What’s causing a vibration in my 2012 Highlander?
John Paul, AAA Northeast's Car Doctor, answers a question from a reader who can't solve a vibration problem.
Q. I have been experiencing a vibration in my 2012 Toyota Highlander since I purchased it used about two years ago. The vibration has started to get just a bit worse, and now there’s a slight vibration that changes when I take a turn. About a year ago, when the car was in for service, the tires were rotated and the vibration felt better. I just had the oil changed and the tires rotated, but the vibration and noise are terrible again. Do you know of any problems that I can address with my dealer? A. I checked AllData, a technical database, but I didn’t find any bulletins that would address a vibration. Since the vibration changed when the tires were rotated, I suspect the problem is still related to the tires and/or wheels. The simplest solution is to see if the dealer can run a test swapping a set of wheels and tires from another vehicle. If the vibration and noise improve, the issue is related to the tires. At that point, a technician will need to carefully inspect each tire and wheel for a problem. John Paul is AAA Northeast’s Car Doctor. He has over 40 years of experience in the automotive business and is an ASE certified master technician. Email your car question to [email protected].
