Why does my steering shake at lower speeds?

Hello Paul, I drive a Subaru Forester, whose steering wheel shakes when I accelerate at speeds between 30-40kph. What could be the problem? Evaristo.

Hello Evaristo, steering shaking at low speeds can be caused by damaged or unevenly worn out tyres and unbalanced tyre pressure.

A steering wheel is your connection to the wheels or tyres, which in turn are the car’s contact to the road.

The condition of the car’s tyres will have a direct effect on how it runs and how your steering feels. When your car tyres run unevenly, the effect will be transformed into a judder or shaking of the steering wheel.

The common causes of uneven tyre running are flat patches, which occur when a car is parked for a long time in storage.

The fluctuating day and night temperatures tend to cause flat patches on the tyre surface making contact with the floor.

Parking a car on under-inflated tyres for long time will also cause flat patches. When a tyre with a flat patch is driven it runs unevenly, this causes the steering to shake at lower speeds.

When checking the tyres for flat patches, also confirm that the wheels are properly inflated and balanced.

Seldom damaged front axle wheel hub bearings and ball joints can also cause low speed steering shaking. Have a look at these if your tyres are given the green light.