Over the last several months I have noticed that the steering wheel on my Stratus will shimmy back and forth more so at low speeds (30 MPH). When I am on the highway, it is not noticeable at all but if I look at the passenge seat on the highway (with no one in it) it will vibrate a lot but I'm not sure if this is just normal car vibration or what. About 2 years ago I had the same problem until I changed both front wheel bearnings then it stopped. I realize that it could be a wheel out of balance (it's been a couple of years for that too) but wanted to know if there was any sure-fire way of narrowing down the problem. Could it be a tie rod that is almost shot?

97 Stratus 2.0
148k miles

Thanks!

 

It could be tire/wheel related or it could be steering gear related.

I just had to replace the tie rod ends on my 97 with 91K miles.

Can you swap the tires front to rear and see if the shimmy goes away? It could be a slipped belt in the tire or a mis balanced wheel either of which would cause the shimmy to be eliminated by swapping the tires. If it remains it is likely suspension . steering gear related.

 

Thanks for the reply. I did end up rotating the tires front to back and the shimmy remains. I have a feeling that it is tie rods. I get nervous sometimes when I am driving it. I remember a wheel check (trying to move the wheel back and forth) to determine if the tie rods are shot but if I put enough pressure on the wheel one way or another, I can actuate the steering (I can feel the gearing moving) so I don't know if that tells me much. Is there any sure way to tell what suspension parts it could be or is it a crapshoot? How tough are these kinds of jobs for the shadetree mechanic?

 

Well you could get under the car and use a pry bar on the tie rods to see if there is any movement. It does not take much pressure and they should be tight. Movement will show if they are going bad.

How loose is your steering when driving?If it loose it could possibly be the Tie Rods.When is the last time you had an alignment check?How are the tires wearing out? Insides wearing out, Outsides wearing out, Cupping of the tread.

If the alignment is way out you will have this feeling also even if the suspension is in good shape. You need to also look atall the signs of a worn suspension.

Vibrationcan caused by many factors, how are the CV Joints?