While trucks are large vehicles, you can generally expect a smooth drive when driving one. However, trucks can eventually develop problems, such as shaking while driving.
You may be wondering why your truck shakes whenever you accelerate. We looked up the facts, and here is what we discovered about the matter!
Why Does My Truck Shake When I Accelerate?
1. Damaged Motor Mounts
One of the main purposes of a motor mount is to reduce or dampen the engine vibrations so passengers don’t feel the engine running.
However, the motor mounts could make your truck feel like it shakes, especially when accelerating if the motor mounts are damaged.
Usually, motor mounts are created from hard rubber that absorbs vibrations from the engine.
As such, damaged motor mounts will not absorb the vibrations and can lead to other parts of your engine getting misaligned and breaking.
2. Broken Inner CV Joint
If your truck is a front-wheel-drive truck, you will likely have an inner CV joint, but a damaged inner CV joint causes a truck to shake while accelerating.
Usually, the shaking will get worse if you are trying to accelerate your truck with a heavy load in the truck.
Normally, a broken inner CV joint occurs when there is a tear in your truck’s boot joint, causing dirt and water to enter and contaminate any grease within the splines.
3. Lug Nuts
Almost all truck wheels will come with lug nuts to fasten the car wheel to the wheel’s brake drum or hub, but a loose lug nut could cause your truck to shake when you accelerate.
That said, if one of the lug nuts in your wheels is loose, your wheel would slightly wobble while driving, causing your truck to feel like it was shaking.
If you ignore a loose lug nut, the lug nut will get even looser and eventually fall off, which can make your wheel fall off your truck.
Luckily, this is very easy to fix since you will only have to tighten the lug nuts to the hub or brake drum.
4. Unbalanced Tires
If you got tires newly installed onto your truck, this could be the reason why your truck starts to shake when you accelerate.
With that, unbalanced tires mean that the installer did not evenly distribute the weight throughout the tires.
When you accelerate and make your truck go fast, your wheels will rotate faster, which can make your steering wheel shake and make shaking more noticeable.
5. Worn Or Dirty Spark Plugs
Typically, dirty or worn-out spark plugs can make your engine misfire, which can cause your truck to vibrate when you accelerate.
While you normally notice a shake caused by a spark plug when you stop, you may also notice it when accelerating your truck.
Typically, you can check your spark plug to see if it is damaged or has black build-up. If so, it is a good sign that you need to replace your spark plug.
6. Disconnected Or Torn Vacuum Hose
If you notice that your truck severely shutters or shakes while accelerating, there is a good chance your vacuum hose has been disconnected or torn.
Usually, a vacuum hose that gets disconnected or has a small tear that causes an air leak creates a lack of pressure.
Further, when there is a lack of pressure, problems like a misfiring engine and shaking trucks can occur since the engine will not function properly.
If your vacuum hose has a tear, you need to replace it, but you can use a clamp to reattach a disconnected vacuum hose securely.
Also, if you have a turbocharged truck, keep in mind that your vacuum hose is more likely to get disconnected, so you will need to invest in clamps or get a silicone vacuum hose.
7. Bent Driveshaft
For trucks with rear-wheel drives, the driveshaft delivers power from the truck’s engine to the connected wheels and rear axle.
As such, a damaged driveshaft can make your truck start shaking while accelerating, with the shaking intensifying as you go faster.
Normally, a driveshaft gets damaged or bent if you were in an accident, and you would have to completely replace the driveshaft since you do not usually repair driveshafts.
8. Sticky Brake Caliper
Trucks can start vibrating or shaking while you accelerate if your wheel’s brake calipers are faulty, causing the brake calipers to stick.
If your brake caliper is stuck, you normally feel your steering wheel vibrate or shake once you hit 40 to 50 miles per hour, which will intensify the faster you go.
Additionally, you will know that your brake calipers are the cause if you smell something burning when you stop your truck.
9. Bent Axle
If you have recently had a small accident, like hitting a rock or curb, there is a chance that you bent your truck’s axle, and it is causing your truck to shake when you accelerate.
While a bent axle can make your truck shake generally, the shaking will worsen while you accelerate your truck.
Usually, you have to replace your axle since most mechanics do not recommend repairing your truck’s axle.
To know more, you can also read our posts on why your truck shakes when you brake, why your truck is blowing out white smoke, and why your truck shakes at high speeds.
Conclusion
A truck shaking while accelerating normally signals that something is wrong with the car, which is often found in the brakes like the brake caliper.
Also, a component being bent or damaged due to an accident, such as a bent axle or driveshaft, can cause the truck to vibrate whenever you accelerate.