I would love to hear from all Ridgeline owners within or out of warranty? Are you sure you don't have a wheel shimmy in there somewhere?
I purchased an '08 RTX last year, the moment i drove it away from the dealership it suffered a noticeable wheel shimmy and alignment issue. To cut a long story short the vehicle has been road force balanced numerous times. The wheels and tires were swapped at 1200k miles. New tires in January and once again last week. In January the tires were swapped again and the vehicle was under instruction from tech support. The changed tires were even worse. The vehicle is now on it's eighth return to dealership. Honda engineers were called in this week and have spent two days just balancing tires for this truck...

Please read following carefully?
They removed tires from four different new ridgelines. They took tires from stock. They spent two days balancing the best four tires they could find to mount to my truck. I have found out that the engineers know that there are four new trucks on the lot that have wheel shimmy issues. My paperwork states my vehicle was one of the better. If those tires that were deemed not good enough for my truck have been mounted back on new ridgelines? My vehicle still has a wheel shimmy. Honda Customer service tell me that the engineers have rectified the problem. The service department know there is still a problem. I have taken legal action...

My question is do any of you out there, or have any of you experienced any problems with your LTX tires. I'm now in a situation where if i want to replace these tires I have to call in the engineers to come and find me a good set! I would say a good bet that this problem is with the trucks powertrain and not the tires.

I would love to hear your thoughts? Four sets of tires and only 21k miles. Same shimmy, same speed regardless of temp or road conditions. Never cured!

Please help.....

Additional notes: Thanks to everyone for there responses....

The vehicle has been out of service with Honda now for a total of 27 days. The second set of wheel and tires which were replaced at 1200k miles which Honda removed last month had only 19000k miles and were within 5000 miles of being replaced. I find it staggering that some responses state tire wear in excess of 45k. The allignment has been done three times. The tires have to be road force balanced everytime as normal balancing only increases the problem. Legal action has been submitted. I have had numerous discussion with customer care but there denying there is a problem. Service department contrary to engineers believe vehicle should be replaced and the manager of the dealership also says that tires are not a problem and the powertrain is to blame.

So how much more are Honda willing to do? The engine was unbolted and allowed to sit idle to try and allign, the drive shafts were swapped. Rear brakes have been changed. I also have a list of numerous other items which have failed in the first 12 months. What about collecting the vehicle new and while driving away from dealership i adjusted the seat height and the ratchet mechanism broke in my hands! Does anybody want me to go on.... Enough is enough. This is the fifth Honda I have owned since being in the US in five years. NO MORE!!!!!

Three years with the 06 and OEM tires, no problems. Had the 08 about 9 months, steering wheel was a little off center, no pulling to left or right, no shimmy or vibration, adjusted tie rods to center steering wheel!! Everything is fine, super ride and drive!!:)

My original Michelin stock tires lasted 62k (3 1/2 years) before replacing them last October with some Yokohamas. So far no problems with either set of tires.

There have been problems reported by other new RL owners about the tires 'cracking' after sitting on the lot for awhile. Those were defective tires that the manufacturer replaced.

Sounds like a frame problem not allowing for the wheels to become aligned. I'm not a mechanic by the way. If your dealership is worth their salt, they'll make it right eventually through replacement, however you may want to brush up on the Lemon Laws iin your state if if comes to that. Try everything possible at the dealership level first as you may have legal fees in the end.

Sorry to hear about your problem. I don't have any shimmy problem. I run the OEM Michelins + OEM alloy wheels Spring-Fall, and Nokian SU 5 winters + OEM steel wheels during the winter. You mentioned replacement of tires, but did you replace/reposition the wheels as well? It is possible one or more wheel maybe defective?

I had minor vibrations at highway speed (at 100+ km/h) with my wife's 2002 Mazda MPV since new. I tried the RoadForce balancing and also checked all the wheel bearings. Mazda was initially helpful but gave up after a while, and said I just had to get used to the "sporty" nature of the van; pretty sporty for a minivan, documented with a skidpad grip of 0.80g. We didn't pursue the issue further because it never bothered my wife - she drove in the city 80% of the time and even on highways she always drove at only 90 km/h where the vibration was not apparent. The van has 17" OEM alloy wheels and the problem persisted with both the OEM Bridgestone and Michelin HydroEdge afterwards. After we moved to Quebec, we also drove on Nokian Hakka R on steel rims, and the vibration was still there, maybe worse due to the degraded ride expected with the winter tires. Last Spring, I replaced two HydroEdge on one side due to sidewall cuts (don't ask) and had to do some clever rotation and remounting of the tires so the new ones were on the front while still retaining the proper rotation direction. Afterwards, the minor vibrations were gone! Vibration problems can be very tricky, time consuming, and expensive to diagnose and resolve. I hope you get to the bottom of the issue soon.

No problems here 2008 RTL Drives like a dream smooth and straight and vibration free

No problems here.
Stock Michelins on alloys.
Toyo winter tires on original wheels.
45k miles.

I drove my '07 for 2 1/2 years and 49,000 miles without any vibration or shimmy. Never needed an alignment in that time either. Just rotate and balance every 7500 miles.

So far the, the '09 rides smooth and straight too.

'06 with 49K plus miles on original tires. Still tracks straight as an arrow. No shimmy.

I would love to hear from all Ridgeline owners within or out of warranty? Are you sure you don't have a wheel shimmy in there somewhere?
I purchased an '08 RTX last year, the moment i drove it away from the dealership it suffered a noticeable wheel shimmy and alignment issue. To cut a long story short the vehicle has been road force balanced numerous times. The wheels and tires were swapped at 1200k miles. New tires in January and once again last week. In January the tires were swapped again and the vehicle was under instruction from tech support. The changed tires were even worse. The vehicle is now on it's eighth return to dealership. Honda engineers were called in this week and have spent two days just balancing tires for this truck...

Please read following carefully?
They removed tires from four different new ridgelines. They took tires from stock. They spent two days balancing the best four tires they could find to mount to my truck. I have found out that the engineers know that there are four new trucks on the lot that have wheel shimmy issues. My paperwork states my vehicle was one of the better. If those tires that were deemed not good enough for my truck have been mounted back on new ridgelines? My vehicle still has a wheel shimmy. Honda Customer service tell me that the engineers have rectified the problem. The service department know there is still a problem. I have taken legal action...

My question is do any of you out there, or have any of you experienced any problems with your LTX tires. I'm now in a situation where if i want to replace these tires I have to call in the engineers to come and find me a good set! I would say a good bet that this problem is with the trucks powertrain and not the tires.The RTX wheels are perfect. The OEM Michelin tires are perfect. I just swapped my '08 RTS wheels for RTX wheels and they are perfect.

With what the dealership is telling you....I find it highly unlikely that the Honda Engineers came to your dealership's lot and looked at the wheels/tires, not after hundreds of thousands of these wheels/tires have been on the road for years. For arguments sake, let's say Honda engineers came to the dealership and balanced tires over and over... they just aren't that mindless to keep doing the same thing over and over. I find it hard to believe that your dealership is that mindless as well to roll through so many sets of wheels/tires for your truck.

The problem is not the wheels/tires, not after multiple sets of each were tried.

I've had 2 Ridgelines myself and had no problems with shimmy or alignment nor does anyone I know.

I have an '08 RTL which I've had for just over a year. No shimmys or shakes at all. My guess is that you've gotten a Ridgeline with serious frame problems. DON'T settle for less than a total fix. And as someone said, check the Lemon Laws in your state. I know it must be a gigantic hassle, but keep after Honda until you're completely satisfied. Have you called the national customer care number and talked with the regional/national people there? If not, DO THAT. Best of luck to you!

No problems here. Mine is smooth running and tracks well.
CD

My RL is about 5 months old and 4500+ miles. Smooth as silk with no shimmy or pulling.

That being said, the Honda Pilot has had a number of complaints about wheel shimmy/vibration issues that drove the owners crazy trying to discover the cause. I'm not sure they ever conclusively determined what was causing the issue.

We've had two Pilots, a 2004 and now a 2006 and have not experienced any shimmy on either one. Both came with the crappy Goodyear Integrity tires. I'm anxiously waiting to wear out the set on the '06 so I can put a decent set of tires on it. The Integrity tires have a bad one in the mix somewhere that, when on the front, causes hard pulling and a low speed wobble in the steering when turning the wheel back and forth. However, there is no high speed wobble or vibration. Rotate the tires and the pulling problem largely goes away while the wobble completely disappears.

Here's a lengthy thread about the Pilot issue:
http://www.hondapilot.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=4117

The Hunter Road Force system was strongly recommended to help the vibration issue.
http://www.gsp9700.com/pub/features/how.cfm

Here's another thread that suggests a motor mount problem can cause steering wheel vibration:
http://www.hondapilot.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=22101&perpage=15&highlight=vibration&pagenumber=1

I would love to hear from all Ridgeline owners within or out of warranty? Are you sure you don't have a wheel shimmy in there somewhere?
I purchased an '08 RTX last year, the moment i drove it away from the dealership it suffered a noticeable wheel shimmy and alignment issue. To cut a long story short the vehicle has been road force balanced numerous times. The wheels and tires were swapped at 1200k miles. New tires in January and once again last week. In January the tires were swapped again and the vehicle was under instruction from tech support. The changed tires were even worse. The vehicle is now on it's eighth return to dealership. Honda engineers were called in this week and have spent two days just balancing tires for this truck...

Please read following carefully?
They removed tires from four different new ridgelines. They took tires from stock. They spent two days balancing the best four tires they could find to mount to my truck. I have found out that the engineers know that there are four new trucks on the lot that have wheel shimmy issues. My paperwork states my vehicle was one of the better. If those tires that were deemed not good enough for my truck have been mounted back on new ridgelines? My vehicle still has a wheel shimmy. Honda Customer service tell me that the engineers have rectified the problem. The service department know there is still a problem. I have taken legal action...

My question is do any of you out there, or have any of you experienced any problems with your LTX tires. I'm now in a situation where if i want to replace these tires I have to call in the engineers to come and find me a good set! I would say a good bet that this problem is with the trucks powertrain and not the tires.

I would love to hear your thoughts? Four sets of tires and only 21k miles. Same shimmy, same speed regardless of temp or road conditions. Never cured!

Please help.....

Note: Thankyou to everybody who has answered this thread! I really appreciate your time. The general conclusion seems to be that the tires are not to blame. Please keep giving me the feedback....

The RTX wheels are perfect. The OEM Michelin tires are perfect. I just swapped my '08 RTS wheels for RTX wheels and they are perfect.

With what the dealership is telling you....I find it highly unlikely that the Honda Engineers came to your dealership's lot and looked at the wheels/tires, not after hundreds of thousands of these wheels/tires have been on the road for years. For arguments sake, let's say Honda engineers came to the dealership and balanced tires over and over... they just aren't that mindless to keep doing the same thing over and over. I find it hard to believe that your dealership is that mindless as well to roll through so many sets of wheels/tires for your truck.

The problem is not the wheels/tires, not after multiple sets of each were tried.

Hi Keith,
Thanks for your feedback. Hard to believe eh but true. I have spoken to Honda America and they are telling me the problem is solved. The engineers did come out and did spend two days just messing around with tires. My official paperwork states this, it also shows the stock numbers of all vehicles the tires were removed from. This is official Honda paperwork and comes with a $2800 price tag which the dealer is invoicing Honda for. Honda were originally very helpful but once legal action has been taken now they will not contact me or return my calls. Bare in mind Keith that Honda have already changed the tires three time. One set was so bad that they had centrifugal in-balance at 45mph. I've been telling Honda that the powertrain is to blame and not the tires. They are telling me different. My dealer is becoming very dismayed with the support he's getting from HCC...
Regards
Ohara

I don't know what state you live in, but you likely qualify for the lemon law return of vehicle.

Edit: Here's some info from my state:
As with other lemon laws, it is required that automobile manufacturers repurchase or replace a vehicle that has not been properly repaired within a "reasonable number of attempts". In North Carolina, this reasonable number is four attempts or if the car has been out of service waiting repair for a cumulative total of 20 or more business days during any 12-month period of the warranty.

I'm no expert, but your problem does not sound like wheels/tires to me. I'm somewhat shocked that Honda is pursuing this beyond one round of substitutions. I'd definitely investigate the lemon laws in your state.

BTW - My '07 runs straight and smooth. I've bought 6 autos new and that's one of the many things I pay close attention to during test drives. Pulls, shimmies, vibrations, and unexpected noises are all walk-aways for me. There's always other vehicles and other dealers.

nope, never experienced this symptom. I dont even rotate the OEM tires, and get 70,000+ miles per set.

good luck.

I have to agree with K757.

Also the dealer may not want to eat any of the repair cost so they are telling you this. But if it is not the tire or wheels... then the next logical thing would be a CV joint that is defective. I had a Volvo that had a shimmy noticable only at higher speeds and it was a inner CV joint.

Man, this seems familiar.... I have searched for the other thread as I do beleive there was another along these lines. Maybe some some help in searching would turn up the other similar thread.

Search for "shimmy" and you'll get a bunch of posts. Most of them are indeed tire-related, which I can't imagine is causing this particular problem since they've switched out tires and balanced them multiple times.

08 RTX, no shimmy, just pulling to the right solved by rotating tires. Your situation sounds frustrating, hang in there, good luck, and keep us informed on whats going on.

55,055 miles on the original tires and still going strong. :cool:

I also own a 08 RL and drove off the lot with 14 miles on it. After several hundreds miles on the truck I did notice a slight pull to the right and stayed like so for awhile. Mention it to service tech, they said it was the crown of the road which i just didn't believe. It didn't bother me so much but after several more thousands mile on the truck it drives straight now. There are other post that other owner discuss about a hard pull to the right.

I would love to hear from all Ridgeline owners within or out of warranty? Are you sure you don't have a wheel shimmy in there somewhere?
I purchased an '08 RTX last year, the moment i drove it away from the dealership it suffered a noticeable wheel shimmy and alignment issue. To cut a long story short the vehicle has been road force balanced numerous times. The wheels and tires were swapped at 1200k miles. New tires in January and once again last week. In January the tires were swapped again and the vehicle was under instruction from tech support. The changed tires were even worse. The vehicle is now on it's eighth return to dealership. Honda engineers were called in this week and have spent two days just balancing tires for this truck...

Please read following carefully?
They removed tires from four different new ridgelines. They took tires from stock. They spent two days balancing the best four tires they could find to mount to my truck. I have found out that the engineers know that there are four new trucks on the lot that have wheel shimmy issues. My paperwork states my vehicle was one of the better. If those tires that were deemed not good enough for my truck have been mounted back on new ridgelines? My vehicle still has a wheel shimmy. Honda Customer service tell me that the engineers have rectified the problem. The service department know there is still a problem. I have taken legal action...

My question is do any of you out there, or have any of you experienced any problems with your LTX tires. I'm now in a situation where if i want to replace these tires I have to call in the engineers to come and find me a good set! I would say a good bet that this problem is with the trucks powertrain and not the tires.

I would love to hear your thoughts? Four sets of tires and only 21k miles. Same shimmy, same speed regardless of temp or road conditions. Never cured!

Please help.....

Additional notes: Thanks to everyone for there responses....

The vehicle has been out of service with Honda now for a total of 27 days. The second set of wheel and tires which were replaced at 1200k miles which Honda removed last month had only 19000k miles and were within 5000 miles of being replaced. I find it staggering that some responses state tire wear in excess of 45k. The allignment has been done three times. The tires have to be road force balanced everytime as normal balancing only increases the problem. Legal action has been submitted. I have had numerous discussion with customer care but there denying there is a problem. Service department contrary to engineers believe vehicle should be replaced and the manager of the dealership also says that tires are not a problem and the powertrain is to blame.

So how much more are Honda willing to do? The engine was unbolted and allowed to sit idle to try and allign, the drive shafts were swapped. Rear brakes have been changed. I also have a list of numerous other items which have failed in the first 12 months. What about collecting the vehicle new and while driving away from dealership i adjusted the seat height and the ratchet mechanism broke in my hands! Does anybody want me to go on.... Enough is enough. This is the fifth Honda I have owned since being in the US in five years. NO MORE!!!!!

Wow, that sounds bad! You should post which dealership you are dealing with (Name and City). I'd bet that if there was another member in the area, they might be interested in driving one of the four Ridgelines that dealer still has on it's lot that shimmys so bad. Maybe they could suggest to the dealer what the problem might be.

I hope somebody can figure out what's wrong with your truck!

JB

Wow, that sounds bad! You should post which dealership you are dealing with (Name and City).
JB

Agreed. I don't suppose you are in Ohio. I have several cross state trips scheduled in the next few months. I'd like to drive any of the trucks in question. Something doesn't seem right and I don't think it is tire related.

I own a 07 RL with steel wheels, I have no shimmy, shacking, or pulling. The only time I noticed any shacking is when the wheels get snow/ice buildup in them and it throws them out of balance, when everything melts they are perfect.

no shimmy here, 08 RTL, 10,xxx miles.

The steering wheel is slightly off from straight, but this can happen with any vehicle. I'll take care of that soon enough :)

just saw your post and YES I HAVE SAME PROBLEM 102,000 and it has chimmied at 70 on up every since I have owned it. First when new I replaced stock wheels with aftermarket. After a couple thousand miles the wheel manfacture recalled the wheels saying they would not work on the "then new" Ridgelines. I had also replace the tires with BF Goodrich as I wanted the white letter tires. They replaced the wheels but never could get vibration out and right rear tire started cupping. Replaced all tires at 52,000. Here is where the trouble really begain Discount tire was the best. They tried new BF Goodrich but couldn't get the 70 and up vibration out. Tried Michliens no go, then tried stock Michliens nope. Took pickup to Honda Dealer they couldn't find anything. Ordered a set of stock wheel, stock Michliens still no good. Ended up putting on the BF Goodrich and rotate every 5000 miles but still have the vibration above 70???? Doubt it anyone very finds out what it is???

Our new '08 (1 month and 500 miles) has a very slight shimmy at freeway speeds. So slight that I want to put more miles on the truck before I pursue this with the dealer. The truck sat on their lot for over a year (even needed a new battery), and the tires may have taken a "set" which may go away after a couple of road trips (one coming up in a week). I'll post an update if the shimmy doesn't disappear.

OTOH, it's not unusual for a vehicle to be built that just doesn't meet factory specs. We had a 1987 Accord with a rear suspension that could NOT be aligned and it wore out rear tires like crazy. This was one of the first US-built Accords. Honda worked on it but would not consider replacement, so in frustration, we just dumped it and bought a Toyota. I was so pissed that I bad-talked Honda and would not consider another Honda for almost 20 years.

just saw your post and YES I HAVE SAME PROBLEM 102,000 and it has chimmied at 70 on up every since I have owned it. First when new I replaced stock wheels with aftermarket. After a couple thousand miles the wheel manfacture recalled the wheels saying they would not work on the "then new" Ridgelines. I had also replace the tires with BF Goodrich as I wanted the white letter tires. They replaced the wheels but never could get vibration out and right rear tire started cupping. Replaced all tires at 52,000. Here is where the trouble really begain Discount tire was the best. They tried new BF Goodrich but couldn't get the 70 and up vibration out. Tried Michliens no go, then tried stock Michliens nope. Took pickup to Honda Dealer they couldn't find anything. Ordered a set of stock wheel, stock Michliens still no good. Ended up putting on the BF Goodrich and rotate every 5000 miles but still have the vibration above 70???? Doubt it anyone very finds out what it is???

The thread about Pilot vibration sounds similar... vibration at 70 mph. Here's the first post in that thread:
**************
"I have 10000 miles on my Pilot and the vibration at 70 continues to be a problem. One thing I have found is while traveliong down a large hill at 70 I can shift the transmission into nuetral and allow the engine to idle and the vibration continues unchanged. This should eliminate the possibility of the transmission or engine causing the vibration.

My guess is the shocks may be too soft at the normal position and small variations in the road at high speeds may be causing oscillation of the front shocks. Sometimes the vibration slowly comes and goes while running at a constant speed. Usually out of balance vibrations are constants at set speeds and will stop after exceeding a certain speed. I have not determined how fast you have to go to stop this vibration or if there is one. This is just my guess though."
*************

While the Pilot and the RL are not the same vehicle, they do have things in common (VSA, VTM-4 for instance).

Not a mechanic, so I'm just guessing here...

Have you tried the strut plates? They are at the top of the strut and have a bearing in them. It is possible that they are bad and vibrating at higher speeds. I had this problem once on an old MR2.

Just a thought...

just saw your post and YES I HAVE SAME PROBLEM 102,000 and it has chimmied at 70 on up every since I have owned it. First when new I replaced stock wheels with aftermarket. After a couple thousand miles the wheel manfacture recalled the wheels saying they would not work on the "then new" Ridgelines. I had also replace the tires with BF Goodrich as I wanted the white letter tires. They replaced the wheels but never could get vibration out and right rear tire started cupping. Replaced all tires at 52,000. Here is where the trouble really begain Discount tire was the best. They tried new BF Goodrich but couldn't get the 70 and up vibration out. Tried Michliens no go, then tried stock Michliens nope. Took pickup to Honda Dealer they couldn't find anything. Ordered a set of stock wheel, stock Michliens still no good. Ended up putting on the BF Goodrich and rotate every 5000 miles but still have the vibration above 70???? Doubt it anyone very finds out what it is???

possible wheel hub adjustments may cure it...and or the bearings on it already worn, needs replacement.

Our new '08 (1 month and 500 miles) has a very slight shimmy at freeway speeds. So slight that I want to put more miles on the truck before I pursue this with the dealer. The truck sat on their lot for over a year (even needed a new battery), and the tires may have taken a "set" which may go away after a couple of road trips (one coming up in a week). I'll post an update if the shimmy doesn't disappear.

OTOH, it's not unusual for a vehicle to be built that just doesn't meet factory specs. We had a 1987 Accord with a rear suspension that could NOT be aligned and it wore out rear tires like crazy. This was one of the first US-built Accords. Honda worked on it but would not consider replacement, so in frustration, we just dumped it and bought a Toyota. I was so pissed that I bad-talked Honda and would not consider another Honda for almost 20 years.

re shimmy on hway speeds, if this shimmy issue is on the same spot/location on the freeway itself on a regular route, the problem is the road itself...kinda little bits of bumpy paving. just observe, as what you just planned and thanks for any updates.
re on tires, it's a minimum of 6mos esp if and only if on hot weather conditions, when parked that long as what you stated, it won't go away as what you are thinking of, better know what season when it was 1st parked on same exact location 'till you bought it. it "may" be the cause too.
just remember this, not all "professionals" are good on what they are doing so as the "certified"

by the way, where did you dumped the 1987 accord? you should have just given it to me to fix it...:D
good day!

Has anyone suggested a bad strut(s)?

As others have said, The Lemon Law is looking to be your best-friend here. I was having problems with my brakes on my 03 Pilot it went back to the dealer three times and he started sweating bullets because he knew If i brought it in one more time it would have to be lemon lawed and he didn't want to absorb that cost. But he did take it with the cost of a whole new brake system which fixed the problem.

07 RTL with OEM Wheels and Tires and no shimmy 26K.

I would love to hear from all Ridgeline owners within or out of warranty? Are you sure you don't have a wheel shimmy in there somewhere?
I purchased an '08 RTX last year, the moment i drove it away from the dealership it suffered a noticeable wheel shimmy and alignment issue. To cut a long story short the vehicle has been road force balanced numerous times. The wheels and tires were swapped at 1200k miles. New tires in January and once again last week. In January the tires were swapped again and the vehicle was under instruction from tech support. The changed tires were even worse. The vehicle is now on it's eighth return to dealership. Honda engineers were called in this week and have spent two days just balancing tires for this truck...

Please read following carefully?
They removed tires from four different new ridgelines. They took tires from stock. They spent two days balancing the best four tires they could find to mount to my truck. I have found out that the engineers know that there are four new trucks on the lot that have wheel shimmy issues. My paperwork states my vehicle was one of the better. If those tires that were deemed not good enough for my truck have been mounted back on new ridgelines? My vehicle still has a wheel shimmy. Honda Customer service tell me that the engineers have rectified the problem. The service department know there is still a problem. I have taken legal action...

My question is do any of you out there, or have any of you experienced any problems with your LTX tires. I'm now in a situation where if i want to replace these tires I have to call in the engineers to come and find me a good set! I would say a good bet that this problem is with the trucks powertrain and not the tires.

I would love to hear your thoughts? Four sets of tires and only 21k miles. Same shimmy, same speed regardless of temp or road conditions. Never cured!

Please help.....

Additional notes: Thanks to everyone for there responses....

The vehicle has been out of service with Honda now for a total of 27 days. The second set of wheel and tires which were replaced at 1200k miles which Honda removed last month had only 19000k miles and were within 5000 miles of being replaced. I find it staggering that some responses state tire wear in excess of 45k. The allignment has been done three times. The tires have to be road force balanced everytime as normal balancing only increases the problem. Legal action has been submitted. I have had numerous discussion with customer care but there denying there is a problem. Service department contrary to engineers believe vehicle should be replaced and the manager of the dealership also says that tires are not a problem and the powertrain is to blame.

So how much more are Honda willing to do? The engine was unbolted and allowed to sit idle to try and allign, the drive shafts were swapped. Rear brakes have been changed. I also have a list of numerous other items which have failed in the first 12 months. What about collecting the vehicle new and while driving away from dealership i adjusted the seat height and the ratchet mechanism broke in my hands! Does anybody want me to go on.... Enough is enough. This is the fifth Honda I have owned since being in the US in five years. NO MORE!!!!!

VIN Number?

my shimmy has been since I bought it new and does it on every road it does seems a "small amount" less when certain tires on on the front but when we tried all new stock wheels and stock new tires that should have eliminated tire and wheel potiental problems I don't know for sure but "assumed" the dealer looked at the struts??? I asked them about wheel bearings and they said they were fine?? I have just tried to live with it over 100,000 and most likely will keep it past 200,000????????

08 RTL with 15K miles here... I have had a slight right hand pull since the day I drove it off the lot with 6 miles on the odometer. I waited until I had 3500 miles on it before making an appointment with my dealer to have it checked out. The technician rotated the two front tires (switched L to R and R to L) and attributed the cause to "radial pull". I admit, there seemed to be less pull after the rotation but now its back. I have not contacted the dealership regarding a follow up on this issue in fear of what the next steps could be. I dont want someone yanking, bending or adjusting and possibly making the condition worse or possibly creating more problems. I have not noticed any unusual treadwear or handling characteristics with this issue.

I have recently picked up a "shimmy" but Im sure a simple balance job will fix that. I rotate my wheels and tires at every MM oil change.

Despite this problem, I think the Ridgeline is a great vehicle.

08 RTL with 15K miles here... I have had a slight right hand pull since the day I drove it off the lot with 6 miles on the odometer. I waited until I had 3500 miles on it before making an appointment with my dealer to have it checked out. The technician rotated the two front tires (switched L to R and R to L) and attributed the cause to "radial pull". I admit, there seemed to be less pull after the rotation but now its back. I have not contacted the dealership regarding a follow up on this issue in fear of what the next steps could be. I dont want someone yanking, bending or adjusting and possibly making the condition worse or possibly creating more problems. I have not noticed any unusual treadwear or handling characteristics with this issue.

I have recently picked up a "shimmy" but Im sure a simple balance job will fix that. I rotate my wheels and tires at every MM oil change.

Despite this problem, I think the Ridgeline is a great vehicle.

There is a TSB on this subject.... updated in Oct 2007. Seems to be comprehensive, starting with the most probable, and working to the more unlikely hardware related.

Here is the way it starts, with the TSB number at the top left.

Steering - Vehicle Pulls/Drifts to the Left/Right


06-068

October 4, 2007

*Applies To:
ALL*

Vehicle Pulling or Drifting

(Supersedes 06-068, dated January 12, 2007, to update the information marked by asterisks)

SYMPTOM

While driving on a straight road, the vehicle pulls or drifts to the right or left.

BACKGROUND

New tools were developed to help you diagnose and correct a pulling and/or steering wheel off-center issue. There is a diagnosis worksheet included to take on your test-drive and record your findings. These values are used to build the 15-digit DTC (diagnostic trouble code) that is required for your warranty claim. The last step in each repair procedure helps you create the correct code.

In the rare case that you have to repair a vehicle that pulls and has the steering wheel off-center, use REPAIR PROCEDURE B to file your warranty claim.

*For more information, refer to Training Module SSC 44 - Steering Drift or Pull Interactive Service Bulletin.*

I had three different sets of Goodyear tires replaced on my 2005 GMC Sierra before they finally got a full set within specs. All four of the OEM factory casings was so out of true that the service tech "condemned" them with no questions. It gave the service manager fits, because ordinarily tire warranty issues can get foisted off on the local tire shop.

I've had no issues with my Ridgeline, but several of our other Hondas had drift or pulling issues. In every case, cross-rotation cured the problem.

'08 RTS purchased in January 2009, less than 700 miles on it. I have a moderate vibration at 45+ mph which has been there from the beginning. You don't really feel it in the steering wheel, more through the frame. I know the dealer had it since May 2008 (ask me about the resident box elder bugs...:rolleyes:), so I am reasonably sure the tires are flat-spotted. The problem seems to be gradually getting better with more miles. I am going to monitor it until warmer weather arrives, and if it's not gone by late spring I'll take it in for a warranty look-see. We also have a slight pull to the right, noticeable mainly on the highway. I may have the alignment checked under warranty soon - I think it's a tad off.

Incidentally, the vehicle I traded (a '99 4-Runner) had persistent front end vibration problems during the whole 5 years we had it (bought used). They mainly transmitted through the steering wheel. I could never completely solve them, even with new tires, new brakes, multiple efforts at different types of balancing, rotations, etc. I finally chalked it up to (1) large rotating mass of wheels & tires, (2) a design that possibly magnified slight imbalances, and (3) known 4-R issues with easily warped rotors. It was very frustrating. I won't miss that problem in the least!

'08 RTS purchased in January 2009, less than 700 miles on it. I have a moderate vibration at 45+ mph which has been there from the beginning. You don't really feel it in the steering wheel, more through the frame. I know the dealer had it since May 2008 (ask me about the resident box elder bugs...:rolleyes:), so I am reasonably sure the tires are flat-spotted. The problem seems to be gradually getting better with more miles. I am going to monitor it until warmer weather arrives, and if it's not gone by late spring I'll take it in for a warranty look-see. We also have a slight pull to the right, noticeable mainly on the highway. I may have the alignment checked under warranty soon - I think it's a tad off.

Incidentally, the vehicle I traded (a '99 4-Runner) had persistent front end vibration problems during the whole 5 years we had it (bought used). They mainly transmitted through the steering wheel. I could never completely solve them, even with new tires, new brakes, multiple efforts at different types of balancing, rotations, etc. I finally chalked it up to (1) large rotating mass of wheels & tires, (2) a design that possibly magnified slight imbalances, and (3) known 4-R issues with easily warped rotors. It was very frustrating. I won't miss that problem in the least!

One thing you did not mention was the drive shaft. When u-joints are replaced, many people will not bother rebalancing the drive shaft. An out of balance drive shaft can give you the symptoms you describe.

I have no problem with that. in my case it's quite strange noise that I have when I made the drift.:rolleyes: it's like a flutter, not metal on metal but most metal rubber. I looked but I have nothing that comes into contact with anything. also I have a noise that seems to come from the front. when I take a few bumps, I hear the sound as if I had a tie rod, a bearing or other. again I inspected from top to bottom and I find nothing:(

Well i have a 07 RTS with about 300 miles on it now and loving it. The only problem i have is that my seat hurts my back from time to time...... Will keep a eye out for the problem..

Well i have a 07 RTS with about 300 miles on it now and loving it. The only problem i have is that my seat hurts my back from time to time...... Will keep a eye out for the problem..There is a lumbar support adjustment on teh seat side, also make sure the front of the seat is high enough to support your legs.

There is a lumbar support adjustment on teh seat side, also make sure the front of the seat is high enough to support your legs.



Ive tried that. I find that the seat in my wifes pilot is more comfortable. I appreciate the advise ill have to play around with the settings some more. Once i get it adjusted it will be that way for a long time since my wife very RARELY drives it. Thanks again Neil

This sounds weird, but I would get a sore back after about 2-3 hours in my Ridgeline until I started taking my wallet out of my back pocket. Seriously. I think it has to do with the side bolsters on the Ridgeline seat; with the wallet, it was pushing my hips into a crooked position that caused pain after a while.

I have a relative that bought an Avalon over an Accord because, as he put it, his butt was too wide for the Accord seats, which have even more pronounced side bolsters.

(My RTX doesn't have lumbar adjustment, BTW.)

This sounds weird, but I would get a sore back after about 2-3 hours in my Ridgeline until I started taking my wallet out of my back pocket. Seriously. I think it has to do with the side bolsters on the Ridgeline seat; with the wallet, it was pushing my hips into a crooked position that caused pain after a while...

Funny, my back doctor told me to remove my wallet from my back pocket when driving for any long distance as it would help improve my comfort, it worked!

Funny, my back doctor told me to remove my wallet from my back pocket when driving for any long distance as it would help improve my comfort, it worked!

Funny, my grandfather flew B24's in the big war and told me that he and the boys learned to take their wallets out of their back pockets for comfort on long missions. It does work!

Our new '08 (1 month and 500 miles) has a very slight shimmy at freeway speeds. So slight that I want to put more miles on the truck before I pursue this with the dealer. The truck sat on their lot for over a year (even needed a new battery), and the tires may have taken a "set" which may go away after a couple of road trips (one coming up in a week). I'll post an update if the shimmy doesn't disappear.

We got back from the road trip yesterday. Over 1000 miles in a week with two really long driving days (first & last days). The truck still has the slight shimmy at freeway speeds - enough to make your hands go numb after an hour or two. I am no longer thinking that the tires have taken a set. In fact, I will likely take it in to the dealer soon and have them do what they can to fix it.

Have owned RL sense April '06' and have had no problems with shimmie;) Just replaced OEM tires at 51K with Goodyear Wrangler 'Silant Runners':cool:

I have a 2007 drives very smooth at any rate of speed.

2008 RTX here and just turned 15,000 miles without issues.

'08 RTX with stock wheels and tires. No problem except when I first took it home it pulled to the right. They rotated the wheels and it's fine now. We'll see what happens when they have to be rotated again though. Other than that, no problems...The truck drives perfect.

About the Lemon Law, it's very tough to win this. I tried years ago. I bought a new truck that the fuel system had an issue, (was getting roughly 3mpg). They repaired it 5 times and it still didn't fix it. The truck was in the shop more than I drove it. I hired a lawyer and tried to get a replacement truck on the Lemon Law, and it basically came down to the dealer was making a "good effort" in trying to fix it and "had" replacement parts (even though it didn't fix it), so I couldn't claim Lemon Law. So yeah, good luck on that :rolleyes:

About the Lemon Law, it's very tough to win this. I tried years ago. I bought a new truck that the fuel system had an issue, (was getting roughly 3mpg). They repaired it 5 times and it still didn't fix it. The truck was in the shop more than I drove it. I hired a lawyer and tried to get a replacement truck on the Lemon Law, and it basically came down to the dealer was making a "good effort" in trying to fix it and "had" replacement parts (even though it didn't fix it), so I couldn't claim Lemon Law. So yeah, good luck on that :rolleyes:

Agree. You are better off working with the dealer for a resolution. I had good luck getting a replacement pickup from Toyota in 1995. It just took persistence and the ability to not lose your temper.

'07 RTX with approx. 33,300 miles with factory wheels and tires and absolutely no problems, shakes or shimmies:D

Tires are wearing evenly and I have been rotating them according to the book.

When these LTX's wear out, I'll probably replace them with the same thing because of how well they work and wear. YMMV.;)

2008 Notice very slight shimmy right at 70, only have 1200 miles but after reading this and it does pull to the right, more noticeable after tires warm up. It will even change lanes if I let it. Its going into the dealer pronto.

Our Ridge will be 4 years on April 27th 2009. Have over 43,000 miles and have had no problems with the steering or vibrations, etc. The Mitchlen tires were replaced at 24,000 miles by Mitchlen because they were dry rotted.
No problems at all with the drive or handling of the Ridge , ever!

this weekend i'm taking my 08 RTS in for an alignment... 4th time in the shop with the same issue. pulls to the right.

1st time , tire rotation
2nd , basic alignment
3rd , chamber
4th , lets see what they say.

problem first appeared within the first 100 miles of the trucks life. truck now has almost 7,000 miles

not the happiest about it, but will be when it's fixed for good!

leaving the truck at 10:30am saturday morning. will be complete at 4pm.
will post up at night how things have gone.
chris<pixelmonkey>:D

I had an intermittent shake/shimmy problem that was finally figured out to be slightly warped front rotors. A few times when I was towing through the mountains I had turned down the brake controller previously and forgotten to turn it back up, causing the front OE rotors to warp. My tow load is near the 5000lb limit. Ever since installing aftermarket front brake rotors and brake pads it's been silky smooth.

I own a 07 RL with steel wheels. The only time I noticed any shacking is when the wheels get snow/ice buildup in them and it throws them out of balance.

.
Mine never really start "shacking", they do however shake quite badly with the snow inside that lip on the steel rim. And that is very e-z to do. I often drive thru deep (4 to 6 inches) snow and that is all it takes.

.

2006 RTL - drove off lot new Nov 2005. I have about 34,000 on it with NO complaints except that my lease is up in May.

I've jumped & hit city curbs here is snowy Milwaukee so many times I'm dam sure the suspension is made from Titanuim. Still drives straight as an arrow with stock Michelin's. These beefy tires have protected the alloys from any dings due to my sub-par snow driving skills. :D

BTW, this is my 8th consecutive Honda with zero problems.

I will turn 50K miles in my truck tomorrow. The original tires (which have been rotated, kept properly aired, etc) still have fair tread. The only "pulling" I've ever experienced was clearly due to the road. We've had a couple of Hondas that did pull to the right persistently, but in both cases changing to a set of Toro tires cured the problem.

Given the service I've gotten from the OEM Michelins, I expect I'll replace 'em with the same thing. Very odd, because I always used to look forward to getting rid of the factory casings...

I had a shimmy problem in another vehicle, and after 5 trips to the dealer and being told it was a tire or rim problem, I had the brakes checked and found out I had a brake hose collasping and that caused the one caliper not to release all the way. After replacing it the car was Perfect. It only took about 6 months to figure out.

currently in the shop for the re- re- re- alignment.

took one of the service tech's out for a ride to show him that it does pull / "drift" to the right.

will post the outcome later today.

*also going to make note about the tire dryrot.*
chris<pixelmonkey>:D

08 rl w/ 48k on oem tires. All is perfect, wear exceeds expectations.

Funny, my grandfather flew B24's in the big war and told me that he and the boys learned to take their wallets out of their back pockets for comfort on long missions. It does work!

LOL.. reminds me of George Cotanza from Seinfeld and his wallet..

.
We've had a couple of Hondas that did pull to the right persistently, but in both cases changing to a set of Toro tires cured the problem.



.
I'll have to remember that if mine ever starts pulling to the right, a set of lawn mower tires will cure it. :eek:

.

2008 RTL, 21k, no alignment or shimmy problems that are mechanical. Always have my tires rotated when scheduled. Did have some shimmy after driving through a foot of snow this winter due to snow and ice packing up on the inside or the rims, but that smoothed out after a few miles on clear road.:D

adjustments made again and it's a bit better.

cracks still present on the tires, but not enough to get panties in a wad.

shop claims they can not do any further "re-alignment" on the truck through it's warranty. WTF!????

will keep driving it.
chris<pixelmonkey>:D

My 2008 RL had 50 miles on it when I took it home. It did have a slight shimmy at 60-80 MPH. Just recently, now with 2000 miles, I had the tires balanced and rotated by a friend and great mechanic and it is much better -- only a very little shimmy at 80 MPH. Still have a clunk up front.

My 2008 RL had 50 miles on it when I took it home. It did have a slight shimmy at 60-80 MPH. Just recently, now with 2000 miles, I had the tires balanced and rotated by a friend and great mechanic and it is much better -- only a very little shimmy at 80 MPH. Still have a clunk up front.I've been to Cape Cod and don't remember seeing a road where the speed limit was 80 mph :confused: ;)

I've been to Cape Cod and don't remember seeing a road where the speed limit was 80 mph :confused: ;)

Perhaps he obtained "special permission" to travel somewhere else (like Montana) that had higher speed limits. After all, no one here would ever break the speed limit...:rolleyes:

Perhaps he obtained "special permission" to travel somewhere else (like Montana) that had higher speed limits. After all, no one here would ever break the speed limit...:rolleyes:

while in the ridgeline... no. too easy for the popo to identify from a call.

if a person was to do something like the such, it would be better to do while on a sport bike or supermoto. ;)
chris<pixelmonkey>:D

Perhaps he obtained "special permission" to travel somewhere else (like Montana) that had higher speed limits. After all, no one here would ever break the speed limit...:rolleyes:

Those speed limits are no longer in montana btw :cool:....thats a long past pleasure thanks to the influx of new residents. (Family lives up there)

Took our Ridgeline in for the problem listed "shimmy" and "pulling". Promised I would report back. First dealing with Tempe Honda's service department. This is a Penske owned dealership and we do not know if that matters, but read on.

All I can say is ALL PROBLEMS SOLVED.

They Road Force balanced all the tires. Did a complete 4 wheel alignment. NO SHIMMY and drives straight as an arrow, no more pull to the right. Serv. bulletin 06-068. :D


Had an issue with opening the tailgate as a door, Service bulletin 08-011
We have a new hinge and a child can open the tailagate now.:D

This is the FIRST time in YEARS that a dealership actually fixed the problems on the first try.:D

We had a 08 Mercedes they could never fix unless they tried 3-4 times and still no guarantee it was fixed.:eek:

GO HONDA!!

I love my 2006 Ridgeline. No vibrations with original tires. 67,000 K.

08 w/38,000 and no issues at all with this type situation. Good Luck:confused:

08 RTX w/Michelin M/S tires, 13k on the clock. No shimmy, no pulling. So far, so good!

I've got the dreaded shimmy and pulling to the right. Immediately after buying my 08 they did a roadforce balance and alignment. Still shimmied. Rotated the tires at 6k miles and the shimmy was worse. They balanced the tires again with no luck. Back to the shop once more! The shimmy is evident as 66 mph and up. Vibrates the cockpit as well. Very annoying.

No problems on my 2007 with the stock michilin tires other than they use to make accelleration pulling more prevelant, the techs moved the tires to the rear of the truck and it lessend a great deal, Im sure when it's time to rotate them again, it will come back and i'll complain about it again and this time they'll have to replace the tires to find some that don't produce steering pull when accelerating away from a dead stop.

I have under 1K km's on my 09. No problems at all; so smooth I can't believe the speeds I am doing; going 140km/hr feels like 50km/hr!

I recently sold my 06 RTL with 64k miles on the original Michelin tires. They will probably have about another 3k miles left in them, before replacement is required. I bought another Ridgeline 2009 RTL with Navigation, and have had no problems whatsoever during the first 2500 miles. Stay on Honda until your problem is resolved.

My brother purchased a new Tundra in 2006 and had nothing but trouble with the eliectrical system. He could get no satisfaction from the local dealer after multiple attempts to fix the problem. He asked the dealer to take the vehicle back at the same price he paid. Of course they refused so he hired an attorney and Toyota took the vehicle back and refunded the purchase price.

Like a number of other posts, I have no problems with wheels, tire, etc...
06 RL with the original Michelins, will probably get 60K+ miles on them.

Years ago I had a Triumph that had an bad shimmy problem. The fix, balance the brake rotors with the tires at the same time. No more problems. It's probably not applicable in your situation. I think the Lemon Laws, if you have them in your state, are the way to go this late in the game.

GOOD LUCK

No Problem with my 2006 RTL it drives straight, and rides very smooth...was very happy to find a 2006 RTL with 12k miles on it. The tires still look brand new.

just saw your post and YES I HAVE SAME PROBLEM 102,000 and it has chimmied at 70 on up every since I have owned it. First when new I replaced stock wheels with aftermarket. After a couple thousand miles the wheel manfacture recalled the wheels saying they would not work on the "then new" Ridgelines. I had also replace the tires with BF Goodrich as I wanted the white letter tires. They replaced the wheels but never could get vibration out and right rear tire started cupping. Replaced all tires at 52,000. Here is where the trouble really begain Discount tire was the best. They tried new BF Goodrich but couldn't get the 70 and up vibration out. Tried Michliens no go, then tried stock Michliens nope. Took pickup to Honda Dealer they couldn't find anything. Ordered a set of stock wheel, stock Michliens still no good. Ended up putting on the BF Goodrich and rotate every 5000 miles but still have the vibration above 70???? Doubt it anyone very finds out what it is???

Cupping on tire=bad shock. Shock is allowing tire to bounce excessively, which produces the cupping. The little extra bounce would show up as a shimmy. Can't believe any tire shop wouldn't have noticed this and said so.

Purchased a brand new '08 Ridge (left over) a few weeks ago and it's had a slight shimmy in the steering wheel since the day we drove it off the lot. It hasn't bothered me enough to bring it in, maybe when I bring it in for an oil change I'll ask them to check it out.

Have two 08 RTX's and neither with any problems. Sorry for your trouble.

'08 RTL 42,000 miles all put on by me. OEM Tires. No problems, she still drives nice and smooth. knock on wood :)

Being an old fart I remember working in a gas station as a high schooler. We used an on-the-car wheel balancer remember those?, non of this bubble or spin it on a rod crap! Yeah they were dangerous but once you stuck it under the wheel and spun it up you balanced the rim, tire, and the drums/rotors at the same time. Man those things were sweeeet!:D

Got my 2006 RTL end of April 2005. currently has 110,000 miles on it. Have had no issues with shimmy'in. 2 of the tires are still original and the other two were replaced after one got a nail in the side wall at about 80K miles. Even after being run into the left rear quarter panel I have no shimmy she runs straight and true.

I would love to hear from all Ridgeline owners within or out of warranty? Are you sure you don't have a wheel shimmy in there somewhere?
I purchased an '08 RTX last year, the moment i drove it away from the dealership it suffered a noticeable wheel shimmy and alignment issue. To cut a long story short the vehicle has been road force balanced numerous times. The wheels and tires were swapped at 1200k miles. New tires in January and once again last week. In January the tires were swapped again and the vehicle was under instruction from tech support. The changed tires were even worse. The vehicle is now on it's eighth return to dealership. Honda engineers were called in this week and have spent two days just balancing tires for this truck...

Please read following carefully?
They removed tires from four different new ridgelines. They took tires from stock. They spent two days balancing the best four tires they could find to mount to my truck. I have found out that the engineers know that there are four new trucks on the lot that have wheel shimmy issues. My paperwork states my vehicle was one of the better. If those tires that were deemed not good enough for my truck have been mounted back on new ridgelines? My vehicle still has a wheel shimmy. Honda Customer service tell me that the engineers have rectified the problem. The service department know there is still a problem. I have taken legal action...

My question is do any of you out there, or have any of you experienced any problems with your LTX tires. I'm now in a situation where if i want to replace these tires I have to call in the engineers to come and find me a good set! I would say a good bet that this problem is with the trucks powertrain and not the tires.

I would love to hear your thoughts? Four sets of tires and only 21k miles. Same shimmy, same speed regardless of temp or road conditions. Never cured!

Please help.....

Additional notes: Thanks to everyone for there responses....

The vehicle has been out of service with Honda now for a total of 27 days. The second set of wheel and tires which were replaced at 1200k miles which Honda removed last month had only 19000k miles and were within 5000 miles of being replaced. I find it staggering that some responses state tire wear in excess of 45k. The allignment has been done three times. The tires have to be road force balanced everytime as normal balancing only increases the problem. Legal action has been submitted. I have had numerous discussion with customer care but there denying there is a problem. Service department contrary to engineers believe vehicle should be replaced and the manager of the dealership also says that tires are not a problem and the powertrain is to blame.

So how much more are Honda willing to do? The engine was unbolted and allowed to sit idle to try and allign, the drive shafts were swapped. Rear brakes have been changed. I also have a list of numerous other items which have failed in the first 12 months. What about collecting the vehicle new and while driving away from dealership i adjusted the seat height and the ratchet mechanism broke in my hands! Does anybody want me to go on.... Enough is enough. This is the fifth Honda I have owned since being in the US in five years. NO MORE!!!!!

I purchased my first Ridgeline last Thursday and Drove it 400 miles so far. No problems with any shimmy

I just purchased my Ridgeline last Thursday. I have driven it 400 miles so far and no problem with shimmy. I love this rig.

My '06 has approximately 65,000 miles on it and I did not have any type of shimmy issue until I got new tires. I can't really call it a shimmy issue, because I only get a slight vibration in the steering wheel between the speeds of 72 and 76 and then it is gone (yeah, I know I shouldn't be driving that fast...but I gotta pass sometimes, you know!). :D

I had Sears rotate the tires 2 times and it's still the same. I think it's just gotta be the LTX tires. Like I said, it doesn't happen all the time and it's so slight, anybody jumping in my vehicle and driving it the first time, probably wouldn't even notice. The only reason I notice is because it is so smooth at all the other speeds.

Time to put an end to this thread. An interesting gullibility-test by a non-Honda owner.

I have an '06 RTL with just over 40k miles that I bought new in April '06. No shimmy, no shake - straight as an arrow. However, like a ton of other Ridgeline owners my OEM Michelin LTX's are loaded with dry rot. I checked the date code on the tires and, to the best of my knowledge, they were made in October of '05. I'm replacing them with the same size, slightly more aggressive Yoko Geolandars. Hoping for the best.

Google "Micheline LTX dry rot" and you'll get a thread on this site. It does not seem to be an isolated problem.

Good luck.

I have it! Traded my '07 RTL w/65k miles for a brand new '11 RTL in Jan. 2011. Never had the shimmy problem with that truck. I have it now. New RTL started noticably shimmying around 10k miles. It happens when I am starting out from a stop, forward and backward, in the front end. Had the 15k service and a front-end alignment. NO improvement. Service rep said "tires", get used to it. I don't believe it. I would like a resolution. Hoping I can push them to try something else.

I have 70 K on the original Michelins and no problems
08 RTL

Mmmm, interesting thread, but too old to keep posting.

I have it! Traded my '07 RTL w/65k miles for a brand new '11 RTL in Jan. 2011. Never had the shimmy problem with that truck. I have it now. New RTL started noticably shimmying around 10k miles. It happens when I am starting out from a stop, forward and backward, in the front end. Had the 15k service and a front-end alignment. NO improvement. Service rep said "tires", get used to it. I don't believe it. I would like a resolution. Hoping I can push them to try something else.

Any luck? I have the same issue...

There is a TSB on this subject.... updated in Oct 2007. Seems to be comprehensive, starting with the most probable, and working to the more unlikely hardware related.

Here is the way it starts, with the TSB number at the top left.

Steering - Vehicle Pulls/Drifts to the Left/Right


06-068

October 4, 2007

*Applies To:
ALL*

Vehicle Pulling or Drifting

(Supersedes 06-068, dated January 12, 2007, to update the information marked by asterisks)

SYMPTOM

While driving on a straight road, the vehicle pulls or drifts to the right or left.

BACKGROUND

New tools were developed to help you diagnose and correct a pulling and/or steering wheel off-center issue. There is a diagnosis worksheet included to take on your test-drive and record your findings. These values are used to build the 15-digit DTC (diagnostic trouble code) that is required for your warranty claim. The last step in each repair procedure helps you create the correct code.

In the rare case that you have to repair a vehicle that pulls and has the steering wheel off-center, use REPAIR PROCEDURE B to file your warranty claim.

*For more information, refer to Training Module SSC 44 - Steering Drift or Pull Interactive Service Bulletin.*

What is the process for this?

I don't know what your state laws are, but in some states, 3 tries without repair qualifies for the lemon law to kick in.

That might be an option. Undesirable as it may be.

I have an 07 rtx and have had problems with tires. When I bought it there was a loud noise when turning. The dealership looked at it said the tires were feathered on the inside and replaced them but now it's pulling to the left and the noise is still there. Any ideas about this?

If you have a 'defect' that caused a bad wear pattern, you can probably fix it so it does not get worse, but the full benefit will likely be on the next set of tires.

Fortunately, I was able to dodge a bullet on our CRV. When I bought the last set of tires, about a year ago, I did not know the 'reputable' tire shop was so incompetent at balancing tires. The little money I saved on the 'package deal' I handed over to my local mechanic so he could re-balance all 4 tires. Which he did with his usual precision.
The difference was night & day, and even my wife who just drives it around locally, was amazed at the improvement.
We did not really notice the problem when the tires were new, and I attributed a little vibration the couple of times I brought it on the freeway to the fact the car has over 80K miles on it. Maybe needs an alignment, shocks, etc. etc.
All it needed was a $40 balance to make ride and handle like new.

Don't know if this is related, but sometimes the smallest problem should get all the attention.

I would hope the dealership checked the alignment, you will on occasion get a tire that wears poorly, but more often than not it's a mechanical reason. Replacing one tire won't solve the problem if there are significant miles on the tires, the other tires have worn most likely oddly because one tire is out. You might also have the suspension checked, I had a El Camino that constantly wore down the tires, even after having the tires balanced. It turned out one shock was broken, but you wouldn't have noticed it unless you were under it and someone pushed down on it. After changing out all the shocks, the tire problem never came back.

I had a similar issue with our Subaru Outback and was wearing out the studs and lug nuts switching tires out for rebalancing and checking for out of round tires. Issue was the front drivers side wheel bearing. There was no runout or "looseness" to hub when checked but after replacement the car drives better than new, Techs at an independent Subaru only shop found problem and also stated it could have been a CV joint.

Good luck as this can be a long process to discover shimmy / vibration problems.

No problem here at 35K and origional tires