You receive a ton of information about your car through the steering wheel. Your fingertips sense everything from an overworked engine to rocks on the road. Your body is adept at spotting the obvious hazards, and it also picks up on the subtlest problems.
One of those common, elusive problems is vibration. Your vehicle contains a number of systems that regularly vibrate, but they can shake to the point of distraction when something goes wrong. Excessive vibration is a warning sign something needs repaired, and it shouldn’t be ignored.
You don’t have to deal with distracting vibrations on a regular basis. If you believe your car may have been sold to you with a defect, reach out to us at 833.422.7529 for a free consultation and we will investigate the problem.
Isolating and Resolving Vibration Issues
Tire Problems
Your tires telegraph a lot of data to the rest of the car, especially the steering wheel. In addition to vibrations caused by uneven road surfaces, you may also experience vibrations if your tires are unevenly worn, balanced, or inflated. An easy way to determine whether it’s the tires is to speed up on the highway. The vibrations should get worse between 50 and 60 miles per hour, but they should calm down at higher speeds.
Solution: Take your vehicle to the dealership and ask them to look for wear. If the tires don’t need replaced, ask them to rotate them and check the alignment.
Brake Rotors
Do you ever feel excessive vibrations while braking? That could be caused by a deformity in the brake rotor itself.
Solution: Some shops are able to resurface warped rotors on-site. If there’s too much damage, the rotors will need to be replaced.
Brake Calipers
Your brake calipers are responsible for squeezing the brake pads against the rotors. If a caliper becomes stuck, you’ll feel more and more vibration the faster your travel. Once you come to a stop, you’ll likely smell a burning odor.
Solution: Take your vehicle to the dealership so a technician can examine the caliper. It’ll either need to be repaired or replaced, and they’ll also need to determine what caused the problem in the first place.
A Broken or Damaged Axle
Your axles are sturdy pieces of metal connecting each set of tires together. They are typically rigid, but they can become damaged if there’s an accident or you run something over. To test whether or not the axle is causing the vibrations, accelerate. If the vibrations intensify, your problem likely stems from the axle.
Solution: Take your vehicle to your dealer so a trained professional can confirm the issue is with the axle. If it can’t be repaired, it will likely need to be replaced.
Something is Loose
If you hear rattling but don’t feel a lot of vibration, your solution may be a simple as finding a loose pen. Rattling happens whenever two surfaces bounce together repeatedly. If the rattling is coming from inside the cabin, you can likely resolve the issue yourself. If it’s coming from under the car, you may need additional assistance.
Solution: Identify where the sound is coming from. If it’s inside your cabin, look for any loose pens, change, or similar objects. See if that resolves the noise. If that doesn’t work, have a passenger place his or her hands along the interior surfaces. If the vibration stops under the pressure, you’ll know there’s a loose component. Also check the glovebox and the seats. These can rattle when they’re loose.
If the sound is coming from outside the cabin—either under the hood or under the vehicle—you’ll likely need professional assistance.
Seek Legal Assistance for Your Vibration Issues
If you constantly sense or hear vibrations, you may have been sold a lemon. Robison Lemon Law Group LLC can help you navigate both the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act and lemon laws to ensure you receive the justice you deserve.