Hello... I'm hoping someone will be able to shed light on my situation. I bought my first ever Subaru on 4/24/07, an 2001 Outback Limited wagon with about 75,000 miles. Since then I've been back and forth to the dealer many many times with shaking in the steering wheel and my car also drifts to the right.

The wheels have been balanced 3 times, the whole car aligned, 2 brand new tires on the front (2 old tires in rear), the steering rods are okay they said, and some other things that deal with the steering that I can't remember what they are checked out okay. (can you tell I'm a chick? ha) The amount of constant shaking varies from the amount of load in the rear, and always starts shaking around 50mph and up. One camping trip it shook going around bends, then a different cargo load on another trip and it shook going straight but stopped shaking in the turns.

I was told by the service manager my car drifts to the right due to the crown in the road to drain the surface water... um... right. Funny how my old Saturn didn't drift. I did see the thread about possible reasons for the drifting but the dealer doesn't seem to care. He also got a bit snippy when I suggested possible reasons for the shaking and drifting but if my car buddies aren't certified mechanics he doesn't care.

I love the Subaru. It's great for camping, I've slept in it, finally a functional vehicle. If only the shaking and drifting would cease.

~~ Camper G ~~

Have you tried putting the two old tires on the rear back to the front to see if that would change the shaking? I think I would replace the old ones also if you can afford too. Also check your steering shaft U- Joint it is the joint that is on the end of the steering wheel shaft where it connects to the steering gear box.

Hello and welcome! It's not good to have different tires on the front and rear. Subaru wants them all within 1/4" circumference of each other or it can cause issues/damage to the AWD.

 

Not sure about the shaking, have they shaken down the entire suspension to look for loose/worn components?

Shaking:

 

Bent Rims

Broken Tire belts

Warped Rotors

Improperly torqued wheels

seized CV joint

bad tie rod ends

bad bushings

 

stop going to the dealer and take the car to a front end shop. Take the mechanic for a drive and show him the shaking.

 

Does braking the car have any effect on the shaking. Does acceleration/deceleration?

 

 

nipper

I had a similar problem, but it wasn't terrible, just always there and slightly annoying. My rotors weren't warped (no extra shaking during braking) but after I replaced them the wiggle went away...I guess the years of rusting unbalanced them or something.

 

Andy

 

Shaking:

 

Bent Rims

Broken Tire belts

Warped Rotors

Improperly torqued wheels

seized CV joint

bad tie rod ends

bad bushings

 

stop going to the dealer and take the car to a front end shop. Take the mechanic for a drive and show him the shaking.

 

Does braking the car have any effect on the shaking. Does acceleration/deceleration?

 

 

nipper

I had a similar problem, but it wasn't terrible, just always there and slightly annoying. My rotors weren't warped (no extra shaking during braking) but after I replaced them the wiggle went away...I guess the years of rusting unbalanced them or something.

 

Andy

 

They can get hard spots which are hard to find but will cause the same thing.

 

 

nipper

I'd check your tire circumferences asap, because a new set of tires is alot cheaper than a new transmission.. or... hours of agony, and having nipster say 'told you so' in smily face form :cool:

something else that might cause it.. highly unlikely... how about an unbalanced drive shaft?

The steering yoke is also another wierd thing alot of people would overlook, my OBS had one sieze, and it would shake all over the place, i soaked it in PB blaster a few times.. helped a little, but replacing the part was much more effective.

I was told by the service manager my car drifts to the right due to the crown in the road to drain the surface water... um... right. Funny how my old Saturn didn't drift. I did see the thread about possible reasons for the drifting but the dealer doesn't seem to care. He also got a bit snippy when I suggested possible reasons for the shaking and drifting but if my car buddies aren't certified mechanics he doesn't care.

~~ Camper G ~~

 

OK, the first thing you need to replace is that "Service Manager". You (or anyone else for that matter) should never have to put up with that kind of treatment. Ever.

Does the car have any accident history?

I'm betting bent rim.... Hit a curb?

I'd also suggest a dedicated alignment shop.I would think a bent rim would show up in 3 balancing attempts,but then again.I'm surprised the dealer hasn't attempted to sell you a whole new front end.There was a good suggestion earlier about switching the rear tires to the front and see if you get any changes,this could allevaite any fears of suspension problems.I'd check to see if you have any worn bearings as this wouldn't show up in wheel balancing or alignment set ups.

Another possiblility is to check out the steering rack bushings. Replace them with polyurethane pieces if possible, like the Whiteline version.