Waddle Complaint

Tire waddle is a side to side movement at the front of the vehicle and/or the rear of the vehicle. The waddle can be caused by the following conditions:
^ A steel belt not being straight within the tire (broken or shifted belt)
^ Excessive lateral run out of the tire
^ Excessive lateral run out of the wheel

The waddle is most noticeable at a low speed of about 8 to 48 km/h (5 to 30 mph). The waddle may appear as ride roughness at 80 to 113 km/h (50 to 70 mph). The waddle may appear as a vibration at 80 to 113 km/h (50 to 70 mph).

INSPECTION PROCEDURE
1. Raise the vehicle.
2. Support the vehicle with safety stands.
3. Perform the following preliminary inspection:
3.1. Wear gloves when inspecting the tires in order to protect against the possibility of the steel belts sticking through the tire.
3.2. Index mark the tire with a crayon in order to note the start and the stop position.
3.3. Rotate each tire and wheel by hand.
3.4. A broken or shifted belt will appear as a twist or a bump in the tread.
4. You may use tire substitution in order to identify the faulty tire. Perform the following steps for a tire substitution check:
4.1. Use a comparable tire in order to replace each tire, 1 at a time.
4.2. Test drive the vehicle.
4.3. You will eliminate the problem when you remove the faulty tire from the vehicle, if the problem is tire and/or wheel related.