Why are my brakes squeaking and shaking the floorboard?
Squeaking combined with a pulsing pedal, floorboard vibrations, and loose shaking at high speeds makes it difficult to figure out if the problem is a stuck component, failing brakes, or a suspension issue. This uncertainty leaves drivers unable to identify the exact mechanical failure causing the pedal to pull back, click, or feel loose when pressed.
What the numbers show
Counted from the threads quoted below. How we count
- Most of it landed at once — the busiest month was September 2026, with 27 people.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Checking brake pads2 people mentionedDid this help you?
- 2Checking components manually for warped rotors, shifting caliper clips, or bent back plates rubbing on the rotorDid this help you?
- 3asking online automotive forums for diagnostic stepsDid this help you?
- 4physically shaking tires and checking joints independentlyDid this help you?
- 5Checking engine mounts, suspension components, and bushings, or jacking up the vehicle to listen for noise from the CV axles and transmission.Did this help you?
- 6Taking the serpentine belt off and manually spinning each pulley to identify bad bearings.Did this help you?
- 7taking the car to different dealerships for inspectionDid this help you?
- 8trying high-speed hard stops to clear up glazingDid this help you?
- 9running a brake bedding procedureDid this help you?
- 10pulling the wheel off to check calipers and brake shoesDid this help you?
- 11Replacing brake pads and rotors multiple timesDid this help you?
- 12Taking the vehicle to multiple different mechanic shopsDid this help you?
- 13visually inspecting the front and back rotorsDid this help you?
- 14Inspecting components visually after putting the car up and removing the wheelDid this help you?
- 15Turning the radio louder and ignoring itDid this help you?
- 16Guessing potential worn parts like sway bar bushings, ball joints, or control arm bushings to suggest to the mechanicDid this help you?
- 17replacing entire strut assemblies preemptivelyDid this help you?
- 18inspecting suspension parts on jack stands while someone turns the wheelDid this help you?
- 19Lifting the front of the vehicle on jack stands, removing the wheel, and manually wiggling components to find the source of movement.Did this help you?
- 20Lifting the wheel off the ground and pushing on the wheel at the 9 and 3 positions to test for playDid this help you?
- 21Consulting online forums for mechanical diagnosis and repair adviceDid this help you?
- 22Pulling the caliper apart to rebuild or replace itDid this help you?
- 23Checking for play in the rear bearingsDid this help you?
- 24Searching online forums for potential causes like worn brake padsDid this help you?
- 25sanding down brake padsDid this help you?
- 26replacing brake pads and rotors togetherDid this help you?
- 27greasing slide pins and replacing shimsDid this help you?
- 28taking the car to a mechanic for inspectionDid this help you?
- 29waiting to see if the noise gets worse or leads to higher repair costsDid this help you?
- 30Waiting to see if weather changes affect the noiseDid this help you?
- 31Inspecting rotor runoutDid this help you?
- 32Taking the car to a shop for a brake inspectionDid this help you?
- 33Checking pad wear to see if the pads are still goodDid this help you?
- 34checking where the fluid is going before buying partsDid this help you?
- 35looking for fluid leaks around the power steering system while running the carDid this help you?
- 36Changing brake pads and callipersDid this help you?
- 37Checking dust shield for bendingDid this help you?
- 38Jack up the car and check for wheel bearing playDid this help you?
- 39Spraying silicone on moving partsDid this help you?
- 40Replacing lower ball jointsDid this help you?
- 41Relubing brake hardwareDid this help you?
- 42Cleaning the components with brake cleaner to find the source of the leakDid this help you?
- 43Replacing both the brake hose and the caliper to be safeDid this help you?
- 44Replacing dust shields, ball joints, bushings, or control arm bushingsDid this help you?
- 45Getting new pads or switching back to normal padsDid this help you?
- 46Ignoring the noise or dealing with it when parkingDid this help you?
- 47Ignoring the noise or attributing it to humidity/dustDid this help you?
- 48Checking fluid color or components manually by putting the car on standsDid this help you?
- 49Bedding in the rotors by driving and braking hardDid this help you?
- 50Inspecting the outer brake pad thickness and checking for squeal tab contact by removing the tire.Did this help you?
- 51Checking for warp-age by holding a screwdriver against the ground and lightly touching the disc brake to look for high spots.Did this help you?
- 52Check for a rock stuck between the rotor and the backing plateDid this help you?
- 53Clean the rotor mating surface of rust with a wire wheelDid this help you?
- 54Removing access panels or filters to visually inspect the area for the source of the noise.Did this help you?
- 55Turning the equipment off for a period of time to see if the noise persists.Did this help you?
- 56Seeking out small mom-and-pop repair shops to diagnose the issue without being upsold or overcharged.Did this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“Realized that I had to push break pedal almost to floor to get truck to stop.”source ↗
“Is this a whole caliper replacement or just a seal?”source ↗
“Flimed while having both defroster modes on. Also i was wondering why my defroster blows cold air? My car blows hot air fine but only the front defroster it cold air.”source ↗
“What would cause this back and forth movement in the suspension assembly? I heard rubber squeaking under short stops and accelerations.”source ↗
“Low squeaking when turning left at very low speeds or parked.”source ↗
“Now they're screaming and squealing again in traffic and stops nd red lights.”source ↗
“About half the time I’m driving at low speeds and press the brake pedal to slowly stop, it makes this awful noise.”source ↗
“It only makes this noise about 50% of the time. Usually when I’m parking and slowly braking, or slowly braking at a light or stop sign.”source ↗
“I took my car to a mechanic and asked if they can perform a brake inspection, but of course that day the brakes were not making any noises.”source ↗
“I don’t know anything about suspension but someone told me this could be the cause of my clicking while i brake.”source ↗
“So my AC blows cold air, but im suspecting that the metal parts are going bad due to the rust”source ↗
“Hey everyone, I’ve been dealing with a brake squeak on my brand new MDX.”source ↗
“Now (2k miles later) one of the rotors has uneven wear/discoloration.”source ↗
“Took it to a different dealership and they pretty much told me it was normal.”source ↗
“I know the regular cold squeal from brakes when wet or cold. This is different. I could be driving for an hour then replicate this squeak.”source ↗
“My 2011 Lincoln MKZ was making a clunking noise from the front end when I went over bumps. I brought it in to get looked at, and they said it’s safe to drive. Now the noise has changed to a kind of creaking noise.”source ↗
“Shocks? struts? some sort of spring or joint? I’m just looking for ideas of what to ask my mechanic to look at…”source ↗
“I have a 2017 RAV4 AWD and I’m trying to figure out a humming noise and bad vibration when braking.”source ↗
“Left rotor have grooves already as in picture.”source ↗
“The car has a low humming/growling noise while driving, even when I’m not braking.”source ↗
“car makes a noise from behind when I brake and it’s pretty loud, it started yesterday and I have no idea what the issue might be.”source ↗
“Yesterday i noticed everytime i drove over a bump on the road theres some shaking squeaking sounds as heard in this video.”source ↗
“However this morning after the rain the noise seems to have gone away.”source ↗
“Does anyone know the cause of it?”source ↗
“Hi, so my car shakes when I brake at high speeds.”source ↗
“My truck randomly started squealing on both sides at the same time and i think the caliper is sticking.”source ↗
“The sound is identical as the sound above video. I'm not a car savvy guy and I get the car maintained regularly by the dealership so I plan on replacing the o rings myself assuming this is the issue.”source ↗
“Ok, is that like checking the oil with a stick? Also is it hard to find the o ring replacement?”source ↗
“I looked around the power steering fluid and ran the car and didnt see anything leaking. Anything else I need to do before replacing the o ring?”source ↗
“Hi, I’ve got an old Qashqai and it’s got a squeak when I go round a left corner. If I brake it goes away so I assumed it was pads so I changed them and the callipers (they looked knackered) and it still persisted.”source ↗
“I’m kind of lost on to what to check next so I’m asking you wonderful people”source ↗
“Tired of hearing squeaking all the time, I figure this is related”source ↗
“I’ve also been told could be ball joints or bushings”source ↗
“Not much vibration in the brake pedal. Only real vibration occurs at 120 km/h or so but it’s not bad at all.”source ↗
“My 21 f150 is making a scraping noise in the rear right side of the truck and I think it’s the rotor and the brake pad.”source ↗
“It’s recently started making a clunking noise when nearing a stop or accelerating from being stopped.”source ↗
“as of 3-4 weeks ago there has been a swooshing noise coming from the front rotor area. The noise is a revolutionary like noise meaning I believe it is tied to rotation.”source ↗
“The noise is much louder when the car is on the ground and driving. It gets noticeable when turning in either direction.”source ↗
“2016 civic lx. It started making noise when reversing slowly even without holding the brakes down. Removed the tire and when I spin this wheel.. I hear the noise coming from brake area when I turn it counter clockwise..”source ↗
“Honda crv 2005 automatic, almost 200,000 miles. Had some clunking develop on the front left tire. Primarily clunks when initiating a turn and when straightening out after a turn. Also hear it when driving over bumps.”source ↗
“Is this the outer ball joint or is there more going on here I'm not seeing? Is this in my repair range?”source ↗
“I recently noticed this happening on my F10 520d. I can't particularly seem to feel it when driving/braking but it's clearly visible when observing the car moving slowly and the driver applying the brakes.”source ↗
“Whenever I press the brakes sometimes it’ll squeak and sometimes it’s fine and there’s no noise.”source ↗
“What could it be? Could it be the rear rotors?”source ↗
“When parking on my driveway (incline-ish), should I use the handbrakes? I’ve never done it before so what are the steps to?”source ↗
“I started noticing my car doing the dreaded pulsing.”source ↗
“i also hear a sort of “grinding” sound when i brake or have my wheel turned all the way”source ↗
“Noticed a creaking over bumps on drivers side front two days ago. Observed boots on sway bar linkage seemed worn.”source ↗
“I had both of the lower arms replaced over the last couple of months on the front left and front right.”source ↗
“Replaced lower ball joints which were cooked, relubed all the brake hardware and still squeaking. It’s pointing me towards wheel bearing as it gets louder when turning right but goes quiet when turning left.”source ↗
“When it squeaks it also pulls back and releases for a half a second. It only does this when I push on the brakes and the squeak and vibration through the floorboard is intermittent kind of like something is catching and stuck somewhere.”source ↗
“When I brake at high speeds it feels like the whole brakes and footpedal are just loose and shaking. Anybody have any ideas?”source ↗
“My car has been making an intermittent and quite kind of grinding noise but not squeaking, when I’m breaking at lower speeds.”source ↗
“I just purchased it 3 weeks ago, used with only 3.9K miles.”source ↗
“after driving 300 miles it’s still happening.”source ↗
“No experience with cars or anything so not sure what to do & don’t have anyone irl to ask”source ↗
“I have a 2000 Toyota Tundra that has bit of vibration when braking. It's worse around 20 to 30 mph, and fells more in the front end.”source ↗
“I am now even more distrustful of mechanics and don't really know what to do at this point. I'm out nearly 2 grand and am kicking myself for having the work done instead of giving myself time to do it myself since I had to put in work anyway.”source ↗
“Does this sound like I need new brake pads ? Im gonna take it in as soon as I can I just want to have an idea of what to possibly expect.”source ↗
“We noticed this rattling in our house behind our air filter. When I open it up and take the filter out I can hear it still.”source ↗
“I turned the unit off for about 30 minutes and it continued to do it. What could it be?”source ↗
“Is it typically something that is pricey to fix?”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
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- 5Why is my car steering stiff and chirping when turning?