A shaking steering wheel can be a real nuisance. It can distract you from driving and indicate issues with your suspension or other components in the car.

One common cause of a shaky steering wheel is unbalanced tires. This is because of uneven weight distribution in the tires and can be caused by improper tire wear or wheel damage.

Unbalanced Tires

When tires aren’t balanced correctly, they can send a shaking message through your car and into the steering wheel. This can happen even if you have recently purchased new tires. They must be matched with counterweights and weighed to evenly distribute your car’s weight over the tires. This will prevent one area of the tire from having a flat spot, which causes the shakes. Shaking from unbalanced tires is more noticeable at higher speeds and can be particularly intense when braking.

While not as brake, calipers can also cause joint, front wheel shaking stuck on the rotor or with a worn-out kingpin bearing or ball joint. This is more likely to be a problem on older vehicles. To determine this, you must jack the front of your car up and alternate pushing and pulling on the front tire while watching for a change in the shaking. A professional will be able to help you resolve this problem.

Suspension Issues

Your steering system relies on your suspension to dampen acceleration and braking motion. So, why does my steering wheel shake Lynnwood? If your suspension components have worn out, such as the ball joints or tie rod ends, this can lead to shaking in your vehicle’s steering wheel and other areas.

A bad or leaking shock absorber is another potential cause of steering wheel shakes. Your shocks and struts are constantly working to absorb up-and-down motion, especially on bumpy roads. If these components wear out, your tires and other suspension parts can bounce uncontrollably, causing a shaky steering wheel.

Your tires can also have flat spots sending a vibration through the steering wheel. If the shaking becomes more noticeable at higher speeds, you may need to get your tires realigned. Aside from misalignment issues, your tires need regular balancing to distribute their weight evenly. This is especially important if you have recently purchased new tires.

Brakes

In rare cases, your steering wheel may shake when you brake because of vehicle axle problems. This is less likely in newer vehicles since the axles are generally bolted to the wheels and can be easily replaced by a mechanic if they’re damaged.

Your braking system can also shake when your brake pads aren’t correctly aligned or the brake disc rotor is warped. A warped rotor means that the rotor’s surface isn’t uniform, which can cause the brake pads to clamp down on thinner or thicker areas of the rotor, causing vibrations.

Another common brake problem that can make your steering wheel shake is dry guide pins, which are in charge of guiding the brake pads to the rotor and holding them there. When these become corroded or dry, they can’t do their job, and the brake pads will wear down much faster than they should, which can cause a shaky steering wheel.

Brake Pads

The car feels fine — you’re just going down the highway, listening to your favorite song and minding your own business — when suddenly, that steering wheel starts shaking violently. What’s happening? Has there been an earthquake? Did you turn up the bass on your music too much? It could be any number of things, but it’s also likely that your brake pads are going wrong.

Brake pads have a built-in wear indicator that, when exposed due to thinning, will produce a screeching or grinding sound and light your dashboard warning lights. Your mechanic will be able to tell you whether or not this is the case and give you advice.

Sometimes the brake pads can cause shaking at higher speeds, significantly if they have not been changed in a while or are made of fully metallic materials (used in racing vehicles). If this is the case, your steering wheel will shake most often during braking, and you may notice a burning smell.