Experiencing a shake or shimmy, especially at higher speeds, in your 04 Toyota Sequoia can be unsettling. If you’re feeling a vibration that’s not related to braking – as brake rotor issues usually manifest during braking – you might be dealing with a common high-speed shimmy. While a severe shake warrants a visit to a front-end specialist, a minor shimmy, like the one I experienced, can often be addressed through a series of targeted repairs. It’s a journey of incremental improvements, and sometimes, complete elimination proves elusive. In my case, while I haven’t entirely eradicated the shimmy in my 2004 Toyota Sequoia, it’s now subtle enough to live with, mainly appearing during high-speed lane changes.
Before diving into any repairs, a critical first step for your 04 Toyota Sequoia is to verify if the lower ball joints have been replaced under the recall. This is a crucial safety measure and should be your absolute priority. If not, get this recall service done immediately.
My troubleshooting process for the shimmy in my 04 Toyota Sequoia started with replacing the steering rack bushings and sway bar bushings. This did offer some improvement, particularly in steering tightness, as the old steering rack bushings were quite worn. However, it wasn’t the complete solution to the shimmy.
Next, I moved on to replacing the inner and outer tie rods, and upgraded the front shocks to Bilstein 5100s. I also replaced the sway bar end links at this stage. These replacements contributed to further improvements, but the shimmy in my 04 Toyota Sequoia persisted, albeit reduced.
Seeking further refinement, I had my tires force balanced. This step again offered a noticeable improvement in reducing the high-speed shimmy. While closer to a solution, the shimmy in my 04 Toyota Sequoia was still present.
Finally, a new set of tires was installed. This made the most significant difference in reducing the shimmy. While not a complete cure, the new tires brought the shimmy to a very manageable level.
Looking ahead, the next potential step for completely eliminating the remaining shimmy in my 04 Toyota Sequoia would be to replace the control arm bushings. This is a more involved project that I haven’t yet undertaken, but it remains a possible avenue for future improvement if I decide to pursue it further.
