When you are at a stoplight, just idling your car at home, or driving on the road and your vehicle keeps shaking, this could either mean you are low on fluids or you have a faulty component. Once you start to experience excessive shaking, it's best to have it checked since some of the causes can permanently damage components. We have asked automotive experts what can cause your Chevy Malibu to shake. Here is what we got from them.
When your vehicle suddenly starts to shake, the first thing to check is your engine light. The check engine light aglow is a visual indicator that your vehicle has detected a faulty component. If you have a code reader, this will tell you why your check engine light is on. If you don't have a code reader, here are the most common reasons why your vehicle is shaking:
- Misfire
- Faulty Fuel Pump
- Uneven Brake Rotor or Pad Wear (shakes only when braking)
- Broken or Worn Motor Mounts
- Burnt Spark Plugs
- Low Transmission Fluid
- Dirty Air Intake
Some of these causes have simple fixes, such as replacing new sparkplugs or refilling the transmission fluid. While other causes will require you to have mechanical knowledge or bring your vehicle to a mechanic, such as broken engine mounts and replacing a faulty fuel pump. Keep reading below for more information about the Chevy Malibu and automotive maintenance.
What Causes A Transmission Shudder
When your transmission starts to shudder or shake, it can be a sign that your car's transmission is about to fail. There is also a very common issue why your transmission is shaking, and that's if the transmission fluid is contaminated or low.
Having low transmission fluid can cause your vehicle to shake since there is nothing to lubricate all the moving metal parts of the transmission; this is also bad because your car's transmission could overheat without fluids.
Contaminated transmission fluid will cause your car's transmission to shudder because it will prevent pressure for the transmission lines, which prevents proper pressure between the transmission plates.
If you notice that your transmission shudders or shakes, it is best to bring it to a mechanic so they can take a look at it and fix any problems your transmission may have. Leaving this problem unattended can severely damage your transmission and may require you to replace it once it gives out, which will be costly.
Why Is My Tire Wobbling
When you start to feel a wobble, the first thing you should do is to check your tire for abnormal wear or deformation, shocks/strut for any leaks, loose ball joints, loose wheel bearing, and CV shaft for any damage or wear. All of these symptoms can be checked by simply moving or looking around your vehicle.
To check other components causing your vehicle to wobble, you will need to have some mechanical knowledge, experience, and tools to help you. If you don't have any mechanical knowledge, it is best to bring your vehicle to a mechanic. They can remove components located in hard-to-reach places using special tools.
Driveshaft
One component that will need tools to check is the driveshaft of the vehicle. Once you are able to get a clear look at your driveshaft, check if your center support bearing is deformed. If it is, this might be the cause of your wobble.
Another thing to check is the driveshaft's U joint; makee sure that you can rock it back and fort. Iff there is a lot of resistance or it won't move at all, this can be another cause of your wobble.
Worn Tires
Lastly, the most common cause of a tire wobble is the wear on the tire itself. Your tire could be deformed, misaligned, unbalanced, or have uneven wear.
To check if your tire has uneven wear or if it's deformed, you go to the wheel you suspect has a wobble, then visually and physically inspect the wheel.
Misalignment
If you don't see or feel any uneven thread and deformation, your wobble may be caused by a misalignment or unbalanced wheel. For this, you can bring your car to a mechanic where they have special tools to help fix it.
How Do I Know If My Shocks Are Bad
Driving around with a bad shock absorber or strut is dangerous since this can cause poor handling, steering, traction, further stopping distance, and excessive body roll. When people talk about shocks, this is a standalone piece that is usually located at the rear of a vehicle and is separate from the spring. A strut is a dampener, and spring is one component.
The main purpose of the strut and shock is to act as a dampener. The shocks and strut absorber compress when you drive over a bump and decompress once you have driven over it.
Uneven Tire Wear
There are multiple ways to check if your vehicle has a faulty strut absorber or shock. You can check the tire of your car for uneven tire wear. When you run your fingers on your tire and start to feel every thread, this is a sign of excessive bouncing and movement.
Oil Leak
Having an oil leak on your strut or shock is a sign that that component is bad. Without the oil in the piston of the strut or shock, you will lose the dampening effect and will have to replace it.
Steering Wheel Wobble
The best way to tell if you have bad shocks or struts is when you are driving on the road. One clear sign of a bad shock or strut is when you hit a bump then your steering wheel starts to wobble back and forth.
Excessive Weight Transfer
Another thing you may notice is if you are at a stop then accelerate, the front of your car will start to rise excessively, and when braking, your front will bottom out while the rear will rise. This is dangerous since you will have excessive weight transfer, especially if your braking, this will affect your braking distance.
Is It Safe To Drive A Wobbly car
Though some vehicles that wobble are still drivable does not mean you should continue to drive your car on the road. When your vehicle has a wobble, you should only drive it if you are going to move it to a different parking spot or to a mechanic shop.
If your car has an excessive wobble, it's best to have it towed or call a mechanic to where your car is.
As a driver, we should always put safety first when going on the road, and a wobbly car can risk the safety of your passengers, other motorists, and yourself. With a wobble, you can lose some of the handling and stability of your vehicle.
Is The Chevy Malibu Discontinued
No, for now, the Chevrolet Malibu is not discontinued, but its future is still unsure since SUVs are now the go-to everyday vehicle because of their practicality. What was discontinued was the L trim for the 2022 Chevrolet Malibu.
For 2022 Chevrolet has decided to remove the L trim as its base model. Now the base trim for the Chevrolet Malibu is the LS model. Not only did Chevrolet Drop the L trim for the Malibu, but for other models as well, such as the Chevrolet Equinix.
The Chevrolet Malibu L and LS trim is a spacious sedan that can seat five people comfortably. Both also have a turbocharged inline-four engine and a CVT transmission.
The interior for both cars is also the same. The main difference between the L and LS trim is the LS has a Buckle drive system and is 4G LTE Wi-Fi hotspot capable.
What Engine Does A Malibu Have
The 2022 Chevrolet Malibu has a 1.5L turbocharged DOHC 4-cylinder DI engine with VVT (Variable Valve Timing) making, 160 horsepower at 5,700 RPM and 184-pound feet of torque at 2,500 to 3,000 RPM. The power of the Chevrolet's engine is given to the front wheel using a CVT transmission.
With the combination of the Chevrolet Malibu's engine, transmission, and bodyweight, you get gas mileage of 29 miles per gallon in the city, 36 miles per gallon on the highway, and 32 miles per gallon combined. Having a fuel-efficient engine is great because it helps you save fuel and trips to the gasoline station.
Closing
Once your car starts to shake more than usual, it's best to have it checked, and you should not drive it on the road. Having a shaky or wobbly vehicle can cause you to lose some handling and stability while driving, which will risk the safety of your passenger, other motorists, and yourself.
If you want to find out where the shaking or wobble is coming from, you can do a physical and visual inspection of your car's tires, shocks/struts, spark plug, and engine mounts. While other inspections may require you to have some tools or be brought to a mechanic.
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