Why is it that at 35mph or less, my steering wheel is unstable and uncontrolled, jerking a few centimeters to the left and right constantly (without my hands on the wheel, of course).

But when driving at speeds greater than 35mph, it disappears.

Is it because of the sudden cold weather (around 50 degrees), the fact that my SUV was parked in an airport lot for 10 straight days, or because of normal wear and tear (65,000 miles racked)?

I'm taking it to the dealer first thing Monday, but I'd still appreciate input. Thanks!

 

Welcome to CL, could be wheel balance or alignment, good luck !!

 

probably not wheel balance, as that will be more noticable at highway speeds.

sounds more like a broken belt in one of your front tires. rotate front to rear and see what happens, if it solves it, then one of your rear tires should be addressed

 

My thoughts are pretty much same as above posters, definitely a tire related issue. Just by chance, have you hit a severe pot hole, slid into something or anything of the such that could have done some damage to the wheel, tire, front end component, etc?

 

being winter time, I would check to see if there were some ice stuck in the front wheels throwing off the balance.

 

Great suggestion, as I have had that happen personally several times especially in Wisconsin!! Hopefully that is all it is.

 

Sounds like a balancing issue. Or else your your suspension?

 

If it has been parked for long in cold, you need to drive it a bit to warm up the tires. This will fix the flat spot. If you still get the shake at certain speeds, then have the wheels dynamically balanced [look for shops which use hunter machine to balance].

If you are getting warranty service from dealer, then visit the dealer, else a tire shop would be lot cheaper.

Salim

 

it was stated that it was slow speeds, so it wont be a balance issue, nor does a balance issue jerk your steering wheel.

a broken belt in one of the front tires will jerk the steering wheel at the indicated speeds.

rotate front to back and drive.

 

I was able to get an appointment for tomorrow. I will be doing a drive test to show the advisor what I am experiencing.

I will let you know what is diagnosed.

Thanks for the great advice.

Hopefully I can use my extended warranty on whatever it is. I also bought my front tires from the dealer a few months ago, and I remember my advisor telling me there was a warranty on the tires as well.

Thanks!!!

 

as suspected, it was a broken tire belt!

thanks guys!

 

You may hav good reason to purchase tires for you RX from the dealer, but the markup is huge for identical tires. Price it out for reference.

Glad your problem has been diagnosed and taken cre off. And thanks for posting the conclusion.

Salim