Q: Brakes vibrating when pressing brake pedal

Hello, typically when brakes are vibrating, there is usually something mechanically wrong like warped rotors, loose wheel bearings or worn tie rod ends. Checking the tie rod and wheel bearings is easy. The vehicle must be jacked in the air to get the wheel off the ground. The wheel is moved back and forth at the 3 and 9 o’clock positions and the 12 and 6 o’clock positions.

When you check it at the 3 and 9 o’clock positions, you are checking the play in the steering joints. When the wheel is moved at the 12 and 6 o’clock positions, the wheel bearings are being checked. There should be extremely little to no play present. If play is present the worn component must be replaced the the vehicle retested to see if the symptoms are gone. If all of that is good, the rotor should be checked to see if they are warped.

To do this, the wheel must be removed, the rotor securely fastened to the hub and checked with a runout gauge. If they are out of position, this can cause a vibration when braking. You may need the aid of a mechanic to check the front end since the vehicle must be jacked up. They will be able to diagnose your brake’s vibration issue and make the necessary repairs to fix this.