Shaking Wheel When Driving? Common Causes For A Shaky Steering Wheel new for 2022

You’re driving on the highway and all of a sudden your car starts shaking. You don’t know what’s going on and you’re starting to get worried.

This could be a sign that something is wrong with your car. If you don’t address the problem, it could lead to bigger issues down the road.

Shaking Wheel When Driving? Common Causes For A Shaky Steering Wheel. In this article, we’ll help you know more about it and how to fix these problems. Let’s find out together!

Shaking Wheel When Driving? Common Causes For A Shaky Steering Wheel

Wheel is shaking when driving? Below are common causes for a shaky steering wheel:

That shaking is probably a wheel balancing issue or suspension problem

Source: https://twitter.com/

Tire Alignment Issues

The suspension system in your car is intended to ensure that your tires are properly aligned, enabling them to contact the road’s pavement at an equal distance. Road surface irregularities, harsh driving, and other hazards can upset this alignment over time, causing one or more of your wheels to rest at a tilted angle. Even minor alignment flaws might produce vibrations in the steering wheel.

Wheel alignment problems can cause uneven and accelerated tire wear in addition to steering wheel shaking. A brief wheel alignment procedure may help with this problem and its symptoms. If you are unsure whether or not an alignment is required, schedule a free alignment inspection at your earliest convenience.

Tire Balancing Issues

When all four of your tires rotate at the same speed, it’s called tire balance. You might not know this, but seasonal changes, driving habits, road conditions and more can cause your once balanced tires to become unbalanced. When that happens, it sends vibrations through your steering wheel because it impacts your suspension and axle. If you get a routine tire balancing service done every 10-12 thousand miles on average), you can prevent (or fix) this issue before it becomes a problem!

Read more at What Causes Wheel Studs To Break Off? What Would Cause Wheel Studs To Break Off While Driving

Brake Rotors Have Issues

If you notice that your steering wheel shakes considerably when you brake, it might be due to out-of-round rotors. In simpler terms, the rotors have begun to wear down and are no longer retaining their shape or form; they’ve become warped. Additionally, whenever you press down on the brake pedal, you’re likely to feel some vibrations in your feet. Brakes play a critical role in keeping you safe while driving since they enable stopping power; if there’s an issue with them, it needs to be fixed as soon as humanly possible.

If your vehicle starts vibrating while braking, even if you just had the brakes done, don’t ignore it. There could be a deeper issue at hand, like incorrect brake pad installation which then causes inefficiency and vibration when trying to brake. As soon as possible, take your car into the shop so that trained professionals can examine what might be causing the rotors to not function properly. Resurfacing or replacing them may fix the problem entirely.

It’s also feasible that the issue is due to worn brake pads. If the rotor is in good shape, it’s time to check the pads. Vibration increases when you apply the brakes if the problem is almost certainly within the braking system. The rotors and pads are most likely suspects, but it’s crucial to look at the entire system until the fault can be pinpointed and fixed.

Suspension Components That Have Been Worn

In addition to problems with the tires and brake rotors, it’s also possible for suspension and alignment issues to cause shaking while driving. Shaking caused by a worn ball joint or tie rod is more prevalent in older vehicles than newer models, so give this some extra thought if you’ve been behind the wheel of the same car for a while.

The suspension components, on the other hand, can become loose and out of alignment, causing significant vibrations once your automobile reaches speeds of around 45 miles per hour. If this sounds like what’s been going on with your car, it’s best to stop driving it and take it into a garage as soon as possible to avoid making the issues worse.

Caliper Brake Sticking

Stuck brake calipers are one of the more unusual reasons for steering wheel shaking. Each time you slow or stop your car, your brake calipers trap and lower your brake pads. While it is unusual, brake calipers may get seized (also known as “sticky” or “stuck”). Seized brake calipers can cause issues with vehicle handling—particularly when dealing with steering wheel shaking or pulling. Unlike warped rotors, this problem will be apparent while driving rather than while braking.

A stuck brake caliper is when your caliper becomes “stuck” to your rotor. Instead of lifting off the brake when you take your foot off, it will stay pressed against the rotor. This can make driving difficult and also causes damage to your vehicle’s engine, braking system, fuel economy, tires, and more.

If your brake caliper is sticking, it may be due to something as simple as a build-up of debris or DIY installation mistakes. If you think your brake caliper is sticking, take your vehicle to see a mechanic.

Suspension problems

The suspension of your automobile is a network of systems that connects the vehicle to its tires, including shock absorbers, coils/springs, joints, bushings, and other components. Any one of these elements may malfunction and cause your car’s handling to go out of whack. As you might have guessed, poor suspension can lead to steering wheel shaking.

If you have checked all other possible sources of steering wheel vibrations and ruled them out, the issue is probably with your suspension. You will probably need to take it to a professional mechanic to get an accurate diagnosis.

Bearing failure

A shaky steering wheel is due to friction between bad bearings or a lack of lubrication. The shaking only occurs as you turn the wheel if the bearings are the source of the problem. You can oil the bearings, or schedule a servicing appointment to replace them if they’re damaged, to alleviate this issue.

How to Diagnose a Shaking Steering Wheel

Tires that are unbalanced

Every tire has a unique weight distribution. To compensate, additional weights must be added to the wheel after a new tire is put on. Unfortunately, these weights can shift or fall off, resulting in an unbalanced wheel. Even under ideal circumstances, unbalanced tires may cause the automobile to shake when driving at high speeds, beginning around 50 mph and becoming most apparent around 60 mph.

If you ignore unbalanced tire problems, they can wear out steering and suspension parts faster than normal, cause poor fuel economy, or even lead to a blowout. If you feel a vibration in the steering wheel, do a visual inspection of all wheels to look for any missing wheel weights, uneven tread wear, or bent rims.

If any of the wheels show signs of imbalance, take the affected wheel into a technician that has access to a tire balancing machine for repair. Replace your tires at least once a year, and as often as needed. On average, rotate your tires every 7,000 miles or every two years (or more frequently if appropriate). Always have your automobile’s tire repair shop balance a tire after any job or new installation.

Read more Wheel Wobbles When Turning? What’s causing them, and is it serious?

Misaligned wheels

The incorrect position of the wheels is another frequent cause of steering wheel vibration. By ensuring that all wheels are positioned in the same direction, a wheel alignment will typically eliminate the shaking. The tread on a tire is one of the easiest methods to determine misalignment. A vehicle out of alignment will usually wear tires unevenly, with the inner tread worn much more than the outside. If you notice that the steering wheel is straight and center while yet causing the car to pull either way.

Wheel alignment is necessary for a car’s suspension system. Any problems with the suspension, like damage from regular driving or an accident, can cause wheel alignment issues. You might also need an alignment after making changes to the suspenson system, like raising or lower the vehicle, or adding new steering and suspension parts.

Wheel bearings that are damaged or worn

The wheel bearing is the next component you should check if the steering wheel only shakes while turning. Its purpose is to secure the wheel hub to the vehicle’s suspension and enable smooth movement of wheels. Steering vibration may occur if it’s damaged or not properly lubricated. Rough roads, hitting potholes or speed bumps, driving too fast over curbs–these can all cause wear on the wheel bearing with time. Also, any modifications made to steering and/or suspension systems may trigger unnecessary weardown of this part.

Here’s a short tutorial for determining if an odd noise while driving is caused by a failing/aged front wheel bearing: Drive the car with the strange sound. While driving, keep an eye on your surroundings and make a brief lane change or turn in one direction if conditions permit. Listen for the sound to become louder.

If the noise doesn’t change, perform a lane change/turn in the opposite direction. If the noise varies with a directional change, it’s probably an errant front wheel bearing that needs to be replaced. Whichever way you turned informs you about which wheel bearing needs replacing. For example, if you turned left, your weight load was shifted to the right side, and vice versa. If turning left raised the volume of sound , then the right front wheel bearing is likely to blame.

The best way to know for certain if your wheel bearing is worn or damaged is by securely raising the vehicle and checking it. With both hands on the tire in the 12 and 6 o’clock position, rock the wheel back-and-forth. There should be very little movement; any more than that, or a grinding noise when rotating, means thewheel bearing needs to be replaced as soon as possible. If a damaged wheelbearing fails while driving, it could cause catastrophic damage tothe wheels.

Worn steering or suspension parts

A tiny amount of slack in any steering or suspension component can make the whole system appear loose. Not only does this affect a vehicle’s control and stability, but it can also cause vibration in the steering wheel. To avoid these issues, drivers should inspect their system for loose parts regularly. Check Visible areas first, such as upper and lower ball joints, tie rod ends, and bushings.

If you come across any damage or if it seems like the toy has been played with too much, get a new one. The same goes for loose shock mounts, damaged springs, leaking shocks or struts– these can all cause the steering wheel to vibrate. Get them checked and replaced as needed.

Problems with the brakes

The braking system is most likely the source of the shaking if the steering wheel only shakes when stopping, and/or the brake pedal shakes as well. Shaking steering wheel can also be caused by a failing braking system or by having the parking brake on in error. Brake judder is often associated with braking vibration because it is caused by disc run out, disc thickness variation (DTV), and/or severe disc overheating and distortion.

The brake disc has worn out

It’s possible that your truck’s brake pads are excessively worn, in which case the vibration in the steering wheel is due to a misaligned disc pulling out of parallel alignment with the hub or caliper. There are a number of reasons for bad installation, ranging from rust or dirt build-up on the disc surface creating an uneven surface to overtightened screws and/or fitting a disc to a warped hub.

Although a warped hub is rare, in recent years there has been an increase of use in wheel spacers that can cause excess wear to the hub. If you suspect your brake disc run out, it is important to inspect brakes immediately since extended vehicle stopping time or temporary brake fail could occur.

To repair a brake disc run out, remove the faulty disc and clean both it and the hub thoroughly. Measure the thickness of the brake disc with a brake disk micrometer. If they are outside of the manufacturer’s tolerances, they cannot be serviced and must be replaced. reinstall the brake disc in an alternating position to level out the surface if they are within tolerance. After these procedures, if run out is still evident, the wheel hub is most likely defective and will need to be changed.

Variation in disc thickness (DTV)

An improper installation, alignment, or torque of a brake disc can cause uneven wear that spots the disc thinner in some areas and thicker in others. Moreover, pollutants such as rust, deposits, and dirt caught in the system may also cause DTV. If an irregularity exists on the surface of a brake disc when pressure is applied to it by brake pads, then the pads will transfer a pulsing sensation to the driver through the brakes pedal.

Vibration in the steering wheel can also be felt when thin and thick sections of the disc slip between brake rotors, just as it does with a warped brake disc. When the brakes are checked immediately, DTV is suspected, because a warped brake disc will result in longer stopping time and the potential for temporary brake failure comparable to run-out of a braking system.

To resolve DTV problems, use a brake disc micrometer to measure the thickness of the brake rotor or disc. It can’t be serviced and must be replaced if it’s outside of the manufacturer’s tolerances. If they’re OK, clean out the faulty brakes, thoroughly clean parts, and reinstall in their proper alignment. Always make sure that the hub and disc mounting surfaces are free of dirt, that the slider pins are lubricated and moving smoothly, and that the wheel fasteners and disc positioning screws are correctly tightened.

Disk overheating and distortion are severe

Warped brake discs are often the result of overheating, which in turn is generally caused by hard or repetitive braking. You can tell if a disc has overheated if there are dark blue spots on it. Additionally, poor quality brake pads can also lead to distortion when applied to an already heated brake disc.

If the brake disc is deformed or the brake pads are damaged, they must be replaced straight away because of the danger of brake fade. Brake fade occurs when there is a temporary reduction or total loss in braking force as a result of overheating, but it may be avoided easily with appropriate brake parts. If your vehicle suffers from severe braking on mountain roads or during racing due to towing, make sure you have OEM brakes that are designed for heavy use.

Is it safe to drive a shaking car?

When the car is excessively shaking or vibrating, it can be annoying and uncomfortable while on the road. You may discover that it only happens at particular speeds, or that it begins happening all of a sudden. Don’t ignore any vibrations or shakes in your vehicle if you’re feeling them excessively.

Why does my steering wheel shake when I drive over 60 mph?

If your tires are out of balance, your steering wheel may be jiggling. Shaking is most common around 50 to 55 mph, but it can happen sooner if your front tires lose air or have breaks and fractures. Many of our clientele report that shaking gets worse at 60 miles per hour.

FAQs Shaking Wheel When Driving