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Low speed front end wobble

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by mcmahonmc, Dec 31, 2008.

  1. mcmahonmc

    mcmahonmc New Member

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    2010 Prius
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    I have a 2004 Prius with 91K. The car has devloped a low speed wobble. At about 16mph the front end exhibits a wobble. The wobble continues until about 39mph.

    I have been back to the dealer three times. They did a road force balance and inspected the front end. The tires and balance are all within specification. Any ideas?

    I had the transmission and invertor flush done about a month ago. I drove it on a trip and while at cruise speed (65mph) I heard what sounded like a transmission slip for a split second. No error conditions or any other tell tale signs. I have searched the internet for any similar conditions.

    Could this be an early warning sign of drive train troubles?
    Many thanks!
     
    #1 mcmahonmc, Dec 31, 2008
  2. OrlandoGuy

    OrlandoGuy Junior Member

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    How much wear is on the tires?

    They would be my #1 suspect.
     
    #2 OrlandoGuy, Dec 31, 2008
  3. Mjolinor

    Mjolinor New Member

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    It is probably a small amount of damage to the sidewall of one of the tyres, this doesn't always show on a balance it just distorts the tread when it's rolling with weight on.

    Normally you have to remove the tyre to look at the inside. Best way is to remove the wheels and use the spare one at a time to see if hte wobble changes. If you don't have a spare then swap fron tto back and see if it changes.
     
    #3 Mjolinor, Dec 31, 2008
  4. patsparks

    patsparks An Aussie perspective

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    Sounds like tyres to me too. Could be delamination, beware!!!
    I had a tyre on my trailer that was out of shape, I was going to fix it one day, then it exploded while parked on my front lawn!
     
    #4 patsparks, Jan 1, 2009
  5. mcmahonmc

    mcmahonmc New Member

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    III

    The tires have about 15K miles of wear and they look to be in great shape. I rotate them every 7500 miles. I may try to rotate in the spare to see if the gentle bounce returns at 16mph. Thanks!
     
    #5 mcmahonmc, Jan 1, 2009
  6. Mjolinor

    Mjolinor New Member

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    It's an unfortunate circumstance of cheaper, radial tyres that they do delaminate. I would not use the car for anything over 20 mph till you fix it as they can let go unexpectedly and you do not want that happening as they usually disintegrate.
     
    #6 Mjolinor, Jan 1, 2009
  7. OrlandoGuy

    OrlandoGuy Junior Member

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    Please post your results after you rotate the tires - especially if you find the problem is with another part.

    Thanks and Happy New Year
     
    #7 OrlandoGuy, Jan 1, 2009
  8. mcmahonmc

    mcmahonmc New Member

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    As suggested, I rotated in the spare tire on the front passenger side, and the elliptical ride smoothed out. I have a 2005 Prius and I added the spare tire to the driver’s side front and the bounce disappeared all together.

    I took photo’s of the tires and carefully inspected each one. I then packed them up and went to Sam’s to have a word with the store manager. The service team at Sam’s inspected the tires and without much discussion, they offered me 100% refund for the tires. I must say I was amazed at the lack of hassle.

    I replaced the tires with a set of Michelin X, which were rated very highly in Consumer Reports. The Prius drove like a dream on the way home. I had a chance to drive in rain and dry payment and I must say that the new tires handle very well.

    The Goodyear Integra tires were only a year old and had some wear. I spent more time rotating the spare tires into place then I did returning the tires to Sam’s. Pinch me, is the possible?
    Thanks for your helpful comments and advice. I guess I caught the sidewall failure in an early state. I am happy not to have tire failure added to my Prius experience.
    Cheers!
     
    #8 mcmahonmc, Jan 4, 2009
  9. OrlandoGuy

    OrlandoGuy Junior Member

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    Thanks for info on your experience with Sam's. I'll keep them in mind when time to replace my tires.
     
    #9 OrlandoGuy, Jan 4, 2009
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