Just recently I have noticed that my steering wheel gets a weird vibration/jerking/pulsating feel while driving, does anyone know what could be wrong?

 

More info needed. Are you actively turning? Going straight? Does it feel like wheel is out of balance? Are you braking? When was the last time you changed your power steering fluid?

 

I usually feel it when car is going straight, the brakes and rotors are new. I do not feel it when I'm braking or turning. I had the wheels balanced two weeks ago.

 

sounds like an alignment issue

 

Just got a 2010 Outlander XLS V6 AWD

My steering wheel vibrates/shakes when driving straight.

Les Schwab seems to think it is a tire balance issue. I'm in need of new tires soon, so hopefully that will just clear it all up. Will do an alignment at the time of install to ensure that isn't the culprit either.

 

Read here about wheel balancing:

Wheel Alignment vs. Wheel Balancing - Levin Tire & Service Center

 

Good read! I already had my tires balanced it helped but the shaking continued so I will be getting an alignment today.

 

Hi guys, I've had a similar problem on my 2008 Outie for just over a year now, I have tried 4 different sets of tyres and 2 different sets of mag rims, installed new shocks, installed new brake discs front and back, done wheel alignment and wheel balancing more times than I wish to think of, but the vibration /shaking does not go away, it always starts at about 95kph and gets progressively worse the faster I go. Under 90kph there is no vibration at all. I will be checking soon if it might be a bent side shaft or a CV joint that's busy packing up. I believe it might also be a faulty steering rack/ pump, which happens to be a common problem on an Outie that has done over 150000km. It would be nice if someone could come up with a solution to this before I get rid of my Outie through pure frustration.

 

I had a similar problem with my Outie where the steering wheel shakes especially braking. It turns out one of my calipers were seized. One way to quickly tell is comparing the temperature of the two wheels after driving. My passenger side was blazing hot to the touch, compared to the driver's side. I couldn't even compress the brake piston with a c-clamp. I would imagine the rotor was warping when it got really hot, thus causing the steering shakes. After installing a new caliper using the existing pads, the problem went away. It's worth a quick look even though your brakes are new. Other than that I would rotate wheels front to back to see if the problem is related to the wheels.

 

Got an alignment at Pepboys, I still have the vibration in the steering wheel. I am being told the tire shop where I got my balancing done did a poor job. I am going to try getting them rebalanced at Pepboys. Could be a bent wheel as well. I will update if I find the issue.