[shorerunner]

Yikes! A dealer gave me a 2000 Intrepid ES to take for weekend "test drive".
The steering wheel vibates!
After I drive for more than an hour, my fingers get numb.
I drove a Chrysler Concord and a Chrysler 300M and they all do the same thing.
This car is too beautiful for words and I would buy it if I could resolve this issue.
Comments?

 

[Barnz]

I have the same problem sometimes, but it seems to go away when I check and make sure my front tires are inflated to the correct pressure...

 

[Warlord187]

Ummmmmmmmmmmm, I haven't noticed this problem on mine. Every now and than I'll notice a little vibration/wobble when I do some hard braking, but that's it.

 

[Thrasher]

release yer death grip from the steering wheel, and get comfy. i've never experienced that...

sounds intense

sorry officer i missed my turn, i couldn't feel my hands to turn the wheel!

 

[grimmster]

I was just noticing that on my 2000 this weekend. I would let go of the wheel (just dont drive so close to me and you'll be fine) and I just watched the wheel go back and forth on its own. Probably about the width of my little finger. Tires are at the recommended psi.

My hands never go numb though....

 

[DMAG]

I had the same thing happen to me...here's how I made it go away.

1)Inflate your tires to the correct pressure
2)Get an alignment

All fixed! and to think, mine came from the factory like that. They must get banged around on the train or something and get knocked out of alignment.

 

[JoeKD]

I'm with Warlord, the only vibration I get is under heavy braking, if I let the wheel go during normal driving there's no movement at all

 

[1mz-fe]

i experience an up and down vibration with some regularity. time to throw down for an alignment and balance, etc. i rarely get the hard-brake wobble, i guess i don't brake hard enough to warrant it, though i did experience it once (had to avoid an accident ahead of me, floored the brakes and steered into the shoulder, broke the back end out and the car behind me hit the one in front of me. glad i moved over).

 

[mlfca]

Smooth ride for me.

 

[Lafrad]

maybe you are drivin on some bad roads? sometimes the cement in certian areas affect some cars and not others due the the size of the frame/wheelbase/width/tire-size.......

 

[JGarrett911]

Every once and a while mine will vibrate, but the only time it happens is between 57 and 60mph.... and again at 110+...

 

[cj]

The vibration may have been due to a poor alignment. Those lot attendants can be brutal at times - I knew a couple when I was in my teens and can tell you some horror stories.

 

[moparman]

Tire pressure of course is important, but I find that the Goddyears have a tendency to shake a little when cold. They seem to be more sensitive to temperature. I notice that if I have to accelerate quickly up to beltway speed (60/70) before I've driven a few miles, sometimes it'll have a light shake. In the evening, warm day, no problem.

The Goodyears also seem to need balancing more often. The Pirelli's and Micehlin's I've used in the past - no problem. I also had the same problem with Goodyears on an 88 Monte Carlo SS. Suffice to say, when I need to replace the eagles on my 2001 R/T it'll be Pirelli's.

(I must admit, I didn't have the tires rotated on my '98 Trep - couldn't wait to wear them out Eagle,s too).

I never have a front end alignment for a wheel shake, two different problems altogether.

 

[Wutang15m]

Nope i think its actually the way the brakes on these cars are. try and see if its the brakes

 

[IntrepidXJ]

Used to have the same problem on my 98 when I would brake from higher speeds. There was another discussion on this a while back, and it seemed it was a common problem...

 

[shorerunner]

Hey guys,
Thanks for all the replies!

For everyone who is suggesting it is brakes or something like that:

The vibration that bothers me happens as soon as you start the engine. It has nothing to do with road speed, applying the brakes, or anything like that.

It is at a fairly high mechanical frequency; aprox 20 hz (cycles per second); sort of a buzzing. It seems to be related to something in the engine.

One of these days, when/if I get around to it, I will put an accellerometer on the steering wheel, and then hook it up to an oscilloscope and find out exactly what it is going on.

My son and my girlfriend can feel it; it is just that I am the only one who objects to it. Alison's Mercury Sable does the same thing. Rear wheel drive cars, like my son't F350 pickup, and my friend's Cougar don't seem to do it.

Shorerunner

 

[DMAG]

Harmonic balancer?

 

[celticmyst]

apparently there was an issue with the OE tires as well. trade em in on something else is what i was told. mine are garbage anyway after 75000km and about to get replaced. those goodyear eagle GA's are supposed to be junk. mine vibrates a little as well and took it for in for an alignment and it was dead on.

 

[GR8WHT]

Goodyears!!! Yuck!

My RT has the Michilen (spelling) Pilots and there is not a smigin of vibration in the car. In fact it amazes me how smooth it is. Can cruise at 85 and there is no vibration or movement at all. Be it 60 or 135 mph, drives like a dream! Maybe I got one that is set up bang on! and I drive hard and brake hard too. (Detroit Roads!!!)

 

[ddkracing]

For those with high speed vibration there are a couple of TSB's from DC. The problem seems to be cars with the Goodyear tires. I had this problem that they could not fix untill I put new tires on, BTW the new ones are not Goodyears but are now Michilens and the car never ran as smooth even when new.