Steering Wheel Shakes While Braking: Understanding Causes and Remedies

If your steering wheel shakes when you apply the brakes, it is most likely a problem with your vehicle's braking system.

One of the most common symptoms of worn or malfunctioning brakes is a shaking steering wheel when the brakes are applied. The causes of a shaking steering wheel while braking includes warped rotors, worn brake pads, malfunctioning brake caliper, or a malfunctioning ABS braking system.

Below we go over why a car's steering wheel would shake when the brakes are applied and what a vehicle owner should do if it is happening in the vehicle.

What Causes Shaking When Braking?

A car may shake for various reasons, but if it only shakes while braking, we can cross out things like unbalanced tires or bad wheel bearings and narrow it down to a few possibilities.

Shaking while braking will often be felt in the vehicle's steering wheel and could be caused by several mechanical problems, including problems with the vehicle's disc brake rotors, low brake fluid, worn brake pads, or a stuck brake caliper.

Possible causes of shaking while braking include:

1. Brand New Or Worn Brake Pads

A new brake pad may shudder or chatter, which will cause your vehicle to shake or vibrate.

New brake pads and rotors should be broken in, also known as "bedded in," slowly over the first few hundred miles.

A new brake rotor does not have any friction surface on it. The friction material is transferred from the brake pad due to friction and heat.

This transfer process should be done slowly and in a controlled fashion over the first few hundred miles of the new rotor's life. If not, pad material will build up too heavily on some parts of the rotor and too lightly on others, leading to a wavy surface.

A brake pad won't engage properly with this wavy surface leading to brake shudder and vibrations.

2. Warped Brake Rotors

Warped rotors are a very common cause of vibrations and steering wheel shake. When the brake pedal is applied, the brake pads press against the rotor, which generates an extreme amount of heat.

The heat generated from braking will warp a rotor, especially a worn rotor that has thinned if that heat is not allowed to dissipate quickly.

3. Malfunctioning Brake Calipers

A malfunctioning brake caliper could cause a vehicle to shake while braking if it does not engage fully.

Brake calipers are what "squeeze" the brake pads together over the brake rotor to stop the vehicle's wheel from rotating.

The brake caliper guide pins that the calipers slide over are greased to allow the calipers to function freely; however, if there is a build-up of grime, debris, or corrosion, the calipers may not fully actuate, leading to intermittent contact and a shaking steering wheel while braking.

4. ABS System

An ABS system will sometimes cause a vehicle to shake when the brakes are applied. The purpose of anti-lock braking systems is to keep the brakes from locking up when braking on slippery surfaces, thereby helping the driver maintain control.

Read below to learn more about why an ABS system can cause a steering wheel to shake.

Why Does My Steering Wheel Shake When I Brake At High Speeds?

If your steering wheel shakes when only braking at high speeds, it points to a problem that has just started developing and will probably worsen over time.

Your steering wheel shakes when braking at high speeds because the faster you are going, the more load will be applied to the brake system, and it will have to do a lot more work to stop the vehicle.

So, due to this increased load, vibrations or shaking will be significantly amplified compared to if you were coming to a stop from a slow speed.

Steering Wheel Shakes When Braking At Low Speeds?

If you notice your steering wheel or car shake when braking at a low speed, it points to a problem with your braking system that may be pretty serious.

A partially stuck brake caliper could cause shaking at low speeds that you may overlook at higher speeds. A stuck brake caliper happens when the brake caliper guide pins are insufficiently greased, and the brake caliper cannot slide open or closed smoothly.

Steering Wheel Shaking When Braking Downhill?

A vehicle's brakes must do more work to stop a car when the vehicle is moving downhill as compared to when it is going over flat land. This extra work will add additional stress to the components of the vehicle's braking system that will amplify any shaking or vibrations which otherwise may not have occurred or been too small to notice.

Can ABS Cause Vibration When Braking?

ABS braking systems, particularly in older vehicles, can cause the vehicle to shake and vibrate when activated in certain situations.

ABS stands for anti-lock braking system, and they work to prevent the vehicle's brakes from locking up and skidding when stopping on slippery surfaces such as ice. ABS brakes help the driver maintain control when braking; however, they don't necessarily shorten the stopping distance.

When the ABS system activates, the car may vibrate, and the brake pedal may push back up against the driver's foot. This is normal.

Other Causes Of A Shaking Steering Wheel

If the steering wheel shakes while braking and driving straight at a constant speed, you may have an unbalanced wheel or perhaps even loose lug nuts that need to be tightened as soon as possible.

Other things like bad motor mounts, a failing transmission, and problems with the suspension system can cause a shaky or vibrating steering wheel.

Fixing A Steering Wheel That Shakes While Braking

You will most likely need to take your vehicle to a professional mechanic to fix a steering wheel that shakes while braking.

Most likely, the mechanic will have to perform a complete brake service, including replacing rotors and installing new brake pads. This will also include rebuilding and/or greasing the brake calipers.

Check out our article titled "Steering Wheel Shakes While Driving" to learn more if your steering wheel shakes while braking and in other circumstances, such as accelerating, driving at high speeds, or turning.

Conclusion

A steering wheel that shakes only while braking is usually caused by warped rotors but can also be caused by brand-new brake pads or malfunctioning brake calipers.

When brake rotors overheat, particularly if they are thin due to wear, they tend to warp with high and low spots, which will cause the car to shake when the brakes are engaged.

Brake chatter, often caused by new brake pads or sticky brake calipers, can also cause a shaking steering wheel or vibrations in the car.

The solution is often to make a repair service appointment with a professional mechanic who should be able to get the problem diagnosed promptly before it becomes a safety risk.