Car shakes while driving: what is causing it
When and where you feel the shake narrows it down. A vibration or shimmy in the steering wheel is most often tire balance, though worn suspension or steering parts can cause it too. If it only happens when you brake, look at the brake rotors instead.
Can you keep driving?
Usually yes, but book a check soon. It becomes more urgent if the steering also feels loose.
What the shake actually means
When a tire is out of balance, a shock no longer damps, or a wheel bearing starts to wear, the smooth rotation of the wheel turns into something you can feel or hear. The conditions it appears under point at the part.
How suspension and steering work together
Suspension and steering are one system with two jobs: keep each tire pressed against the road, and put it where you point it. Springs carry the weight, shocks or struts stop the wheel bouncing after every bump, and wheel bearings let it spin with almost no friction.
Common causes
- Tire balance, the most common cause of a vibrating steering wheel
- Uneven or cupped tire wear, from alignment, worn shocks or struts, or a ball joint issue
- Worn tie rod ends or bushings, which also give a looser feel
- A wearing wheel bearing, usually heard as a hum that changes with speed
- Rotors with uneven thickness, if the shake only comes when braking
- An engine running rough, if the car shakes at idle as well
What to do now
- Note exactly when it happens: at certain speeds or all the time, on smooth roads or only over bumps, straight ahead or turning.
- Check the tire pressure on all four, cold, against the sticker on the driver's doorjamb.
- Look at the tires for uneven or cupped wear.
- If you only feel it when you brake, it is a different fault. See the guide on shaking when braking.
- Ask the shop to check wheel balance first, then the suspension and steering parts if balance is fine.
Where and when you feel it
- Vibration or shimmy in the steering wheel: most often tire balance, sometimes suspension or steering wear.
- A loose or wandering feel at speed: often worn tie rod ends or a suspension part.
- A hum or growl that changes with speed: the classic sign of a wearing wheel bearing.
- Shaking at idle too, with a rough or uneven idle: the engine, not the wheels.
- Shaking only when you brake: the brake rotors, not the wheel balance.
What people often get wrong
That a vibration is something to live with because the car still drives fine. Worn suspension parts tend to get worse, not better, and uneven tire wear is often the first visible sign that one of them already is.
When the car must go to a workshop
If the shake comes with looseness in the steering, or a grinding or knocking noise, have it inspected promptly. A failing ball joint can cause a sudden loss of steering control.
Read next
- Car shakes when braking: this is the usual cause
- Car pulls to one side: how to find the cause
- Tire pressure light: a puncture, or just the cold?
This page is general information and does not replace a professional assessment. Symbols, codes and behaviour vary between makes. Always check the handbook for your own car.
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