Why is my Car Shaking?

There are a number of reasons why your Car might Shake.

• The most common reason for a car to shake is because of tires.  If the tires are out of balance then the steering wheel can shake. This shaking starts at around 50-55 mph.  It gets worse around 60 mph but starts to get better at high speeds.

• Sometimes brake rotors can be the cause of shaking.  If your steering wheel shakes while you are braking, then the problem could be caused by brake rotors being "out of round."  This vibration can also be felt through your brake pedal.

• Another problem that can cause shaking is when a brake caliper sticks on.  When this happens you will experience a vibration through the steering wheel starting at 45 to 50 miles per hour.  It will get very bad the faster you go, and you will also smell a burning odor when you stop.

The good news is that these problems are fairly easy to fix and/or avoid altogether.

The tire problem can be avoided by purchasing good quality tires and by having all of the tires carefully inspected when your car goes in for preventative maintenance service.

The brake problem can be avoided by including brake caliper service when your brakes are due for maintenance.  This is particularly important for vehicles that have over 75,000 miles on them.  And, like your tires, have all of your brake pads inspected as part of a regularly scheduled preventive maintenance program.

If you stick to your manufacturer’s scheduled maintenance timeline, you can avoid most of these problems.  Normally, the brake and tire inspections are performed when you have an oil change. 

Tires wearing in a strange way or having a wheel that’s out of round can both be signs of what’s causing a vibration issue.  If one of the front or rear brake pads (out of four) is seen wearing more than the other, this is a sign that the brake caliper is sticking.

 At My Auto Works, we perform a Pro-Tech Check on every Vehicle that comes in our doors, helping you detect these problems early.