Cosanostra

Hoping for some suggestions on this issue.

First time happened a couple months ago. After a night in the low 20's, driving away from the house, down a long sloping hill, the front of the car and steering wheel were shaking and making a noise that reminded me of driving on a flat tire. I stopped the car and checked but everything looked fine. I resumed driving and there was no shaking or noise. I thought perhaps there had been ice frozen in the treads.

Now, two months later, I experienced the same issue, same results. Stopped the car, checked the tires, resumed driving and everything has seemed fine for in the days since.

94ES, 187k mi.

BDSL

Check your ball joints and lower control arms for play

PFB

Being winter, could it be that you had some packed ice or snow in the wheel. This would cause the symptoms you describe, until the packed ice or snow falls off.

Phil

ErikTheRed

Get the brakes checked. I had a similar problem, turned out I had a stuck caliper. It was making enough contact to heat and expand as I drove, causing more drag and eventual vibration as it pulsed from small variances in the surface of the rotor.

Jazzer

I had the same kind of thing, and it turned out to be the emergency brake starting to crumble apart. Could be a caliper thing too.

Cosanostra

Thanks,

Any tips on how to check these? I jacked up the front and tried pushing and pulling the wheel top to bottom and side to side, there was no noticeable play.

Edit> Duh, checking Youtube for videos on how to check these.

Cosanostra

I had thought that too but the second time it was 50 degrees with no snow or ice in sight.

Thanks for the suggestions, the rotors and pads are all less that a year old and in great shape. When I was checking out the tires, the calipers didn't appear to be binding. The shaking/thunking started and stopped within a quarter mile. I don't recall feeling any shaking/thunking through the brake pedal.

umbro7267

hate to say it but maybe needs to be said since i assume i would be like most but a loose lug nut will do the same i would start there and then move on to the more complex issues that it could be

Cosanostra

Rechecked the lug nuts this morning and all are still tight at 76 ft-lbs.

After watching a few videos on ball joints, I jacked up the front and tried lifting each wheel a bit with a pry bar against the ground to see if the ball joint has any give. Nothing budged except for the tires.

ErikTheRed

I didn't feel anything through the brake pedal either. It felt just like a flat tire would. It came and went, but I could get it to do it on demand by going over a certain speed, which caused rapid heat build up due to the contact, which got stronger as the heat built up more. You mentioned that this happened while going downhill, so I would imagine you would be on the brakes a bit more, causing a similar situation. I also had newer pads when it happened, completely unrelated to a caliper issue, altho not for long.... my pads turned into something else completely from heat glazing

Cosanostra

I drive down the same hill out of the neighborhood daily, and even took a 400mi road trip in between incidents so it doesn't really seem like brakes but I will keep an eye out. Hopefully it won't be a wheel falling off.