Does anybody have an idea what could cause my steering to violently shake back-and-forth after hitting a bump in the road above 40 mph? This has happened to me a few times and I am waiting for the day when I can't control it.
It is a 97 Ram 1500 4x4. I am the second owner so I am not sure if the suspension is stock or if it has been lifted a bit.

 

Death wobble.


Do a quick search, you will have more info than you can imagine. Its basically caused by worn out steering parts and/or the track bar. Worn ball joints can also aid to this I'm sure.

 

And if your truck is lifted a little that shouldn't matter anyway. I have never experienced it with my truck (lots of street driving, its my DD), but my dads new 07 3/4 Ram with 18k miles has got it a few times already (thats ridiculous).

Anyway, have someone saw the steering back and forth a little bit while you can lay underneath the truck and evaluate the steering and track bar ends. They are most likely due for replacement.

Good luck.

 

try new shocks as well... you'd be amazed at what they can do

 

Definitely death wobble. Since it's the steering that has the problem, it's the track bar ... no doubt in my mind. VERY common problem ... and fix.