Reasons For Car Shakes At High Speeds | Solutions

When driving at high speed, you may experience that your car vibrates and shakes. There are several possible reasons for car shakes at high speeds, and we can experience this issue, especially driving used cars. This is not a normal situation, and there is something wrong with your vehicle. Sometimes you may experience the front of the car shaking while driving over 60 mph or 70 mph.

Once you notice your car shaking at high speeds, you have to resolve the issue earliest possible to prevent expensive repairs and improve your comfort. Various factors can contribute to this unusual shaking, and it can be a fault of your engine, wheels, suspension, or even axles.

In this article, I cover why does my car shakes and vibrates at high speeds. And how to fix them.

Why is car shaking at high speed?

Unbalanced tires, loose lug nuts, worn ball joints, twisted inner CV joints, bad tie rods, expired tires, worn tires, and steering box free play loss are common causes of a car shaking at high speeds. A worn-out engine mount, a damaged CV axle, and a disconnected vacuum hose are a few other possibilities. These high-speed car shakes can result in bush damage. If you notice the car shakes when idle and accelerating, it can be worn out or loose engine mounts, which is entirely different.

Unusually worn tires.

Uneven wear tires vibrate car at high speed. This is one of the common reasons for this. First, take a look at the outer and inner sides of the tire. If you notice any uneven wearing, it can be a reason for the car vibrating at high speed.

Unbalanced tires.

An unbalanced tire is another common reason why is cars shaking on the highway. There will be some minor imperfections in the rubber as the tire develops.

Wheel alignment problem.

Wheel alignment problem symptoms are car shakes at high speed, pulling to one side while driving, steering wheel jamming, and tire inflation. After having been gone a certain amount of miles, all vehicles need a wheel alignment. Wheel alignment fixes the suspension system issues. It adjusts wheels perfectly straight and vertically and ensures good contact with the road. It reduces the tire’s premature wearing.

Manufacturing defects tires.

Some tires or rims have imperfections as a result of manufacturing defects. One side of the tire, or rim, is heavier than the other. For instance, one side of the tire may have more rubber pieces than the other.

Expired Tires.

Every tire has a steel belt inside the tire. These steel wires provide strength and maintain shape when the tire’s sidewall bends. The radial tire’s steel belt breaks and loses its shape, strength, and balance when the tire reaches its expiration date. A broken or damaged steel belt causes a car shakes intermittently at high speeds.

Each manufacturer specifies the tire expiration date on the tire sidewall using a coding system. The average lifespan of a tire is six years, counting from the date of tire manufacture mentioned on the sidewall.

Worn ball joints.

Ball joints wear down, which is another cause of the car vibrating when driving. When the ball joints are worn out, it causes them to loosen. This causes vibrations through the steering wheel and the car’s body while driving. The function of ball joints in a suspension system is turning movement between the steering knuckles and control arms. This will provide a smooth ride and stable control.

Bad tie rod.

The bad tie rod is another reason the car’s front end vibrates at high speeds. We can quickly check the bad tie rod at home. Lift both front tires off the ground. You can use a floor jack for this. Hold the tire with your hand and move them back and forth and observe if there is any clunking or clicking sound. Check the inner and outer ties if you notice such a sound. If you see any leaks or rips on the tie rod boots, you must replace them.

Stuck brake caliper.

The brake caliper sticking can cause a vibrating car string wheel and sounds when braking the car. One of the reasons for the sticking brake caliper is rust or dirt on the brake pads. Another reason is brake hoses wearing out, rusty caliper piston due to their damages, faulty parking brake cable, and dirty or old brake fluid. These issues cause the pads to slip or stick to the disc rotor.

Damaged Axle.

A damaged axle can cause your car to shake when running over 40mph. Major accidents can damage a car axle, and this vibration can also cause damage to other parts of the vehicle.

Worn engine mounts.

Faulty or damaged engine mounts can firmly weaken the engine’s grip on the vehicle’s body. This loose connectivity causes your car to vibrate when the engine runs at high speed.

Loose lug nuts.

A loose lug nut in your tire is another reason for car shaking, which can lead to dangerous accidents. After replacing the tires, make sure that they tighten the wheel nuts. With a simple torque wrench, you can check the nuts are tightened.

How do you fix a shaking car at high?

• Replace tire: If the tire expires, it is unevenly wearing.
• Wheel balancing: This will balance the weight of a tire.
• Wheel alignment: This will fix the car balancing issue and fix the camber, caster, and toe angle.
• Replace ball joints: If the ball joints wear out, replace them.
• Service calipers: Using brake cleaner, clean the brake pads and shims.
• Replace broken or worn engine mounts.
• Clean brake caliper: You can use chlorinated vs non-chlorinated brake cleaner.
• Straighten or replace the bent axle.
• Tightened lug nuts.

FAQ.

Can a bad alignment cause a shake?

Poor wheel alignment causes car shake at high speed. A suspension system malfunction causes an alignment problem. These car balancing issues lead to many problems that cause car vibration. Wearing only one side of the tire is one of the indications of bad wheel alignment. Uneven tire wearing is a primary reason for car shaking at high speed. A wheel alignment will adjust the camber angle, caster angle, and toe angle. Heavy load and bad road conditions cause lousy alignment.

Why Is The Front Of My Car Shaking?

Front of car shaking can cause bad front tires, stuck brake calipers, worn engine mounts, and front wheel loose lug nuts. These are the common reasons for steering wheel vibration and front of car shaking. As soon you experience such front-end vibration check every possible solution to fix it.

Is it safe to drive when car is shaking?

It is not a good sign that your car shaking when driving. Car vibration can cause many problems, including damage to vehicle suspension parts, and you may face critical collisions. Ultimately it can result in an uncomfortable driving experience and costly repairs.

Can transmission cause car to shake?

Bad or low transmission fluids will shake accelerating the car. This transmission fluid issue will lead to car transmission system damage.

Why is my engine shaking when idle?

A common reason for a car vibrating when idle can be dirty or corrupted or worn-out spark plugs. If you haven’t changed or cleaned your spark plugs recently, now is a good time to do so. One of the common reasons for damage is oil leaks on the spark plug wells.

Why does my car shake when I turn a corner?

The common reason for car shake when turning a corner is a defective tire, loose wheel bearings, bad tie rods, and ball joints on that side. Furthermore, check the alignment and cv shaft on that side and, power steering fluid, faulty belts.

Final Word.

High-speed vibration is not a common defect in older cars. If this vibration and shake are ignored, it could lead you to further costly maintenance in the future. The balance issue is the main reason cars shake and vibrate at high speeds. The unbalance can happen due to unevenly worn tires, wheel balancing issues, damaged tires, or poor wheel alignment.

These problems can be easily identified and corrected by a professionally qualified technician.