Car Shakes When Decelerating (Everything You Need To Know)
Does your car shake when decelerating? If yes, you’re probably looking for ideas on why this is happening. This guide will give you more info on this issue and how to deal with it.
Your car shakes when decelerating mainly due to warped rotors, worn brake pads, or bad engine mounts. It could also be due to a variety of other issues ranging from unbalanced tires, worn tires, worn wheel bearings, bad suspension, and bad CV joints, among others.
This article will give you full details on what it means if your car shakes when decelerating, which areas of your car to diagnose, and all the possible fixes for this problem.
Why does your car shake when decelerating?
There is a whole list of issues that are likely to make your car shake when you slow down. Let’s briefly discuss all the potential culprits for your car shaking when slowing down.
Warped rotors
Brake rotors tend to wear out with time and may also cause get warped with continued use. Bad rotors are one of the key causes of uneven tire wear, which then result in a shaky situation as you decelerate. Even more, bad rotors can also damage your suspension and tires, which further increases the risk of your vehicle shaking.
Worn brake pads
Worn brake pads can also make your car shake during deceleration. When the pads get worn, they can’t function correctly, and this will affect your car’s braking performance, resulting in shaking as you try to brake at slow speeds. Brakes not functioning correctly also risk damage to other parts of your car, so you need to get this issue fixed quickly.
Bad engine mounts
Worn or broken engine mounts are another potential culprit for your car shaking when slowing down. The engine is attached to the rest of your car using mounts that help dampen the vibration and minimize shaking. If they’re failing, they will easily affect your car’s stability and cause damage to other parts of your car. Worn mounts may also cause rattling noise as you drive your car.
Unbalanced tires
Probably one of the most common causes of car shaking during deceleration is tire imbalance. Such tires lead to uneven tire wear and even premature tire aging. The kind of shaking caused by unbalanced tires is felt even on the steering wheels and tends to intensify as the car speeds go down. So, the first place to look into is unbalanced tires and tire pressure.
Worn tires
Your car tires undergo normal tear and wear with everyday use. However, as the wearing becomes significant, it can affect your car’s ability to drive smoothly. Also, if one tires get more worn compared to the others, it results in an imbalance that makes your car shake. Other effects of worn-out tires include poor handling experience and reduced fuel economy.
Bent rims
If one of your rims is damaged or simply bent, it may also be making your car shake as you decelerate. A bad rim will affect your tire sitting on its wheel, increasing the chances of shaking as you slow down. Out-of-line or bent rims also make your tires wear unevenly—another culprit that may lead to shaking.
Worn wheel bearings
Wheel bearings help make your vehicle wheels turn smoothly. But when they become worn with time, their performance declines and may be the reason your car shakes as you slow down. besides, they can also some rattling and vibration when slowing down.
Damaged suspension
The suspension is another reason your car may be shaking when slowing down. This part connects your car to its wheels, so if it gets damaged, you won’t enjoy a smooth driving experience. Bad suspension may also cause uneven tire wear and damage other vehicle components, so you need to get it replaced as quickly as possible.
Faulty CV joints
If one or more of your CV joints aren’t working correctly or gets damaged, it may also cause your car to shake during deceleration. The faulty joints will cause damage to your tires which will subject your car to shaking.
Bad axle joints
A malfunctioning axle joint is another likely cause for your car shaking when accelerating. the axle simply connects your vehicle wheels to the vehicle. If it’s damaged, this connection is compromised and your car will start vibrating while driving, even on the smoothest roads.
Worn tie rod end joints
A tie rod end joint connects the steering to your car wheels. Thus, if this joint become worn or damaged, it may also cause uneven tire wear, and your car as well as steering wheels, may shake like crazy. Bad tie rod end joints may also affect the performance of your car and even cause damage to other parts of your car.
What should you do if your car shakes when decelerating?
If your car shakes when decelerating, then you’ll need to find out what’s causing this problem. And to do this, you want to inspect all the key areas we have just outlined in our previous section.
Start with your car tires. Inspect them for imbalance and uneven wear. Inspect the wheels and wheel bearings for damage. Check whether the wheel balancing weights may have come off the rims.
You should also check your car suspension, CV joints, axle, and tie rod end joints for damages that could result in a shaking problem.
Above all, inspect the brake rotors and brake pads for wear or damage.
Diagnosing your car can be challenging for most car users, so we advise you to have an experienced mechanic who has dealt with such cases before do the diagnosis for you.
Also, if you do your inspection and fail to get any issues with your car, you should take your car to the mechanic for inspection.
Chances are high your mechanic will do a more effective diagnosis and easily find out the culprit causing the shaking during deceleration and fix it.
The auto shops also have tools that make car inspection even easier and time-saving compared to doing it on your own.
NOTE that most of the culprits we have discussed above should be fixed on time. If left unresolved, they could cause further damage to various components and parts of your car.
Why your car vibrates when decelerating at high speeds?
You may also be experiencing your car vibrating when decelerating from high speeds and try to look for the likely culprits.
This exact experience is echoed by this car owner who explains that, when on the freeway at speeds between 75 and 80 mph, and he lets go of the gas, his car starts vibrating and he can easily feel it.
The vehicle owner had his car inspected and found out that one of the wheels was bent. This was the most likely reason for the vibration and he was advised to get a new set of wheels to solve the problem.
So, if you’re getting the same problem, you should start by checking if your wheels are damaged or bent.
This problem may also be caused by warped rotors which can be easily corrected by a resurfacing process that helps restore their trueness.
If your car vibrates at all speeds, but the shaking gets more effective at higher speeds, then that’s enough proof that you’re dealing with warped rotors.
It could also be due to out-of-alignment wheels that make your car shake as you try decelerating from high speeds. This issue may make your steering wheel shake as well.
Suspension issues, unbalanced wheels, bad strut, driveshaft issues, and compression rod bushing issues, are all the other areas to look into when faced with this kind of problem.
Why does your car front end shake when decelerating?
Another common issue is your car front end shaking when decelerating. For instance, this driver experiences shaking at the front end when his car decelerates at around 30 and 40 mph.
So, what’s the likely cause for this?
If you have such a problem, the first place to look into is warped or damaged rotors. Also, check if the brake pads are worn.
If these parts seem alright, you may want to check if the wheel bearings are loose or worn. Hubs in the front wheels could also be culprits.
You may also want to check if your tires have any issues. To be specific, check the balance of wheels, alignment, and tire pressure.
Sometimes, you may also hear some nasty clunking noise in addition to vibration on the front end when decelerating.
In this scenario, many things could be behind the issue. You may want to check the brake rotors, engine mounts, front axle bearing, or suspension components such as bushings and ball joints.
Don’t wait for too long before inspecting your car if the front end shakes when decelerating.
Otherwise, if you delay, your car may undergo further damage that’s more complicated to diagnose and fix.
Why does your steering wheel shake when decelerating?
If your steering wheel shakes when decelerating, then the issue could be your brakes. It could be due to warped or damaged brake rotors, worn shocks, or worn brake pads.
Warped rotors, in particular, affect how brake pads are worn when braking, making your steering wheel vibrate whenever you hit the brakes or decelerate.
Unbalanced wheels can also make your steering wheel shake when decelerating. If the weight isn’t properly distributed when your tires are put on, shaking will be imminent and it will even affect the steering wheel.
Other likely causes for your steering wheel to shake include damaged rims, misalignment of the wheels, damaged ball bearings, and a bad suspension.
In this steering wheel case, you should also take your car in for inspection. A good mechanic will look into all the areas mentioned above to help them find the issue and resolve it, thus preventing further complications.
If your car shakes when decelerating, it could be a sign of a problem with the brakes, tires, or suspension system. However, this issue could also be associated with other common problems, such as car shakes when braking downhill or when changing gears. To learn more about these potential causes and what you can do to fix them, check out our articles on car shakes when braking downhill and car shakes when changing gears. These articles provide helpful tips and insights on how to troubleshoot and solve these issues, so you can ensure the safety and comfort of your vehicle and prevent any potential accidents or damages.Related Questions:
Warped brake rotors may cause your car to shake severely when decelerating. But it could also be due to other issues such as misalignment of wheels, unbalanced tires, loose lug nuts, and an out-of-whack suspension. It’s best to have your car inspected by a trusted mechanic to find out the exact culprit and resolve it.
Your steering wheel violently shaking when decelerating at 75-80mph, or simply high speeds is an indication of damaged or bent rims or a bad CV axle. It could also be due to unbalanced tires, bad tires, worn wheel bearings, loose lug nuts, loose/broken tie rod end joints, etc.
Final Verdict
Now that you have gone through this guide, you’re well aware of all the potential culprits behind your car shaking when decelerating. The most common culprits include warped rotors, worn brake pads, bad motor mounts, unbalanced tires, worn tires, damaged wheels, worn wheel bearings, damaged suspension, bad axle/driveshaft, bad CV joints, and worn tie rod end joints.
When faced with this shaking issue, take in your car for diagnosis before the issue develops into further complications. Experienced mechanics will inspect all the above aspects of your car and find the reason for the shaking problem. They’ll then fix the problem so you can go back to the roads and continue enjoying smooth rides without the annoying shaking experience.
