You’re on the road, and you’re driving the same route to work you’ve done every day for the past several months, and your car starts to shake.

Sometimes, the shaking is so bad that you feel it down in your bones as you drive. It’s enough that it makes you wonder, “why is my car shaking?”

The Common Issues

Having your car shake isn’t uncommon. Here are some common issues that can cause the shakes along with solutions to hopefully get it taken care of fast.

Check Your Tires

More often than not, your car shakes because your tires are off-balance. The shaking can be related to the wear on your tires not being even, or it can be because your tires are out of alignment.

You’ll start to feel the shakes right around 50 mph and can seem to feel worse the faster you get. At least until you get into higher speeds, because it does feel better after about 70 mph.

Check Your Rotors

Less frequent, but still definitely a possibility is the shaking caused by your rotors. When you hit the brakes to stop, do you feel your steering wheel shake?

If you do, then what you’re feeling is the way the rotors have been worn down. You’ll also feel the vibration in your brake pedal as you stop.

Check Your Brakes

Much less common is a shaking combined with a burning smell. Your car starts to shake around 45-50mph and gets worse as you get faster.

When you push the brake pedal, you’ll probably smell something burning once you’ve stopped. If this happens, you probably have a brake caliper that’s getting stuck.

Avoiding and Correcting Common Issues

Most problems are easy to correct or prevent altogether by doing things right. Tires that are carefully mounted and inspected regularly are less likely to become imbalanced.

Both issues revolving around the brakes can also be avoided by including regular service to your calipers and your rotors as needed. Inspections to your brake pads can also prevent shaking caused by your rotors.

The Deeper Issues

There are other reasons that your vehicle may be shaking, but they aren’t quite as easy to resolve. It might be something that makes you consider getting cash for junk cars.

Engine Issues

Engine problems are among the worst to experience with your car, but they don’t always mean you’re stuck searching for “where to sell junk cars near me” from your phone’s browser.

Spark plugs can cause your car to shake if the connections seem to be suffering. A dirty or clogged air filter can cause a lack of oxygen to get to your engine, resulting in fuel to not be used efficiently.

Engine mounts also wear over time, and it’s one of those pieces that need replacing periodically. The rubber wears down to where the vibrations just aren’t absorbed anymore, so you may feel the car shaking in the front.

Damaged Axles

One of your axles connects the front wheels, and another one connects the rear wheels. If the axle gets damaged, your car will likely shake as your speed increases. As you slow down, so does the shaking.

Other components, like the driveshaft or constant velocity joints attached to the axles can also be the cause. If the driveshaft ends up bent, or should the CV joints get damaged, your car will shake.

Damaged joints can be especially bad for your wallet. If your vehicle is a front-wheel-drive car, then you’re stuck with having to buy a new drive axle.

All the Wheels

When you’re looking at the wheels, it is possible to have one of the wheels not spinning correctly. An improper spin leads to a wobbly steering wheel with the wheel bearings or ball joints pointing to the root of the problem.

Your steering wheel could also clue you in on what is happening with the steering components. The deterioration is especially noticeable when you drive a new car compared to an older car. Eventually, one of the many moving parts can cause your steering wheel to shake.

If you feel your car vibrates when you turn the steering wheel, then you’re probably looking at an issue with the power steering. Those issues could be anything from leaks to bad hoses to needing some fluid topped off.

When the Car Is Shaking

The next time you find yourself wondering, “why is my car shaking?” consider the easy options before diving in and looking deeper.

If you’re lucky, it will be a quick fix, but if not, you may be ready to call it quits depending on how much the repair ends up costing you.