YM13

Every time that I go over a bump or just a little pot hole I lose control of the steering wheel. It feels as though, for a slight instant, it has been disconnected from the car. As I have done further research about this I have figured out that a lot of people actually have this problem on the 3rd gen. There are (I believe) no steering stabilizers in use and so arises the question of...How can I dampen the steering vibrations....

This isn't a problem of unbalanced tires or anything. This happens only when I hit a bump. If anyone has any suggestions please do tell...

CJM

Actually I dont know if its common, but its called bumper steer and is probably due to your alignment and possibly your tierods and control arms.

I would go get it aligned..

YotaFun

I don't know if this is the same symptom or not
but every time I hit a bump the runner feels like it jumps to a side
like I jolted the steering wheel really quick...

It's been like that since about 6 monghts ago... right before i got the new tires and alignment...

So I think its a def steering issue...

Elton

i have the same problem could be the 141k miles on the stock shocks wish it wouldint ride like a dump truck

CJM

This must be a really common thing for you guys. When was the last time any of you had an alignment?

I would attribute it to worn out frontend components, I cant say for sure as I didnt have my truck before they did the recall on the T100's to replace the entire frontend, but I know my camry did it with worn out struts up front.

Your wheels being out of round would case more of a vibration all the time at certain speeds.

MTL_4runner

Sounds like a combo of shocks, alignment and steering bushings to me as well. You guys should also be checking your ball joints, front wheel bearings, steering rack and tie rods to see if there is excessive play in any of those as well. Mine will still hop the rear end a bit if I gas the truck over a bump, but I never get the feeling that my steering has been disconnected at all.

YM13

Yah all those sound like reasonable "could-be" problems but why does it do it only after I hit a bump? I mean there is NO vibration whatsoever (ok just a minute amount) when I'm driving down a flat road but as soon as I hit that bump or a railroad crossing the steering wheel just shakes pretty hard. Although i think it has pulled in a certain direction a couple of times that hasn't really been an issue. Although if I recall correctly it did a couple of times...

Thanks for all the feedback

4unner4life

Just spit balling here but get under your truck and check the steering connection.

YM13

ok but what should I look for when I check it out....

KyleT

i replaced every bushing, ball joint and ti rods and the rack and added poly bushings, and the steering is tight, but it jerks the wheel pretty hard when I hit bumps.

Tanto

I had this problem that I thought was a result of a used long travel kit. Turned out it wasn't related to the kit per-say but a result of the alignment.

The lower arm bolts were slightly loose and hitting a bump at 10+ mph or so would create a "loose steering" feel that settled as soon as the suspension was settled. Apparently, the bolts for the arms had worn a slight groove so when the suspension settled, it slid back in after moving a bit when the suspension was "unloaded" slightly.

A realignment with blue locktite on the threads and proper torque (I watched them this time) did the trick. Haven't had a problem since.

If the steering rack bushings are worn out, it's time to replace them with some poly ones. Pretty easy as long as you have a large C-clamp to press the old ones out.

MTL_4runner

Same as I mentioned above......Checking for excessive movement on ball joints, front wheel bearings, steering rack and inner/outer tie rods to see if there is excessive play in any of those as well. The alignment being loose isn't very common, but it can obviously happen. The more thorough you are, the better the chances are that you'll find the problem behind the symptoms.

It does it after a bump because the bump activates the suspension and changes the dynamics of the system temporarily.
Once the energy has been absorbed (via the shocks), the suspension goes back to steady state again.

YM13

I noticed some of the bushings along the sway bar are broken and coming out of their place...could this be the problem??? I'll take pic tommorow to show you guys what it looks like

zberch

I seem to be having the same problem. Seems to be noticable since i put my OME lift on.