Waddle

Waddle is side-to-side movement at the front and/or rear of the vehicle. It can be caused by the steel belt not being straight within the tire, or by excessive lateral runout of the tire or wheel. It is most noticeable at low speed, about 8 to 48 km/in (5 to 30 mph). It may also appear as a ride roughness at 80 to 113 km/in (50 to 70 mph).

The vehicle can be road tested to see which end of the vehicle has the faulty tire. If the tire causing the waddle is on the rear, the rear end of the vehicle will "waddle." From the driver's seat, it feels as if someone is pushing on the side of the vehicle.

If the faulty tire is on the front, the waddle is more easily seen The front sheet metal appears to be moving back and forth. It feels as if the driver's seat is the pivot point in the vehicle.

Another more time-consuming method of determining the faulty tire is substituting tire and wheel assemblies that are known to be good. Follow these steps:
1. Drive the vehicle to determine if the waddle is coming from the front or rear.
2. Install tire and wheel assemblies known to be good (from a similar vehicle) in place of those on the end of the vehicle which is waddling. If the waddle cannot be isolated to front or rear, start with the rear tires.
3. Road test again. If improvement is noted, install the original tire and wheel assemblies one at a time until the faulty tire is found. If no improvement is noted, install tires known to be good in place of all four. Then, install the originals one at a time until the faulty tire is found.