Hey everyone, have I got a brain teaser for you! I have a 1996 Avenger ES 2.5 V6 that overall has been a great car. Have owned it for about a year and have had to replace the radiator, pads, battery ect... Normal car maintence stuff, I get it. I change the oil every 3000miles, I try to baby it because of the miles on it. Currently has 221,400 miles on odometer. This new problem started a few days ago after I was replacing the PCV valve and installing new headlights. When driving to work I noticed the car shaking like crazy when I was above 55mph. I just played it off, but its gotten a LOT worse the past cpl days! Its vibrating so bad that it feels like all the wheels are about to fall off!! When I got home I pulled off the front wheels to check out everything. The driver side rotor seems like its slightly warped, pads are worn unevenly but it doesnt shake when braking at all. The control arm is loose a little bit, but moves freely with no hang ups. Passenger side wheel bearing seems to have play in it. I plan on replacing both front wheel bearings and rotors, but can anyone suggest other possible causes/fixes??? Sorry for the long *** post!! Thanks for reading and all help is appreciated!!!!

 

wheel balance is normally a cause for shaking at speed

Have you had the recall done on the car ?

 

I though about that, it does need new rear tires! Wasnt aware of a recall, what was it for???

 

Chrysler has put out a recall on all 95-00 Sebrings (coupes only) and Avengers for their ball joints and lower control arms.

If you haven't done so, GET THIS CHECKED OUT. In extreme cases, people have lost steering in their car or even lost a wheel while driving.

Facts:

1) The ball joint recall covers ALL YEARS of avengers and sebrings (coupe sebring, not convertible.)

2) The recall covers the ball joints and front lower control arms.

3) The recall covers the parts FOR THE LIFE OF THE CAR. Don't let the dealer pull the whole "the recall was already performed" crap. If the dealer tries this, call the Chrysler recall center (info below).

4) Some dealers will service the recall by 'repacking' the ball joints. Push them to replace the joint, as this 'repacking' WILL eventually fail.

5) If you need to, call the Chysler recall center (like I had to). Have your VIN number ready. They were very helpful & assured me that the recall was for the life of the vehicle (which the dealer told me was BS). They can also get on the dealer's *** if they refuse to do the work (which they did for me).

Here's contact info for the Recall center:

Contact Us by Telephone
1-800-853-1403
M-F 8:00AM - 8:00PM (EST)

Contact Us by Mail:
DaimlerChrysler
P.O. Box 610207
Port Huron, MI 48061-0207


Oh, and BTW, symptoms of a bad ball joint vary. I experienced a "creeeek" coming from my passenger side sometimes (no, not all the time). It almost sounded like someone sitting on an old mattress. I go new ball joints AND lower control arms out of the deal.

 

Had the lower ball joint separated on my daughter while driving our 98 LXi. I called the Chrysler warranty center as listed below, but they told me that the dealer was correct, and the warranty on recall items is 10 years from the date of the recall, so they would do nothing for me.

 

Bad Venge is correct. It is usually tire balance. Other causes can be either a separated belt in the tire tread or wall, or possibly a cv joint that has worn beyond the normal boot replacement. In rare cases it can be loose lug nuts.