Car shaking while driving? Here are 3 possible causes
If you’re driving along and suddenly your car starts to shake and vibrate, it’s clear that something isn’t right. This is actually a fairly common problem in cars and it’s not always as serious as it appears, but you do still need to sort it out before the problem gets worse and you do some serious damage to the car.
There are a couple of different reasons that you might be experiencing vibrations in the car, often to do with the tyres, but not always. If your car is vibrating and shaking when you drive, you may have one of these common problems.
Misaligned tyres
Usually, the shaking is caused by misaligned tyres or tyres that are out of balance, which is good news because it can easily be fixed in most cases. You can avoid this problem by spending a bit more money on good quality tyres rather than going for the cheaper option, but it may still happen regardless.
In order to fix the problem, you need to check all of the tyres and make sure that they’re aligned correctly and they aren’t worn at all. If you know your way around a car, you might be able to do this maintenance yourself but usually, it’s best to go to a mechanic and have them do it for you because if you get it wrong, you might end up making the problem worse.
Damaged suspension
The suspension in your car will wear over time and if it’s damaged and worn out, you’re likely to experience a lot of shaking. When you don’t have functioning suspension to absorb the shocks, you’ll feel every tiny bump on the road and driving your car will feel a little like riding a rollercoaster.
The only way to fix the problem is to get the suspension replaced and if you want to avoid it in future, you should go for good quality Tein Suspension parts rather than the cheap option. If you think that the problem might be with the suspension, it’s important that you get it seen to as soon as you start to feel the shaking.
If you leave it, it could be dangerous to drive the car and you might end up doing a lot more damage.
Brake problems
If the shaking only occurs when you brake, it’s pretty obvious that’s where the problem lies. There are a few different issues with the brakes that could cause shaking; it may be the brake calipers that are getting stuck, in which case you’ll experience a shaking through the steering wheel at speeds of around 45 to 50 mph or more.
It could also be the brake rotors and if that’s the problem, you’ll get shaking on the steering wheel whenever you brake and you’ll be able to feel it on the brake pedal as well. The best way to avoid this is to pay for brake caliper servicing when you take the car into the mechanic for a checkup.
You should also make sure that you’re checking and replacing brake pads when they need it, but this is maintenance that you can do yourself so there’s no need to pay the mechanic.
If your car is shaking when you drive, don’t worry, it’s easily fixable. It’s probably caused by one of these things and if you get it to the mechanic right away, you should be fine.
** This is a collaborative post
