My father in law is a mechanic and taught auto mechanics for over 30 years so when I have car trouble I typically seek help from him. However, he lives 2000 miles away so he can’t always be maintaining and looking over my cars. A few weeks back I was test driving a used car when I noticed some heavy vibrations when braking and decided to go back and do some research to find out why brakes vibrate.
Why do brakes vibrate? If you have ever noticed a slight vibration in your car when you push on the brakes, it was most likely due to one of four of the most common reasons for shaky car brakes. These causes include problems with the brake pad, issues with your rotor and disc, improper alignment, and worn suspension components.
In other words, brake vibrations in a car are mostly due to broken or worn down parts, improper maintenance on those parts, or all of the above. When your brakes are vibrating, it is important to be able to identify the exact cause in order to be able to fix the problem effectively.
When you are driving your car, any kind of abnormal vibrations or feelings from the interior can quickly become concerning and stressful. Your brakes one of the most important safety components that you have inside of your vehicle, so it can be scary when you think something is wrong.
Why Do Brakes Vibrate?
Brake vibration can not only be an annoying thing to deal with in your car, but it can also be the beginning of a lot more headaches when it comes to repairs and replacements. In general, when you feel your brake pedal shaking at all while you are driving, it will not be a good sign.
In fact, vibration in automobile brakes are never a good thing, and will always indicate some kind of deeper problem inside of the components of your vehicle.
Luckily, I have put together a list of four of the most common causes for brake vibrations. If you are struggling with this problem in your own vehicle at the current moment, you will benefit form learning about why this might be happening to you.
Take a look at the list down below for a brief outline of the main brake vibration causes, or keep reading to get a more detailed explanation on the topic. Once you have figured out what is causing your shaky brakes, you will be one step closer to resolving your issue once and for all.
Common Causes For Brake Vibration:
- Problem with brake pad
- Brake rotor and disc issues
- Improper alignment
- Worn suspension components
The first reason why your brakes might be vibrating is an issue with your brake pads. These issues usually arise from this component of the car being dirty with some kind of substance such as oil or dirt.
As these substances are coating the surface of the brakes, they can cause the entire thing to vibrate once if finally comes in contact with the rotor. This can also occur if there are any other brake pad problems, from misshapen parts to damaged and worn pieces.
The next reason why your brakes might be vibrating is an issue with your brake rotor and disc. When your rotor begins to collect normal wear and tear from frequent use, it will also become uneven.
As a result, you will experience a vibration from the inside of the car, especially when you are traveling at higher than normal speeds.
On the other hand, the alignment within your braking system could be out of place, which could throw off the balance and cause the shakiness to travel through the vehicle.
Aside from just pedal vibrations, incorrect alignment can lead to wear on your tires or damage to other components on the inside of the brakes. For this reason, it is important to find a solution to this issue as quickly as possible in order to prevent any new ones from presenting themselves as a result.
Lastly, you might be noticing vibration in your car’s braking system due to suspension components that are worn down. Just like any other piece of equipment inside of your car or elsewhere, the suspension pieces will eventually start to become used and collect normal wear and tear.
Regardless of what is causing your braking system to vibrate, it is important that you can quickly find out how to fix it.
Remedies For Vibrating Brakes
Now that you have learned about the common reasons why the brakes in a car would vibrate, it would be even more helpful to find out how these specific issues can be fixed when they present themselves.
As a result, I have put together another helpful outline for how to fix the same problems that were described in the previous section, which you will be able to find below.
Remedies For Vibrating Brakes:
- Brake pad replacement
- Resurfacing/replacing rotors
- Wheel alignment
- Suspension inspection
If your braking vibrations are due to a problem with your brake pads, the most ideal solution will be to replace your brake pads as a whole. Since they are obviously not working due to the damage or wear that they have incurred over time, you will do well with a brand new pair instead.
For rotor problems resulting in brake vibration, you should take the proper steps in order to go about resurfacing the rotors. If the damage is too deep, you can consider a full replacement instead.
For the last two issues including improper alignment and wear on suspension components can be resolved by consulting a professional to diagnose the problems. The solution for misaligned wheels is as simple as receiving a wheel alignment, either on two wheels or all four as needed.
When it comes to the suspension components, you will need someone to tell you what exactly is wrong and how the issues can be fixed.
How Do Brakes Work?
In order to fully understand the reasons why the brakes in your car might be vibrating, it is important to get a full grasp on the concept of how braking systems actually work.
In this section, we will be talking about the process that the braking system in your car will go through every time you push down on the pedal.
However, before we continue into this conversation, there are two different types of braking systems. While they are very different fundamentally, they carry out similar actions to get to the common goal of stopping the wheels on the car.
These two types of braking systems are disk and drum brakes. Disk brakes are distributed throughout all four wheels of the car, while drum brakes are focused on the rear area of the vehicle.
The lists down below will give you a general idea of how both of these braking systems operate.
How Brakes Work (Disk):
- Brake fluid flows to caliper through master cylinder
- The caliper pushes up against the piston
- Both brake pads are squeezed against the rotor, with pressure applied by the prison
- The wheels (connected to the brakes) slowly come to a complete stop
How Brakes Work (Drum):
- Brake fluid flows to the cylinder of the wheel
- Wheel’s cylinder pushes out the brake shoes
- Pressure is placed onto the drum of the brakes by the friction linings
- The wheels (connected to the brakes) slowly come to a complete stop
In conclusion, there are several reasons why the brakes in your car might be vibrating and causing the whole interior to shake as you use them.
However, as long as you are able to properly identify the issue and make a conclusion about what is making it happen, you can move forward in your repair efforts with confidence.