Why does my car vibrate?

Why is my Car Shaking?

How Do I Fix a Vibrating Car?

Have you ever sat behind the wheel of a car that shakes? It can be really frustrating to deal with the vibrating steering wheel. We all wish that our cars ran like when they were new, but after many miles our cars just start to show their age. So how do I fix a vibrating car?

First things first, a car that runs well is bound to be a safer car. Let’s figure out why it’s vibrating. That’s half the battle!

Do you feel the vibrating in your steering wheel when you are moving?

If this is the case, your wheels might need to be balanced. A wheel that is off balance can make a lot of vibration. This is a cheap fix!  You might also want to try replacing your shocks or struts. If either of these things are worn, it can make for uneven driving and bouncing.  The vibration could also be hiding in your upper strut bearings. Most full-service tire shops can check and fix these (they are accessed from under the hood).  You should check and/or replace your ball joints, which allow the car to move up and down and side to side while also keeping your suspension tight. Shaking is unavoidable if these are worn out.  It might also do good to check and replace your tie rod ends. Since these are important in connecting your steering rack to the wheels, it can cause vibration if the wheels are even slightly going in different directions.

Or Does your vehicle vibrate when you are sitting in idle?

Check to see if you have a broken motor mount. A engine that isn’t mounted correctly will be moving around under the hood at low RPM.  You might also be having issues with the fuel system. Watch your RPM when you are idling again. If it seems erratic or drops very suddenly, this can cause shaking or vibration.

Is it shaking when you are accelerating?

Have your transmission fluid and filter checked. If you have low transmission fluid, it can cause your car to shake when you are speeding up. The same goes for the filter.

Finally, you might have a worn universal joint. This is really obvious when you accelerate and should be fixed right away! Otherwise you might end up on the side of the road somewhere.

Feeling your car shaking and don’t know what to do? Come in to see us at Palmen GM in Kenosha WI. We can service your car or help get you into a new or used vehicle right away!