Most of us have been driving since we were teenagers, but many people are still relatively unfamiliar with vehicles and how to diagnose problems. Manufacturers try to help us out with warning lights on the dash, but with a bit of extra help, you can learn to recognize some more nuanced issues. Explore this blog to answer the question, “Why does your car vibrate when accelerating?”.
Loose Lug Nuts
If you’ve recently changed your tires, the cause for the vibration could be that your lug nuts are too loose. If they’re not tight enough, the pressure is being placed on the center cap rather than on the lug nuts supporting the wheels. This problem could lead to your tires falling off or sustaining damage. Luckily, you can quickly fix this problem with the help of a lug wrench, which you should have stored with your spare tire.
Brake Issue
If the vibration feels like it’s coming from your tires, you also could have an issue with your brakes. If the brake caliper gets stuck, this could be causing the pads to catch the tires without you pressing the gas pedal. If the problem is with the caliper, the car will start to vibrate only once you’re driving at speeds more than 40 or 50 miles per hour.
Bent Driveshaft
Four-wheel-drive vehicles have a single driveshaft that runs from the transmission to the rear axle. Four-wheel-drive vehicles have two driveshafts, each running to a different axle. The driveshaft’s rotation transfers the torque from the engine, eventually causing the tires to rotate. If either shaft gets bent, punctured, or damaged, its irregular rotation will cause the car to vibrate when accelerating. So if you notice any unusual shaking when speeding up, this could be a sign of a bad driveshaft, and you’ll need to get it replaced before the damage gets worse.
Worn Spark Plugs
If you notice the shaking is happening not only when you accelerate but also when you’re stopping, that could be because your spark plugs are worn out. Depending on how comfortable you are working on your car, changing a spark plug is a doable home garage problem. However, if you’re inexperienced working on cars, a professional should be able to do the job within an hour, depending on how busy they are.
Once you’ve learned why your car vibrates when accelerating, you can recognize problems early in your vehicle before they get so bad that you break down on the side of the road.
