I have a 2008 Mitsubishi Outlander XLS(Canadian version). I've been trying to track down a phantom shimmy in the steering for about 2 years that randomly appears at high speeds, especially around corners. I had tried finding it myself numerous times and ruled out tires/wheel balance issues and could not find any loose steering components. I finally gave up and took it in for further diagnosis. Two shops could not locate any issue however they couldn't be bothered to highway test it as time is money(even though I'm paying $110/hr). Anyway.

During my recent tire swap(winters to summers) I always do a quick visual inspection of everything and give the wheels the up and down shake test(wheel bearings) and left to right(tie rods). I noticed 1/2" to 3/4" play on my drivers wheel. While disappointed something was wrong, I was excited something was finally showing up. So I dropped the drivers side and lifted the passenger side only to find nearly the exact same amount of play, which left me dumbfounded. Now the strange part. I lifted both front wheels off of the ground at the same time. When I move one wheel left to right, the opposite wheel moves at the same time. At this point I can't assume both tie rods are shot equal amounts as that wouldn't explain both wheels moving at the same time. I would think that if they were both loose/failing that they would move independently of each other which I've seen in other vehicles I've worked on over the years. I tried putting my weight on one tire with my legs while moving the opposite with my hands. No play at all.

Any suggestions? I'm starting to lean towards steering rack issues however I cannot see a damn thing as it appears the subframe and control arms completely block the steering rack.

 

Did you ever get this problem resolved?

 

No. It got so bad that I parked it 3 months ago and it's sitting there collecting dust. My best guess is that something internal to the rack has failed. It's going to be an expensive and large job to replace and I need to get it done before winter. Once I get around to it, I'll try and remember to report back with my findings!

 

Well I have a 2009 es trim ,and sometimes at low rpms and just turning in the driveway , the wheel will lock just for a second , but I need to get it checked.
These are nice suvs , but parts are extremley expensive.

 

Guys, if you have a 2nd pair of hands, try this. One person lies on the ground and holds onto one end of the swaybar link. 2nd person rocks the car hard by the A pillar. I had a rattle that I swore was strut related, but could not confirm. I even checked swaybar with car jacked up and they felt solid. I had just changed control arms. Rocking it actioned the swaybar that I could see, feel, and hear the issue. Links are a cheap fix...easy removal with sawzall!