Why Is My Steering Wheel Shaking?
Dealing with Bad Vibrations?
Driving on rough roads can make your steering wheel shake. However, when you feel a shimmy, jiggle, or shake in your steering wheel even when you’re cruising down a nice, smoothly paved road, there must be something wrong with your car.
Top Reasons Why Your Steering Wheel Is Shaking
Nobody likes bad vibrations — especially when they come from the steering wheel. Since cars consist of multiple parts, finding the root cause can be both time-consuming and frustrating. Kids Car Donations has compiled the top reasons why your ride feels jerky even if the road is smooth.
- Tire misalignment
Rough driving, road turbulence, and other factors can throw off your wheels’ alignment. This will cause one or more of your tires to rest at a skewed angle instead of squarely meeting the road’s pavement.
Besides leading to uneven and accelerated wear on the tires, wheel misalignment can cause your steering wheel to vibrate or shake. If you’re dealing with steering wheel vibrations, it’s best to take your vehicle to an auto specialist for a quick wheel alignment service.
- Unbalanced tires
Well-balanced tires rotate at the same speed. However, seasonal changes, poor road conditions, rough driving patterns, and inflation differences can lead to unbalanced tires. Unless you ensure routine tire balancing service every 10,000 to 12,000 miles, your unbalanced tires will adversely impact your suspension and axle and cause steering wheel vibrations.
- Warped or poorly installed brake rotors
When you’re trying to stop your car from moving, your brake pads press against your brake rotors’ smooth and flat surface. Since the metal of the rotors is malleable, the friction between your brake pads and brake rotors that generates heat will eventually cause the rotors to wear out, lose their shape, and become warped.
If your steering wheel shakes while you’re braking or while you press your foot down on the brake pedal, your rotors may have started to wear out. In such cases, you’ll want to get a set of brake rotor replacements to address this problem. However, if you recently installed new brake rotors but still experience steering wheel vibrations, you’ll want to check if the rotors were installed correctly. While at it, it’s best to check your brake pads to ensure they clamp together efficiently.
Looking to Get Rid of Your Shaky Car?
If you’re dealing not only with a shaking steering wheel but other worrisome car issues involving your safety on the road, the safest option may be for you to discard that vehicle and simply buy a new one.
You can still make good use of that old beater though when you hand it over to us at Kids Car Donations. We’ll turn that vehicle into a tool for saving the lives of children and teens facing serious health challenges.
Our team will have your car fixed the best way we can before putting it up for auction. Once it is sold, we’ll transfer the proceeds to charities in partnership with us that are dedicated to providing medical assistance to indigent kids.
These IRS-approved 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations use the funding they get from us to provide their young beneficiaries with free comprehensive and quality medical assistance, including a wide range of pediatric treatments and therapies, emotional support, and relief of pain and trauma. They also offer free social services and educational resources.
You will have your share of rewards for your charitable contribution. These include getting entitled to claim the maximum tax deduction in the next tax season. You will also benefit from our free pickup and towing service, which we will provide you wherever you’re located in the United States.
We accept pretty much all types of vehicles, including those that have defects and are no longer running. Trust us, we’re never picky with the vehicles we accept as donations, as long as they’re not stolen or abandoned.
For more information about our vehicle donation program, including our quick and convenient donation process, make your way to our FAQs page. If you have any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to call us anytime through our toll-free hotline at 866-634-8395 or write to us here.
Ready to Make a Difference in the Lives of Ailing Kids?
Your old car may no longer be of service to you, but you can still give it a worthy purpose. Donating that vehicle to us can save the life of a sick child in your community. Call Kids Car Donations at 866-634-8395 or fill out our secure online donation form now!