Hello,
I was wondering what might cause the steering wheel to jerk and wobble when we drive over a bump, rut, depression, etc in the road. On-line blogs suggest wheel bearings but the van doesn’t make a noise to suggest that; control Arm or CA bushings; and ball joints. It does make noise when driving over the typical “washboard” roads in Belgium. Sounds like something is loose in the front but I cannot see anything that appears loose when look. It is going to the shop on Monday but I’d like to be somewhat smart when they give me a diagnosis. The struts and strut mounts are less than a year old. I’ve never done anything with the bearings, ball joints, bushings, etc. The van has 91K miles and a recent alignment. It drives straight and doesn’t pull in either direction. Only the jerking/wobbling wheel and the rattling-type noise coming from the front-end on rough roads are the concerns. Thanks!
Sounds like something in the front end is off to me. We have a 2003 Odyssey, and the wheel has always wobbled just a little at highway speeds. No problems going over bumps, etc., like you’re having. Good luck.
When you hit a bump you are starting an osillation in a wheel that is taking some time to spin out. Could be lots of things; bad, loose, or broken front end part(s) is very possible. A bent wheel, or bad belt on a tire could do it. Even a tire with low air pressure could do it. Given the age and miles you need to get the front suspension checked for wear and/or damage.