Steering wheel vibrates when braking

[Red Centre Bluey]

Hi
Appreciate any suggestions as to why my steering wheel shakes when braking. Shakes more violently if braking from higher speed but shakes to a degree at any speed when braking.
Ssv 2015. Everything stock. Owned from new. Only 15000kms from new. No track work or ridiculous (!) driving. I know brakes, pads, rotors are 'consumables' but due to low kms I will be pushing for it to be rectified under the 5 yr Holden warranty. Just chasing any ideas, opinions, advice before I take it back to the dealer who sold it to me new and has done all servicing to date.
Many thanks all.

You got Warped disc rotor, sure as eggs. Get 'em skimmed, or newbies at your local favourite bits flogger (Supercheap, Repco, etc)


Oh, and change your driving habits

 

[Skylarking]

... Simple issue is, rotors are consumable items and car manufacturers will use cheap rotors 90% of the time to help keep the cost of cars down....Of course there is exceptions.

An SSVR is an expensive performance machine and demands performance rotors, so if cheap easily warped crap is used, it can be argued they are not fit for purpose under ACL and as such must be replaced.

... You also have to look that the car has done 15,000K in 4 years.....Sitting calipers do have a habit of seizing up, due to lack of use.....And considering the lack of kays in a number of years, I can't see the ACL, ACCC or any car manufacturer coping blame for a seizing caliper causing a warped rotor...

Can agree with lack of use being a contributor to seized caliber pistons but I would expect that over a much longer period with zero kilometres driven and doubt it would occur if 5000kms are being put on the car each year.

So may I suggest look at what was originally posted and take into consideration the facts before dragging the letters ACL into the conversation

You mean the following critical part where it’s mentioned no abuse and a desire to push for a warranty fix?

... No track work or ridiculous (!) driving. I know brakes, pads, rotors are 'consumables' but due to low kms I will be pushing for it to be rectified under the 5 yr Holden warranty. Just chasing any ideas, opinions, advice before I take it back to the dealer who sold it to me new and has done all servicing to date...

Oh, and the reason I often mention ACL is because many retailers simply try to fob people off with some rubbish written on a legally irrelevant piece of paper they call a warranty and use that document to fool people into thinking its gospel. who have valid fault.

Obviously @Flying Scotsman is free to take or discard any comments I make but for you to continually be pushing an attitude that is unhelpful to him when he is looking for a warranty based solution is confusing. Seems you simply dislike anything ACL related.

 

[Skydrol]

You need to check before throwing money at it.

Rotors are warped, use a Dial Indicator and do a runout check. Also, look for glaced spots. Take them out and give it a resurface.

Also, check for worn out Ball Joints and Wheel Bearings.

On a Honda Prelude that I used to have did the same thing, turned out to be the ball joints were shot.

 

[PA38]

I've had three Commodores and they have all done it, VU Ute, VZ Wagon & VF Wagon replaced rotors and pads on the first two no different still shook the steering wheel when braking hard, mostly down a hill. Replaced radius rod bushes helped a little, replaced top strut mounts and bearing made it a lot better but not 100%.

My take on the issue is that when braking hard in these vehicles the front suspension design cannot handle the braking force and the front wheels and suspension flex backwards marginally causing the front wheels to toe outwards and cause wheel shimmy especially going down a hill and the front suspension is under further weight load.

If it was rotors causing the problem, wouldn't the brake pedal pulse ?? I have never had one that pulsed the brake pedal only the shimmy feel though the steering wheel sometimes so bad that I had to release pressure on the brake pedal.

An exercise I have done is get someone to drive the car at 10 to 15 kms an hour and brake while you observe what the front wheels do, I have always observed them flexing backwards and outwards.

 

[Forg]

^ Ours does the shimmy under light braking rather than medium or heavy.

 

[Flying Scotsman]

You got Warped disc rotor, sure as eggs. Get 'em skimmed, or newbies at your local favourite bits flogger (Supercheap, Repco, etc)


Oh, and change your driving habits

How? Already stated it hasn't been driven hard. Now, sure, you and the dealer don't know if that's true, but as the sole driver since new, I DO know it hasn't been abused, hence my posts here for advice.

 

[Flying Scotsman]

An SSVR is an expensive performance machine and demands performance rotors, so if cheap easily warped crap is used, it can be argued they are not fit for purpose under ACL and as such must be replaced.

My thoughts too on this vehicle. This is the line I'll be taking with Holden/The dealer

 

[Skydrol]

This problem never happen until recently? What about wheel rotation, the lugs were properly torqued?

 

[Flying Scotsman]

If it was rotors causing the problem, wouldn't the brake pedal pulse ?? I have never had one that pulsed the brake pedal only the shimmy feel though the steering wheel sometimes so bad that I had to release pressure on the brake pedal.

No brake pedal pulse detected by me. I'll recheck this this weekend when driving the car. Thanks.

 

[Flying Scotsman]

This problem never happen until recently? What about wheel rotation, the lugs were properly torqued?

I'll check what the dealer did on the services. All servicing done by the selling dealership since new.