I have a 2003 VW Jetta GLS. It just started shaking at 55+mph. Any ideas what's wrong with it?

Question

No lights are on.
Faint ticking noise, but that could be because it's shaking.
VIOLENTLY bouncing, enough to make my butt fall asleep.
Only happens when speed is 55+mph, and not when accelerating, just when at a constant speed.
Tires are decent, no wear, not bald.

Answer 1

maybe one of your weights on your tires fell off. your tires may need to be aligned, maybe check your air level in each of your tires... and fill them up accordingly if needed. if it's still under warranty i would take it to the dealer and have them look at it. did you run over a nice pothole?? run up on a curb? go through some glue? haha uh... i'd do the things i suggested. good luck

Answer 2

Did you by chance put new or different rims on it, or spinners? If so, did you pay to have the rims trued, or the spinners , (or rims), balanced before mounting?

Have you rotated the tires recently, and if so, did you have them balanced as a part of the rotate?

Check lug nuts.

Are you running on reversed rims?

Are you running on non-factory wheels & tires, - like 17" wheels? If so this could be the problem. Anyway check tire pressure cold - and hot. (Tire pressure in some new low profile tires can vary as much as 12 psi with temp differences. That means a car running around town on "cool" tires at low speeds still has a "soft" ride. But, get that same ride out on the big road - and moving fast & steady, and heat those tires up - they get hard, and when they get hard they bump; when you lay the pedal down, (acccelerate) the tires bite down and then spin up riding on a higher profile, (watch the wheels on a dragster at the starting line sometime). So the acceleration is smooth - your burning rubber - but you riding on a thin layer of super heated air which is melting the surface of the tire providing traction against the porous surface of the pavement.. Up to a certain speed, as you are accelerating you are riding on a higher profile of tire with more air under the tire that you are once you meet a steady crusing speed that isn't too fast - AKA - 55 mph. At 55 mph, the weight of your vehicle and gravity overcome the air cushion under the tires, and the hot tire makes full contact with the road - and the ride gets as bumpy as a lumber truck if you dont have good shocks and springs - which VW's don';t have - they have a stiffer suspension system - which gives them more of the feel of a\the high performance german engineered super car. Now if the crusing speed were 80mph, instead of 55, you'd probably not have the shakes, because you'd be "hydroplaning" somewhat on a thin cushion of air, ever other nano second as you rocketed down the interstate. Anyway -give these a try, and good luck to you.

I'm pulling for you

Has anyone "borrowed your car and driven it while you WERE NOT IN THE CAR WITH THEM? Or did anyone drive you home when you were too drunk to drive - and you don't remeber driving home? (They could have broad sided a curb, and that could waked the alignment, bent the frame, or any number of problems.

Check your steering arms, the linkage could be loose, or one side could be missing the locking nut. Driving around, turning, accelerating, slowing down - shifting would make this less noticeable. Crusing a steady spead at highway mileage could make that v-dub shake like a hula dancer.

For a cheap diagnostic - get her up on a 4 point body lift , don't use the "tips", then chain & binder the frame front & back to the lift - to make it as stiff to the lift rack as possible. Lower the lift so the wheels are chest high, then grab one wheel at a time and shake the p.i.s.s. out of her. Nothing? do the wheels diagonally. Last do the wheels in pairs steering pair first then drivers.

While she's up on the lift check to se if your cluctch is slipping, if that is'nt it - suggest you find one of those highschool programs where they work on cars for credits. Find the sharpest kid in the class - the "motor-head" and as him if he can help you figure out the problem. Give him the keys and $50.00 and say he's basically your only hope - cause you fon't have the dough for those foriegn body shop boys that charge a gazillion bucks an hour to hook it up to a computer. Hey - americans still love a challenge right? If he needs it for a day or two - to brainstorm with his brothers or his old man - why not? Just make damn sure your got insurance to cover him man! Good luck!

I'm pulling for you!

Answer 3

I had a similar experience once. Although my tires looked good, it turned out that I had some broken belts in one of them. The ticking noise has me stumped, though, but it could be something rattling because of the shaking. You should stay off the road with it as much as possible until you see a mechanic.

Answer 4

Shaking usually comes from unbalanced tires, they can look decent but if not balanced they won't feel decent. you could also have a bent rim or underinflation. have a qualified tire mechanic check the balance and rotation of your tires, that's probably all you will need. if not your ball joints may be worn out, that can cause shaking too. Also with the faint ticking you may need to check your oil.

Answer 5

could be the following;
tires needs to be mounted/balanced
tires can appear to be in good shape, however there maybe a knot inside that you can not see
tie end rod maybe bad. if this is the case, i would not suggust driving it until it has been replaced as this could break loose at anytime and cause a wreak.
i had a tire on my truck that looked to be ok, but when it started shaking, it went crazy, couldn't even hardly keep it on the road.
hope this helps!!!

Answer 6

i own a shop,and it sounds like it may have something out of balance on it,if the engine is running smooth,and doesn't have any miss-fire in it at all,it has to be something vibrating on it,either that or it has developed an accelerating miss-fire,and this can be caused by bad plugs or wires on it,you need to take it to a good mechanic and have him look it over real good,he might be able to see something that's came loose or that might be causing this to happen,good luck,i hope this help,s.

Answer 7

well if you say that happens only when you go 55mph
i suggest you to check the ti-roads
few months ago i had a similar problem
and i fix it