My steering wheel shakes (?)

Maintenance/Repairs
1

I have a 2000 Jeep Grand Cher., auto transmission. My steering wheel shakes between 50-55 mph. When I am driving at the rate of 50 mph, and over, when the brakes are applied the steering wheel shakes even more. I would like to have a general idea of what is going on with my jeep before I take it to a garage for repairs. Thanks!

2

You probably have badly warped brake rotors. And, perhaps, also scalloped tires.

But hey, the Jeep is nine years old. It could also have a multitude of other contributing causes, like worn out shocks, bad tie rod ends, bad ball joints,…who knows?

Take it to a good reputable owner operated shop, tell the the symptoms, and let them have a good look-see. These kind of symptoms are much too dangerous to not address all the causes.

3

First thing to do is have the tires balanced and inspected by someone who knows what they are doing…

4

Thanks for the response! I had the brake pads and rotors replaced recently, including a new caliper. Some one had mentioned that it may have something to do with the bearings…(?) I’m bringing it to a garage the second week of May. Wish me luck.

5

There is an often overlooked part of the front end of all truck-based Jeeps and most 4x4 Dodge trucks called a drag link. It basically connects the steering system to the frame on the drivers side of the truck. When it becomes loose and worn, it can cause the symptoms you describe, sometimes exaggerated to the point of being extremely dangerous. I once drove a Cherokee that did this so badly I drove it back to the shop at 25mph because it started shaking violently at 60 and didn’t stop till I got down to 25, and stepping on the brakes made it worse. It was terrifying. I thought the truck was going to roll, and some have from what I have heard (mostly Wranglers, not Cherokees). The reason the drag link is so often overlooked is because no amount of looseness is evident during a standard “raise it up and shake down the front end” inspection. The only way to see if the drag link is bad is to look at it with the truck on the wheels while an assistant turns the wheel back and forth, about 1/4 turn off center in each direction. Get that checked out, it could be dangerous.