Car Shaking When Braking at High Speeds (13 Causes & Solutions)

There are a number of car problems that can cause your vehicle to shake while braking at a certain speed. Potentially serious problems can be a high stake for your car. There are a few most common causes for your car to shake while you are applying brakes at high speeds. You need to fix your car before the matter gets out of hands.

The reasons for your car to vibrate or shake while braking is:

1. Bad tire
2. Bent rim
3. Unbalanced wheel
4. Bad shock absorber
5. Suspension parts missing or unfixed
6. Wheel bearing may be faulty
7. Alignment problem
8. Steering rack

This is just a small basic list of the problems that occur when your car is shaking when braking, but if we discuss them in detail, we can get a vaster point of view about these issues. So it can be helpful for someone looking to avoid such problems in daily life.

Causes of Car Shaking When Braking

1. Tires:

The most common cause of a car to shake when braking is related to tires. When tires get out of balance, then the steering wheel shakes, causing the whole car to vibrate. The shaking can start around 50-55 miles per hour. Since it’s such a basic issue, it should be regularly checked.

2. Brake rotors:

Sometimes, brake rotors can be the issue of shaking. If your vehicle is constantly in a vibrating and shaking motion, it can be because of “out of balance/round” brake rotors. The whole shaking can be felt through your brakes. Another common cause of shaking can be due to sticking of the brake caliper. When such a problem takes over your vehicle, the vibration in your steering wheel will take over and will start from 40-50 mph. It will get worse if you go faster and you will sense a bad smell when you will make a stop.

3. Brake pads:

Your car and specifically steering wheel can also shake when your brake pads are dirty with contaminated waste like substances and oil/dirt. When they grip the rotor, they can easily cause vibration and shaking motion. And when you apply brakes, you will hear a sharp noise coming out of your car. You would have to change brake pads when this happens immediately. If your vehicle is out of alignment, then you will most probably face pedal shaking sensation when brakes are applied. This problem can most likely cause a lot of other problems as well, such as tire wear and suspension of components.

4. Alignment issues:

A way to test alignment problems is to bring your vehicle up to 50-60 mph on a straight pathway when there’s no traffic near. Let go of your steering wheel for a moment and observe if the car right away tries to go to the right or left. If it does so, then it probably needs to be realigned. To get your car fixed, you need to get a two or four-wheel alignment as soon as possible. A whole inspection of the car can tell whether it needs a two-wheel alignment or a four-wheel one. If your car axle is also damaged or the frame then you will necessarily need a four-wheel alignment.

5. Worn suspension components:

Is another issue for car shaking when braking. Parts of your suspension system such as wheel bearings, ball joints and tie rods wear over time. If only when you are turning your suspension, the car shakes, then it is likely the issue. To fix this issue, you would need to get your car inspected so proper diagnosis can take place, and the issue can be fixed properly and precisely. The costs will be as less as the labor costs.

Small driving mistakes such as driving up and hitting a pothole can damage the rim and make it bend. A bent rim will cause vibrations while driving, and it will increase if you travel faster. A bent rim should be taken care of quickly as it can cause loss of pressure in the tire as well.

Solutions:

As now the reasons have been mentioned briefly. We will come onto the easy solutions for these certain issues. The tire issue can be easily solved by buying good quality and insured tires, also, by getting them inspected properly when your car goes for maintenance service.

The unbalanced wheel is an irritating issue for the driver, due to the shaking of the car driver can get into an accident, so anyone who is facing such problem needs to know how to change or fix a tire. If you understand your wheel, you can easily fix it by yourself too. The tools that you would need will be a flat end screwdriver, a jack and a lug wrench.

First of all, you will remove the wheel weights then the wheels itself. After removing the wheel, you would have to clean it then balance it. You will have to mark the points and put the weight back on. Then recheck and adjust the wheels and simple return them back into position. This will all happen with a balancer.

6. Brake caliper:

Problems caused by the brakes can be corrected by including a brake caliper service whenever your brakes need maintenance check. For vehicles that have 70-75k miles on them need service mandatory. When you stick to your car manufacturers scheduled service program can avoid these problems easily. Usually, whenever you get an oil change, you mostly get your brake pads and tires checked. For people who use a very small mileage on their cars doesn’t need these inspections all the time; instead, they get their service done in every six months.

But people who cover long distances need to get their car checked in every month or two months to ensure a healthy car lifestyle. Tires wearing down in a strange way or have a wheel that’s out of round can be signs of what’s making a shaking problem. If one of the front or rear brake pads has been wearing more than the other, this may be a sign that the brake caliper is sticking.

7. Engine:

There can be many other things that can cause your car to vibrate. Engine can be causing this issue sometimes too. If car shakes when you drive at a constant speed, and during acceleration, there is some vibration going on than the engine can be the root issue here. This may happen when the engine is not provided with ample fuel-air to function properly. You would need to fix the issue by replacing the air filter in the engine or spark plug. If the problem is still there, you need to get your car properly checked by a professional mechanic or car engine specialist.

8. Spark plugs:

Is one of the most useful car parts as it controls the petrol function. Just like other parts, these can be fixed easily too. You would need to locate them in your vehicle first. The spark plugs are mostly located at the end of the engine. In some vehicles, you need to remove a few parts to see the spark plugs.

The second step is to remove the spark plugs. You need to make sure your car is cooled down before taking these plugs off as if your car has been running for a while it heats up. You will pull the wire at the bottom of the engine and see the plug, but without yanking at it, you will reveal it, so the lead doesn’t get disturbed. The next step is to measure the gap of the spark plugs. These plugs are mostly preset according to the latest application in cars.

To measure the plugs or change their gap, you would need to slightly tap into the wooden of the plug with a gauge until the plug reaches the specific measurement which is correct. Next step is to install new plugs. To install them you need to remove each plug from the engine by using the spark plug socket. You should always be cautioned about not over tighten them.

Read Also: Car Shaking When Stopped or idle

9. For clogged transmission filter:

You need to change it every two years or 20000 miles. To fix the problem of car shaking caused by it you need to go through ac certain process. First, you need to jack up the vehicle; this action makes the car safe and secure while you are working underneath it. Then you need to drain the fluid by placing a transmission drain plug underneath the area. Do use a socket wrench to do the job. Then clean the pan by removing bolts and old gasket seals and scrape off dirt and debris. Install a new pan gasket seal and then change the transmission filter. For that drivers need to remove the bolts holding the filter.

10. Low transmission fluid:

 
Can also be a problem as it is an important thing to decide your car’s vibration. You can easily by yourself fix this problem. First of all, you would need to keep the engine idle. Usually, the transmission fluid is added by drivers when the car is running. For your own safety, you need to keep the hand brakes locked.

You need to add the correct transmission fluid, and before adding it, you need to remember to check all the instructions on the amount of fluid to be added as there are so many types of transmission fluids for so many types of engines and vehicles. Then pour the fluid into the transmission. Do use a funnel to pour it in so you can make sure there is no overfill. After that check, the level of fluid again to make sure if the level is on max or not.

After that depress the breaks and run the transmission. When you do this, you make sure that you are getting the right reading. Return the dipstick then back into the transmission hole. You would need to lock it into its place by using a latch or something. After that, your car will end its shaking.

11. Bad motor mounts:

These are part of your engine that keeps your car in place. It’s kept secure in its place because of these motor mounts. They are usually made of metal and rubber. And are found between the frame of the car and engine. The metal provides structure to the motor mounts, and the rubber helps absorb vibrations of the engine.

Most of these materials wear out over time and have to be replaced. When they are worn out the metal stops securing a firm brace, and the rubber also stops absorbing the vibrations causing the car to shake when brakes applied. If your car is highly modified, then you would have a more modified motor, then the rest of the cars as well, which are more firm and don’t absorb as much vibration too.

There is nothing wrong with it, but most people find it annoying. Bad motor mounts need to be replaced or fixed immediately as they give the shakes to the car. You would need to see a break specialist to get ensured about your car’s condition because these motors and brake drums both can because of the shaking.

12. Axle problems:

If axles get bent which happens quite easily if a mishap happens, it is quite a bumpy ride after it happens. With this, the shaking motion gets picked up quite easily in your car. The driveshaft will need an inspection if such thing happens. For front-wheel-drive cars, you would need to buy new axles.

13. Power steering problems:

 
If your car shakes when you take various turns, there is a problem in your power steering system. You would need to check the hoses to see if there are any leaks and check the power engine to see if any steering fluids need to be topped off. Otherwise, get your car checked from a professional or try to replicate the sound while the car is not moving.

In conclusion, you would always need a usual service for your car to help ensure its needs and its maintenance at the same time. Always check your car and its basic components before leaving for a long trip as well.