1996 Lexus Steering problems

while im driving down the road the car will shift like it suppose to but also violently jerk the steering wheel to the right and then its fine…Only happens while shifting

Get your motor mounts checked (they went out on my '96 ES), also your various suspension bushings, etc.

I agree. Motor mounts is a good place to start. Get this fixed. A steering wheel jerking violently is a safety issue.

While I would probably not have thought of the motor mounts, I agree with them as the most likely candidate. An excellent place to start.

Ball joints? Tie rod ends? Loose rack and pinion components?

a buddy of mine suggested that it was the control arm…Could that be a possibility?

Yes, it is a possibility. As are a number of other front end components. The steering wheel is directly connected to everything in the drivetrain. When the engine shifts the tortional load change is transmitted through the drive axles and into the wheels, which hopefully are connected to the rack and the steering column, and everything in the systems needs to be secure. Or else it just may pull the wheel.

We could guess all day, but you gotta get this on a lift pronto.