Steering wheel shaking when braking

[Mark Babunovic]

Hi all,
A week ago the steering wheel on our 2008 Town & Country (3.8L V-6 with 99,000 miles) started shaking from about 60mph down to 35 when braking normally from highway speed. The shaking stops below 35mph, and it doesn’t affect braking. There isn’t any pulsating or different feel to the brake pedal. (At lower speeds there has been very slight grabbing for a while — barely noticeable.)

I looked over the front brakes — nothing out of order — rotors in good shape, even pad wear, freely moving pads and calipers.

I’m at a loss, especially from this showing up so suddenly and over just this speed interval. Could this be from warped rotors? They’re 3yr old Centrics, thickness well within spec, and I’m careful about torquing lug nuts.

Thanks in advance…

Topic

[Dax Ness]

check the tire pressure….first it’s cheap and quick. Like you mentioned the Rotors to could need replaced. Is there any noise in the wheel area while driving?

[Shaun Flichel]

You may have a tire going funky. Try rotating your tires from front to back and see if the problem is still there.

[Mark Babunovic]

Thanks for the suggestions – tire pressure is OK, and no noise in the wheel area. I will rotate the tires and let you know how it goes.

[Mark Babunovic]

Warped rotors were the culprit – I changed them today and braking is as smooth as glass. Apparently these vans have a reputation for chewing up rotors and pads before their time. I’ll probably switch to slotted, which are recommended for for heavy loads/towing, if these don’t last any longer.

Thanks again for the advice.

[Author]

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