at highway speed during rush hour, or on a dark Saturday night in the country. My experience with numerous broken belts on my tires is they usually occur about the time the tire is worn out anyway.
This article looks at other causes of a shaking steering wheel:
https://www.2carpros.com/articles/steering-wheel-shakes-when-accelerating-or-braking
Based on the symptoms you observe, you might find other things related to your vehicle.
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Thursday, September 6th, 2018 AT 9:58 PM
