Steering wheel jerky at any speed. Doesn't jerk or become difficult when turning.

sounds like the power steering rack

some times you will get a bouncing in wheel ,nose dive in front end when stopping or hard breaking, did you try jacking up car so wheel is just off ground ,put a bar under tire and lift up observe wheel movement ,then do other wheels , if it is a strut the wheel will move up and down freely , look for fluid leaking around strut body ,5000 miles is not much of a factor things do break.the other is get the front end off the ground both wheels,SAFELY !!!!!! WITH THE CAR SHUT OFF WHEELS BLOCKED, have one person turn wheel while you observe it , look for anything wrong grab the wheel and try to move left to right (a small ) motion observe what happens ,is there wiggle ? with out moving steering wheel. if not sure of any of these ,PLEASE take it to a mechanic .hope this helps good luck. Woody

There is no adjustment on the power steering pump.If you have slack or a lack of response most likely you have a worn part such as tie rod end or idler arm.Low pressure in the power steering would cause the steering to be stiff , mostly at low speed.The faster you go the less need there is for power steering,for example turn off the engine while sitting in the driveway and see how difficult the wheel is to turn.You cand jack up a front wheel and check for slack in the steering components by trying to move the tire side to side and back and fourth.Good Luck!

front tyres deformed ,get new tyres fitted

Bad steering rack.
Had you flushed the P/S Fluid,every couple years,you could have avoided an expensive repair!

A Dodge Dakota with 4-wheel steer? Do you happen to mean 4-wheel drive?

If so, you should not operate the vehicle in 4-wheel drive when you are traveling on a hard, high-traction surface. When in 4x4, the transfer case connects the front and rear axles, and does not allow for differentiation of wheel speeds necessary when turning. This is compensated for when driving over low-traction terrain because the tires slip easier.

Basically, the jerking, bucking and locking of the truck is due to the binding. This will eventually lead to damage in the driveline. If the roadway isn't covered in snow, there is no need for the 4 wheel drive to be engaged.

Try jerking the steering wheel as your turn the key. Sometimes when you park and the wheel locks up you have to play with it to get it unlocked.

A common problem with this model. Its the sterring speed sensor.A small disc shaped switch at the bottom of the steering shaft next to the floor. IT actually slips over the steering shaft, so, you'll have to disconnect shaft,pull column back towads you to replace. The reason for this switch is to stiffen steering at higher speed.Once it goes bad it starts sending mixed signals to the steering box. A simple fix? Unplug it at the switch like I did mine after I replaced it the second time.

I hace a 19196 sable-the problem is the transaxle speed sensor-this part sends all speed info to the computer ..-First symptom(speedometer stops working and then transmission shifts erratacially and power steering becomes hard and engine light comes on..The computer on this all eletronic car cannot send proper signals to the speedo-trans-power steering and other functions without knowing how fast or slow the car is going..Have the SPEED SENSOR mounted on top of the tranaxle replaced and all will be well.Part is not to expensive.labor can vary depending whether you have 3.0OHV or DOHC engine-some cars have to have exhaust dropped to get at it-Good Luck All

sound like your powersteering pump or steering rack and pinion
could be bad.i would say it is your rack and pinion because if your pump was bad your steering would be real hard to turn instead of being jerky.jerking is usally the sign of a bad rack
samboiv