If the steering wheel is vibrating at freeway speeds, check the condition of your tires and you may consider having the wheels balanced. If a weight fell off a wheel, you can experience vibrations as your speed increases. Other things can cause vibration but this is a common cause
First, make darn certain all front lug nuts are tight! Secondly it sounds as if your tires are out of balance which is a very simple fix at your local tire store. The only other thing from a safety standpoint is to confirm you have no broken belts within your radial tires. Lastly, if you do not have ABS (anti lock brakes) then by locking up your brakes to the point that the tires "skid" can cause a flat spot on your tires where the rubber is essentially burnt off creating an ever so subtle flat spot. As your front tires (brakes) do 65% of your braking and the majority of the weight of your car is the ft area directly over the tires then that's another possibility. If it only shakes at higher speeds and not all of the time then you're probably dealing with one of the relatively minor issues above. Any tire shop should be able to track down the issue and resolve it witout too much expense or time.
Visitoron Jun 10, 2010
This could be many things, there is not one simple answer.
First thing is figure out if the vibration is wheel/rim based, or suspension based. The easiest thing to do would be to rotate your tires (front to back) one at a time, then take a highway drive. Tire/rim damage becomes far less pronounced when the wheel is in the rear. If the problem clears up, you know the problem is wheel/rim based, and which wheel it is as well. You either have a bad tire, a bent rim, or need your wheel balanced.
If the problem does not clear up, things get more complex. While you have your car jacked up, but your hands at 12 and 6 on the tire and rock back and forth. If the tire rocks, you need new wheel bearings asap.
If you car clicks when you make sharp turns, it is the CV joint, but you could still get a vibration from a bad joint before you hear clicks.
It could be a bent hub. A mechanic will have to do the hub or bearing job, as it requires special tools on your car. It's also expensive (several hundred).
Check the front wheel alignment.
From there on out, suspension components such as control arms and rods, or pehaps drive axles may be damaged. Your car may have previously been in an accident and time made the damage more pronounced.
