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Steering Wheel vibrating when braking at 65 mph

7K views 15 replies 8 participants last post by  RPM 
#1 ·
Half of the time when steping on brake gently on the freeway while at speed of 65-70 mph, the steering wheel would vibrate violently left & right.

Is there anyone else having this problem? Could it be the rotor problem?

It doesn't happen all the time. If it happens, and I release my hand from the steering wheel, you can see the steering wheel moving left & right in small amount rapidly, but violently. Car still goes straight.
 
#2 ·
If it happens on a very smooth road, then you have a slighly-bent rotors.

Have the dealer check it out.

Solution - replacement or resurfacing.
 
#5 ·
Sounds like classic rotor warp. They may be able to fix with resurface if they have not been resurfaced before. If not, they likley will need to be replaced. i do not think warranty will cover as it is a wear and tear item. I had the same problem shortly after I had my tires rotated - I suspect that the mechanic was overzealous on tightening the lug nuts and warped the rotors, although that is not the only way they get warped. I had 45K on the originals and they were able to resurface and the problem is gone.
 
#7 ·
If you are under one year or 12K miles, the dealer may do the work under warranty (I have known of it to happen), but above that, you are probably on your own.

Jerry O.
 
#8 ·
I had the same problem. It was fixed under warrany at ~20k miles.

My service advisor told me that my rotors were glazed and that the tech used emory cloth to remove the glaze. His explaination didn't really agree with my previous experiences so I specifically asked him they resurfaced the rotors. He restated that the rotors were deglazed.

I suspect that the rotors were actually resurfaced. I don't really trust the service advisors.
 
G
#9 ·
TCB said:
I don't really trust the service advisors.
I think that's a prudent approach. It's not lile "service advisor" is the end of a career track or what people go to Harvard for. I don't mean to knock it, but if they had mechanical aptitude they'd be techs. They also tend to follow the company line so what they say must be taken with a grain of salt.
 
#13 ·
The good ending:

Arrived at the dealer in the morning, and explain the steering wheel vibrating problem when braking at high speed.

Advisor immediately suggested it must be the "warp rotor". The mechanic has to first measure the rotor with micro at high speed to confirm it. If truth, they will remachine (grind down and smooth) the rotor and replace the brake pad.

The cost will be $199.95 labor & material, because it's due to my driving behavior (too much gentle braking on the freeway), and brake system is not covered by warranty. He suggested not to replace rotor, or it's $100 extra each rotor, and it's only a slight grinding of rotor.

I didn't want to argue or fight for the repair cost, because I was in a hurry to get back to office. I was willing to pay, just because my time is worth more.

20 minutes later the advisor told me it is confirmed as "warp rotor" in the 2 front wheels, and rotors will be grind down. The brake pad is not nearly worn out, but it's distored, so must be replaced.

Due to the low mileage on my vehicle (12,050 miles, 15 months bought from this same dealer), his manager has agreed to waive the entire cost as good will. So I did not pay a dime.

I drove Odyssey out the dealership in 2 hours 15 minutes after arriving. Now it no longer has steering wheel vibration when braking on freeway.

It has a good ending. :D
 
#15 ·
So, really, does a certain braking behavior cause front rotors to warp?:confused:

I could understand possibly having to slam on the brakes all the time, and especially stop and go traffic at rush hour in D.C., anything that causes instant heating and then instant cooling.

But, gentle braking on a freeway :confused:
 
#16 ·
I am not a big fan of 'turning rotors'. If they are indeed warped, then the turning process merely removes enough material to make the high side equal the low side. Now you have an unbalanced rotor with some areas of the metal thicker/thinner than the others which will almost certainly cause them to warp again in the near future.

I am a proponent of always replacing rotors when they start to shake the wheel. Factory parts can sometimes be inferior to aftermarket replacements.

Now there is a theory floating around which says that rotors do not warp but rather have buildups of brake pad material which causes hot spots to develop on the rotor - usually from improper break-in of new pads. Driving habits can cause excessive build up as well. Once the hotspots develop on the rotors, they start to wear unevenly giving the appearance of warping. Either way, when the brake is applied, any unevenness causes the wheel to shake. Sometimes, this condition can be remedied by a session of hard braking, acceleration and more hard braking without the pad coming to rest on a hot rotor in between stopping and starting.

http://www.stoptech.com/tech_info/wp_warped_brakedisk.shtml
 
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