Yesterday your car was a smooth and quiet ride. Today it’s shaking and vibrating. This can be disheartening or even scary. While shaking in your steering wheel may be due to a power steering problem, your entire vehicle shaking or vibrating while you’re on the road is never anybody’s idea of a good time. Not only is a shaking car very uncomfortable, but excessive vibration can reduce the amount of control and handling you have on the road, making things unsafe.

What Does it Mean When Your Car Shakes?

Today, our team will talk about some of the reasons why your car may be shaking and what you can do to restore your vehicle’s smooth, quiet ride.

When Does Your Car Shake?

A great way to discover the cause of your vehicle’s shakiness and vibrations is to determine when exactly it happens. This is one of the first questions our auto mechanics will ask you in your local CBA auto shop, and the answer provides helpful insight into locating the cause. So…when does your car shake?

My Car Shakes When It Idles

If your car is beginning to shake when you’re idling, whether at a drive-thru, stop sign, or red light, it’s most likely due to something under the hood. More often than not, it’s caused by loose or damaged engine mounts. These mounts hold your engine in place and provide a type of dampening for the engine, reducing the vibrations you feel in the cabin. Without them, you’ll easily feel the engine’s vibrations throughout the entire car.

There are other things that could be causing your car to shake while idling. Here are a few:

• Worn engine parts
• Faulty fuel injectors
• Worn spark plugs
• Fuel system damage

My Car Shakes When I Step on Gas

Just like idling, excessive vibrations and shakiness while stepping on the gas can usually be traced to problems with the engine mounts. Whether they’re worn, damaged, or have come loose over time, you’ll be able to feel all the vibrations your engine makes every time you accelerate.

Some other causes of shaking while accelerating include:

• Misaligned steering system
• Loose/worn parts in your suspension system
• Engine misfiring
• Worn spark plugs

My Car Shakes When I Pick Up Speed

While cautiously obeying speed limits, you may have noticed your car shaking more as you pick up speed. Maybe it’s when you’re accelerating to merge onto the freeway or while passing someone on the interstate or making that last-minute exit. If that’s the case, it’s essential to slow down and bring your car to a shop for inspection.

Shakiness while driving at faster speeds means that your wheels may be out of balance. It could be alignment related, but that is rare. Either way, we recommend having it repaired ASAP and definitely before driving at higher speeds again.

My Car Shakes When I Step on the Brakes

Our cars need to be safe and reliable when braking, especially when sudden stops are needed. When your car shakes while braking, you might notice your steering wheel shaking back and forth, your brake pedal pulsating, or simply an intense sound and vibration in the front end of your car. It could also be a combination of these. Shaking when applying the brakes can feel uneasy, causing you to lose confidence or even cause an accident. It’s important to have your car and your brakes inspected at the first sign of any type of vibrations felt while braking.

Some of the common causes may be:

• Warped brake rotors
• Worn out brake pads
• Damaged braking system

What Do I Do If My Car Shakes?

Most of these vibrations and shakes feel the same, but none of them should be ignored! If you’ve felt your vehicle begin to shake more, vibrate for the first time, or just want to have peace of mind that your vehicle is as safe as can be for you and the whole family, reach out to your local auto mechanic today!

Nailing down exactly what’s causing your car to shake may require diagnostic services, but while at our shop we’ll provide a free Courtesy Inspection on your vehicle to highlight anything else that may need to be taken care of, including ongoing maintenance for your car’s longevity. We continue to redefine the auto service experience – one car at a time! For us, it’s about Driving Joy!