Starting about a month ago (about 44k miles), I started getting a slight vibration/noise while turning either direction... I figured at first it must have been my tires because they were severly worn down and they wore unevenly.

So last week I was finally able to get new tires. As I left, there was no improvement. I thought it was possible a toe or camber issue, so I got an alignment a couple days later. Once again, no improvement.

Just to verify against balance issues and radial pull, I had the wheels rotated and rebalanced... Turned out they were balanced incorrectly, so after a rebalance, it was noticably a tiny bit better, but not nearly close to what it should be.

From my inspections and the alignment shops inspection, the suspension system looks pretty good. Nothing is loose, CV's aren't leaking, brakes are almost new, bushings aren't worn....everything looks 100%. We even wiggled the hubs to see if maybe the bearings were going, but the mechanic didn't think so.

To describe the issue, If I hold the steering wheel verrry slightly to the left, the noise and vibration goes away for the most part. I can barely feel it there but it's not that noticable. I turn right and it vibrates extremely loud; left does the same but is a little quieter. If I make a slow turn (as if I was backing out of a parking spot) you can actually feel the car "bounce" in the spot it normally vibrates in (almost like something is protruding from one spot in my tire). Holding the wheel straight the noise is still very loud. I can't even hear my passengers.

I'm really thinking it may be the hubs...I see on GM Parts Direct that that piece is about $130 each, which sucks but it could be worse. I just wanna get some opinions and see if anyone has any idea what is going on.

Thanks guys...I appreciate the help.

 

im kind of having the same issues, i to have worn tires and need to replace them. Had my suspension checked out also, and the mechanic tested bearings, bushings, bll joint etc. Found nothing. Had the tires re balanced and rotated it helped a bit. still there though. I have no idea... i have a new steering rack (and rods) new column, new axles

 

How loud is it for you? Like I said, I can barely hear somebody talking in the passenger seat. It's bad :/

I had the tire shop guy say maybe the axles, but I seriously doubted it...I thought about steering components but the vibration isn't from the steering area... it's real obvious that the wheels or something the wheels mount to are loose/warped/whatever.

 

ya its not that loud, how are your bearings?

 

That's what I'm not exactly sure about... Right now I'm debating bearings, hubs, or maybe even the half-shafts... I'm just hoping somebody can input to this and at least help me maybe narrow it down.

 

Sounds just like mine and it was the Driver's side wheel hub assembly. Don't go cheap on the replacement or you'll replace it/them again real soon.
The assembly is fairly expensive as opposed to a wheel bearing, because the wheel speed sensor for the antilock brakes is built in there as well.
Sometimes when they go, it's not noticeable on the wiggle test, but should hear a grinding or higher friction when rotating tire with it off the ground.
Mine was same way...slight turn of wheel made it go away. Couldn't believe how quiet things were again (aside from all the other many noises, clunks, creaks) after I got it replaced.
Good luck!

 

Thank you so much man!! I'll jack it up tonight and play with it and see if I can notice any higher friction in the rotation. For the replacement, I was just planning on going OEM. GM Parts Direct has it for about $140. MSRP was over $200 so I'll definitely settle for that. Thanks again!!

YESSS!!! haha I'm so happy to have finally figured this out!! So I lifted the front end... the driver's side has a noticeable grinding sound and it's fairly hard to spin. The passenger side is very smooth with no sounds period. So there we go: DRIVER'S SIDE HUB! WOOOO :P

Why does GM suck?

Here's another question... Would this be covered under the 60k powertrain warranty? :O

 

i just had my hubs replaced by dealer, 5 year 60,000 miles and yes they are covered make them change both sides

also do it fast as it can be dangerous to drive that car like that

 

Well I made an appointment for yesterday and they replaced the driver's side hub under warranty. He told me if the passenger side goes, go back and see him. Thanks a lot guys...this has taken me so long to figure out. haha I thought it was impossible.

 

i dont know how much help this will be, but check the side skirts behind the wheels and see if they're flared out, i had some noise kind of like ur explaining and when i screwed it down there was no more noise