Front end vibration/steering shimmy

[gator]

The front end & the steering wheel of my 98 MPV badly vibrates between 60 & 65 mph. I have the problem since I put Bridgestone tires at 30k miles. I guess the originals wore out so soon due to South Florida heat. The shaking is very obvious to all riding in the car. I tried wheel balancing several times & that didn't work. At 50k miles my front tires were badly feathered & worn out. This time I only changed the front tires with Michelins. Now at 57k miles I have had alignment done & all wheels balanced several timesplus had one rim changed on dealers recommendation. Still the problem wont go away. Mazda dealer says that MPVs have this problem. Tire dealer (Costco) says he has balanced them almost to perfection. Any ideas guys? On highway you will find me driving either at 50 mph or 70 mph.

[mazdaguy]

Unless it only happens when you step on the brake pedal it has to be a tire or wheel out of round. Those vans require tire rotation about every oil change unfortunately. If you do not then tire cupping will happen.

[bryanj]

Did you buy the car new???? Cause it sounds like your frame might be bent .

[gator]

Originally posted by bryanj@Mar 26 2003, 06:37 PM
Did you buy the car new???? Cause it sounds like your frame might be bent .

Yes, I bought it brand new in December 1998. It hasn't been in any accident at all. Hasn't been on any rough terrains either as the roads around Ft. Lauderdale area are pretty smooth.

[BarbaraZ111]

A wheel alignment fixed that problem on my 1995.

[seldomseen]

Originally posted by BarbaraZ111@Jun 22 2003, 06:47 PM
A wheel alignment fixed that problem on my 1995.

alignments dont usually fix vibration/shimmy problems, getting tires rebalanced do.

alignments fix improper tire wear problems and keep your suspension healthy

[myackanich]

I am experiencing exact same problem with my 2003 MPV purchased new in Sept 02.

I had tires balanced twice in past 2 weeks. Still happens. Need to take it back in to dealer (what a pain!).......

Has your issue been resolved? If so - what was the resolution?

[shaker]

I have a 2003 MPV that was new last November. The vehicle has had bad vibration problem from day one. The dealer balanced tires, aligned, generally mucked with suspension and finally replaced the stock 15 inch tires with Michelins. It's better but it still shudders on the highway. I've heard that this is a common problem with all 15 inch MPV's. Anyone else heard the same thing?

[excluesiveonez]

my millenia shakes a lil a 55-60 i no its gotta be because of improper balancing.... but once im above 70...its not noticable unless your feeling for it... at 90 the shake is non existant.. thats the only reason i speed

[cwshaw]

i had the same prob. i finally took both my tires off and it had a lump on the inside and the tires were new. aint that a trip.