Suburban sway on high way

Maintenance/Repairs
,
1

My 2003 4wd sway when I drive over 50mi. I replaced sway bar links and sway bar bushings but it still sways… Nothing is broken, no noise. I don’t know what else to do except to replace rear sway bar bushings but I don’t thing it’s gonna make a difference…

2

Worn shock absorbers can cause a vehicle to sway when it’s driven at speed.

Especially one as heavy as your Suburban.

Tester

1 Like
3

Check the ball joints.

1 Like
4

I have a trailblazer, and never noticed what you describe when I had broken front and rear swaybar links. I would look elsewhere based on my experience.

1 Like
5

Following an inspection of the front suspension, if the shocks are old they’d be next. My '95 Suburban did great with a set of Bilsteins.

1 Like
6

If those are the original shocks, they’re due for a replacement. Yes, instability on the highway and in crosswinds is a classic symptom.

1 Like
7

Worn shock absorbers, worn or improperly inflated tires, the wrong tires or wheels, are my top 3 suggestions.

1 Like
8

Bingo on possibly worn shocks.

1 Like
9

Shocks, agree. I’d check the front stabilizer bar bushings, end links and all the steering linkage just for good measure. If the truck hasn’t had an alignment in a few years, that might be due for a check as well. These trucks tend to sag a bit over time and the alignment goes out when that happens.

10

And check the alignment.
If the front tires are slightly off from each other . . they could be arguing with each other over which one will take the lead.
Are either of the treads worn oddly ?

11

Everyone has come up with the most likely parts that may be causing your problem.

.Another thing to check, for a wandering steering problem is the intermediate shaft and its U-joint. These can get sloppy and allow for the vehicle to wander.

Have someone rock the steering wheel back and forth as you watch that U-joint. There should be no slopin the joint.
Any slop and it needs to be replaced.

Yosemite

12

Concur with @Tester and @Mustangman , shocks is where I’d look first. My truck has the same symptom when the shocks are shot. While replacing the shocks/struts, that’s a good time to test for play in other components too.