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 people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1Checking brake pads
- 2Checking components manually for warped rotors, shifting caliper clips, or bent back plates rubbing on the rotor
- 3asking online automotive forums for diagnostic steps
- 4physically shaking tires and checking joints independently
- 5Checking engine mounts, suspension components, and bushings, or jacking up the vehicle to listen for noise from the CV axles and transmission.
- 6Taking the serpentine belt off and manually spinning each pulley to identify bad bearings.
- 7taking the car to different dealerships for inspection
- 8trying high-speed hard stops to clear up glazing
- 9running a brake bedding procedure
- 10pulling the wheel off to check calipers and brake shoes
- 11Replacing brake pads and rotors multiple times
- 12Taking the vehicle to multiple different mechanic shops
- 13visually inspecting the front and back rotors
- 14Inspecting components visually after putting the car up and removing the wheel
- 15Turning the radio louder and ignoring it
- 16Guessing potential worn parts like sway bar bushings, ball joints, or control arm bushings to suggest to the mechanic
- 17replacing entire strut assemblies preemptively
- 18inspecting suspension parts on jack stands while someone turns the wheel
- 19Lifting the front of the vehicle on jack stands, removing the wheel, and manually wiggling components to find the source of movement.
- 20Lifting the wheel off the ground and pushing on the wheel at the 9 and 3 positions to test for play
- 21Consulting online forums for mechanical diagnosis and repair advice
- 22Pulling the caliper apart to rebuild or replace it
- 23Checking for play in the rear bearings
- 24Searching online forums for potential causes like worn brake pads
- 25sanding down brake pads
- 26replacing brake pads and rotors together
- 27greasing slide pins and replacing shims
- 28taking the car to a mechanic for inspection
- 29waiting to see if the noise gets worse or leads to higher repair costs
- 30Waiting to see if weather changes affect the noise
- 31Inspecting rotor runout
- 32Taking the car to a shop for a brake inspection
In their words
Unedited, most upvoted first, each linked to the thread it came from.
“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 ↗
“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 ↗
“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 ↗
“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 ↗
“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 ↗
“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 ↗
“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 ↗
“It’s recently started making a clunking noise when nearing a stop or accelerating from being stopped.”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 ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 8Why does the strut top mounting plate rotate by hand?
- 62How to explain an intermittent car noise to a mechanic
- 7Why does a car shake when idling after sitting for years?
- 13Grinding noise after installing new brake pads and rotors
- 3How to tell if a front end shake is tie rods or wheel bearings
- 34Why does my car make a loud rattle when starting the engine?