We've had our '04 coupe for almost a year now, 39K mileage, and except for a cruise to Vegas when we first got it, it has just been a light-duty weekend "date" car, just driven around town.

This weekend, we decided to take advantage of the wonderful weather and take a backcountry cruise, over the mountains and down to the desert, in bloom now from the spring rains. This included a drive down San Diego county road S3, a twisty, winding snake of a road that drops quickly down out of the mountains and on into Borrego Springs.

I had the Autostick tapped down to third gear for most of the descent, and noticed that when I stood on the brakes going into the corners, the whole car sort of shuddered - no loss of control or anything, but it just felt very "unhappy." I've never noticed this in all my city driving.

What was it, and what's the fix?