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Home / Symptoms / Shaking At High Speeds

Four common causes for a vehicle shaking at high speeds and their related parts.

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Is Your Car Shaking At High Speeds?

It’s shaking at high speeds because of a wheel or steering-related problem. In most cases, it’s a bad wheel bearing, unbalanced tires, damaged wheel, or faulty u-joint(drive line component).

To ensure your safety and prevent any further damage, it's recommended that you take your car for a vehicle health inspection. By addressing the vibrating car problem, you can ensure that your vehicle is safe and reliable to drive at all speeds.

Watch out: A car shaking at high speed is uncomfortable and potentially dangerous. Therefore, it's crucial to address this issue promptly to prevent any accidents or damage to your car.

Let's Get To The Bottom Of It!

Is the middle of your tires' tread pattern worn out?

Ensuring your car's tires have the right air amount is essential. If you put too much air in the tires (this is called "overinflating"), it can cause problems. The tire won't be able to grip the road as well, and it could bounce like a basketball. This bouncing makes the car vibrate at high speeds and wears out the middle of the tire faster than the edges.

Do you hear a loud growling noise when making a high-speed turn?

The wheel bearings help the wheels spin smoothly and stay upright in your car. However, they can wear out over time and start causing some problems. If you have a worn-out wheel bearing, the wheel becomes harder to spin and feels rough. This can make the car shake or vibrate when you're driving. You might also notice noise from the wheel bearing, especially when turning the car at high speeds.

Does the vehicle start shaking at 50 mph and worsens with speed?

When driving, the tires always wear down slightly. As the tires wear down, they become unbalanced, so they don't spin as smoothly as they did. When a tire is unstable, it can bounce up and down on the road while driving. This bouncing can cause the tread on the tire to become uneven, which is called "cupping." When a tire is unbalanced for too long, it causes the car to shake when going around 50 miles per hour or faster. The shaking can worsen the quicker you go.

Have the high-speed vibration started after getting the vehicle's tires serviced?

When changing a tire on a car, it's essential to ensure the lug nuts are correctly tight. The lug nuts are the screw-like things that hold the wheel onto the car. However, tightening them too much can stretch the metal studs that the lug nuts screw onto. This can weaken the studs, and they might break off while you're driving, which is dangerous! But if you don't tighten the lug nuts enough, they might become loose, and the wheel could wobble or shake when driving at high speeds. This wobbling can make the car vibrate, posing safety risks and uncomfortable rides.

Is the high-speed vibration focused around a single car wheel?

You might accidentally hit a curb or a big pothole when driving, damaging the edge of the vehicle's wheel. This makes the wheel not spin perfectly round anymore, even wobbling it slightly. In this case, the vibrations will predominantly come from the damaged wheel.

Is the shaking focused around the seating area and increases with speed?

The U-joint helps the driveshaft spin so the wheels can turn. It comprises little needle bearings, an outer cup, and an inner yolk. Over time, these parts can wear down and get loose, causing your car to shake. You might feel this shaking in your seat while you're driving. As the U-joint wears more, you might notice its lubrication grease seeping out.

The most common causes of a vehicle shaking at high speeds

The most common causes for the car shaking at high speeds:

Bad wheel bearing: The wheel bearing is the main "joint" connecting your vehicle's wheels to the suspension systems, acting as support. Therefore, if the wheel bearing is loose or faulty, it'll offer bad support, resulting in wobbly movements and vibrations in the wheel.
Faulty u-joint: The u-joint connects the transmission and engine power to the vehicle's wheels. So, it basically makes sure the wheels move according to the engine demands and transmission shifting. But, if the u-joint fails, the wheels lose performance and won't rotate as smoothly, becoming wobbly.
Loose lug nuts: The lug nuts fixate your wheels in place. These are long screw-like components that make sure the wheels are tightly put. However, if the lug nuts are loose or not properly torqued, the wheels might lose balance.
Worn tire: A worn tire won't offer the same adherence and performance as a new tire. It's common for vehicles to vibrate and drive rougher with old and worn tires.
Damaged wheel: A damaged wheel that got bent will lose balance and format. Therefore, it's common for a bent wheel to become wobbly and rotate weirdly.
Unbalanced tires: Tires need to be regularly balanced during routine maintenance. If tires go unbalanced, they'll rotate differently between each other, causing your vehicle to steer in a crooked way, resulting in vibrations at high speeds.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is the middle of your tires' tread pattern worn out?

Ensuring your car's tires have the right air amount is essential. If you put too much air in the tires (this is called "overinflating"), it can cause problems. The tire won't be able to grip the road as well, and it could bounce like a basketball. This bouncing makes the car vibrate at high speeds and wears out the middle of the tire faster than the edges.
Do you hear a loud growling noise when making a high-speed turn?

The wheel bearings help the wheels spin smoothly and stay upright in your car. However, they can wear out over time and start causing some problems. If you have a worn-out wheel bearing, the wheel becomes harder to spin and feels rough. This can make the car shake or vibrate when you're driving. You might also notice noise from the wheel bearing, especially when turning the car at high speeds.
Does the vehicle start shaking at 50 mph and worsens with speed?

When driving, the tires always wear down slightly. As the tires wear down, they become unbalanced, so they don't spin as smoothly as they did. When a tire is unstable, it can bounce up and down on the road while driving. This bouncing can cause the tread on the tire to become uneven, which is called "cupping." When a tire is unbalanced for too long, it causes the car to shake when going around 50 miles per hour or faster. The shaking can worsen the quicker you go.
Have the high-speed vibration started after getting the vehicle's tires serviced?

When changing a tire on a car, it's essential to ensure the lug nuts are correctly tight. The lug nuts are the screw-like things that hold the wheel onto the car. However, tightening them too much can stretch the metal studs that the lug nuts screw onto. This can weaken the studs, and they might break off while you're driving, which is dangerous! But if you don't tighten the lug nuts enough, they might become loose, and the wheel could wobble or shake when driving at high speeds. This wobbling can make the car vibrate, posing safety risks and uncomfortable rides.
Is the high-speed vibration focused around a single car wheel?

You might accidentally hit a curb or a big pothole when driving, damaging the edge of the vehicle's wheel. This makes the wheel not spin perfectly round anymore, even wobbling it slightly. In this case, the vibrations will predominantly come from the damaged wheel.
Is the shaking focused around the seating area and increases with speed?

The U-joint helps the driveshaft spin so the wheels can turn. It comprises little needle bearings, an outer cup, and an inner yolk. Over time, these parts can wear down and get loose, causing your car to shake. You might feel this shaking in your seat while you're driving. As the U-joint wears more, you might notice its lubrication grease seeping out.

Typical fixes to address the cause(s)

These are typical processes and repair services that fix a check engine light issue

The most common cause: Worn tire

The most common reason for a car to shake while driving at high speeds is worn tires. A vehicle can't drive straight with worn tires, since they lose adherence and tread patterns, becoming even crooked. Therefore, a vehicle with worn tires suffers steering stress, which affects balance, leading to vibrations when driving at high speeds.

Symptoms it causes: Apart from the vibrations at high speeds you might notice a burning rubber smell, humming noises, the car pulling to one side, etc.
Medium risk of priority: Worn tires can provide support only for so long. If the tires keep wearing out, they'll become unsafe to drive in most terrains and weather conditions. Tires with no adherence can cause a vehicle to slip and skid.

How exactly do the tires wear out?

Tires wear out naturally as you drive the vehicle. While a car is running on terrain, the tires are suffering constant friction, slowly losing particles while rotating and supporting the vehicle's weight. Although tires are extremely resistant and can last up to 3 to 5 years, they'll wear out and lose tread patterns, becoming too old to be reliable.

Go safe: Ask for a mechanic to inspect your vehicle’s steering, suspension, and brake systems to investigate if the tires are wearing out due to surrounding components and if there’s further damage to check out. Many shops do transparent vehicle inspections and lay out your options after investigating your vehicle’s conditions.

What’s a vehicle inspection? It’s “detective work” on your vehicle, checking its systems to see if anything prevents the car from working as expected. In this case, mechanics examine different parts of your vehicle to track if anything is causing excessive wear to the tires. They’ll also check the condition of components during their inspection, noting which are causing the problem and which got affected by it, recommending to replace them in order of priority.

Transparency example in a faulty wiper motor service

A suspension/steering/brake system inspection is the most transparent process to understand why your vehicle’s tires are wearing out. This is because many components surrounding the tires, wheels, suspension, and brake components can have a say in the issue, indicating the real culprits that caused it all.

Let’s read an example of how this kind of inspection helps to service a worn tire.

A customer dropped off their vehicle, concerned about a very high-speed vibration they noticed. Additionally, they mentioned that the tires on the car were wearing out.

During the test drive, the technician confirmed a slight tire vibration when the car reached about 68 mph. The shaking was noticeable in both the steering wheel and the seat.

After a vehicle health inspection, the technician found that the tires were over-inflated, according to the door sticker. Additionally, all four tires had worn down the tread in the center. This wear pattern is consistent with over-inflation and can lead to dangerous driving conditions.

Based on their findings, the technician recommends that all four tires be replaced and inflated to the pressure specified in the door placard. They also recommend a four-wheel alignment, to avoid uneven tire wear and improve handling.

Worn tire

In this case, the mechanic put the “Immediate Action” tag on the tires.

Similar Symptoms

Below are just a few examples of typical Symptoms and Fixes your car might be experiencing

Four common causes for a vehicle shaking while driving and their related parts.