Car shakes when braking: causes and the fix

A steering wheel that starts to shake as soon as you brake on the motorway, or a brake pedal that pulses under your foot: that is almost without exception a brake disc that is no longer the same thickness all the way round. Below you will read how that happens, how to tell it apart from a vibration caused by the tyres, what we measure and what the fix is.

By the team at Autobedrijf Willemsbrug, RDW-approved APK (MOT) test station since 1979 · Updated 6 November 2026

Our score is 4.8 / 5 from 235 reviews. Read what our customers say

The short answer

If your car only shakes when braking, the cause is usually a brake disc with uneven thickness (thickness variation, commonly called a warped disc) or a disc that wobbles on the hub. The brake pad then keeps losing and regaining contact with the disc, and you feel that as a vibration in the steering wheel or a pulsing brake pedal. Brembo uses as a limit that the run-out of a fitted brake disc may not exceed 0.10 mm. If the car also shakes without braking, the cause is more likely the tyres or the wheel balancing. The fix for a worn or warped disc is replacing brake discs and brake pads per axle. We do not skim brake discs.

Brake service at Autobedrijf Willemsbrug: brake pads, discs, fluid, calipers, hoses and the handbrake or electric parking brake, for all makes, including hybrid and electric cars, vans and motorhomes up to 3,500 kg. We first measure what is worn, replace only that and show you the old parts. We tell you the price in advance based on your registration number, and we only do extra work with your approval. Call +31 10 479 00 00 or drop by. You bring the car and we call you when it is ready. A loan bike is free while one is available. Saturdays too. Our team speaks English. More about our brake service

Why does a car shake when braking?

A car shakes when braking if the brake disc is no longer the same thickness all the way round or no longer runs perfectly true. Brake manufacturer Ferodo explains it like this: with an uneven friction surface, the brake pad briefly loses contact with the disc on every revolution and then grips again. That happens on every revolution of the wheel and you feel it as a vibration. Manufacturers call this thickness variation, abbreviated DTV (disc thickness variation). The ANWB, the Dutch motoring organisation, writes that varying braking force or vibrations when braking can indicate that the discs are warped. A disc rarely warps in the literal sense, but the picture is right: the surface is no longer flat.

These are the causes that Ferodo and Brembo name and that we come across in the workshop:

  • Thickness variation through wear or material transfer: according to Ferodo, a little friction material transfers from the pad to the disc every time you brake. If that happens unevenly, for example because the car sits still with hot brakes and the pad pressed against the disc after a hard stop, spots form that are slightly thicker or rougher.
  • Run-out: the disc does not run true on the hub. The cause is often rust or dirt between the disc and the hub, or a disc that was not seated flat at a previous fitting. A disc that wobbles is braked extra by the pad at its highest points and wears thinner there: run-out turns into thickness variation.
  • Overheating: a long descent, driving heavily loaded or a series of hard stops makes the disc so hot that, according to Ferodo, the metal deforms locally. Blue spots on the disc are the sign. Ferodo writes that discs with blue spots do not recover and must be replaced, together with the pads.
  • Rust lip and rust pitting: after a long time parked or with little use (electric car, motorhome), rust eats into the surface. The pad then runs over a bumpy surface.
  • Wheel bolts tightened incorrectly: Brembo says to tighten wheel bolts in the correct sequence and to the correct torque with a torque wrench. Bolts that are too tight or unevenly tightened pull the disc out of true.
  • Brake caliper or slide pin seized: a pad that keeps dragging makes the disc hot and uneven in one spot. The car then often pulls to one side when braking as well.

Steering wheel shakes, pedal pulses or the whole car shudders: what does that tell you?

Where you feel the vibration tells you which axle the problem is on. Ferodo describes that judder when braking can be felt both through the steering wheel and through the brake pedal. In practice it comes down to this:

What you feel When Likely cause Where we start
Steering wheel shakes or wobbles Only when braking, especially from higher speed Front brake discs (thickness variation or run-out) Measure run-out and thickness of the front discs
Brake pedal pulses or throbs At every stop, also at low speed Disc front or rear, sometimes the rear drum Measure all four discs or drums
Whole car shudders, sometimes with a thump When braking from high speed Rear discs, or a combination of front and rear Measure the rear brakes, then the front
Steering wheel also shakes without braking At a certain speed, braking or not Tyres out of balance, a bulge in a tyre, a wheel rim Check tyres and wheel balancing
Vibration and the car pulls to one side When braking, one wheel gets hot Brake caliper or slide pin seized Check caliper and slide pins
Brief pulsing during an emergency stop Only when braking hard on a slippery road Normal: the ABS is regulating the brake pressure Nothing, this is how it should be

Rules of thumb from the workshop. A pulsing pedal during an emergency stop on a wet or slippery road is the ABS, not a fault.

The most important question we ask you: does it shake only when you brake, or also when you are not braking? If the steering wheel shakes at a certain speed without braking, the brakes are probably not the cause. Then have a look at steering wheel vibration: there you will read about balancing, tyres and the suspension.

Can I still drive if the car shakes when braking?

With a slight vibration that you only feel when braking hard from motorway speed, you can drive gently to the garage. The brakes still work, only not evenly. Keep more distance and have it checked soon, because a disc with thickness variation gets worse with every stop and damages the brake pads.

Drive and have it checked: a slight vibration in the steering wheel or the pedal when braking from higher speed, while the car still brakes in a straight line and the pedal feels firm.

Do not drive on, call us: the vibration comes with a brake pedal that sinks or feels spongy, the car pulls to one side when braking, you hear grinding of metal on metal, you smell burning or a wheel is hot after driving. Then call us on +31 10 479 00 00 and have the car brought in.

Not sure? Call us and we will schedule a short brake check. If nothing needs doing, we tell you that too. We check the brakes at every service and every APK (MOT), the compulsory annual vehicle inspection in the Netherlands.

What do we measure on a car that shakes when braking?

We measure first and then replace only what is worn or warped. A vibration is no reason to fit four new discs straight away. This is how the check works with us:

  1. Test drive: we want to feel the vibration ourselves. Only when braking or also without? In the steering wheel, in the pedal or in the whole car? From what speed?
  2. Measuring run-out: with a dial gauge on the fitted disc we measure how much the disc moves back and forth per revolution. Brembo says that run-out should normally not exceed 0.10 mm. If the run-out is too large, we also measure whether the hub itself runs out.
  3. Measuring thickness at several points: with a micrometer we measure the thickness of the disc at a minimum of four points around the circumference, as Brembo prescribes. The difference between the points is the thickness variation. We compare the lowest value with the minimum thickness marked on the disc (MIN TH).
  4. Assessing the surface: blue spots, a rust lip, grooves, rust pitting or a glazed layer of transferred pad material.
  5. Hub and fitting: we check whether there is rust or dirt between the disc and the hub and whether the wheel bolts have been tightened to the correct torque.
  6. Brake caliper and slide pins: do the piston and the slide pins move freely? A dragging pad makes the disc hot and uneven.
  7. Brake pads: we measure the thickness and check whether the lining has worn evenly. Pads worn at an angle point to a caliper that does not move freely.

After the work we test the brakes on the brake tester and take a short test drive. On the tester we also see whether the difference in braking force between left and right is within the APK limit of 30 percent. How we assess brakes and what is included in the price is on brake replacement in Rotterdam.

The fix: replacing brake discs and brake pads per axle

If the disc is too thin, warped or pitted, we replace the brake discs and the brake pads per axle, left and right at the same time. That is what the ANWB, Brembo, HELLA and Ferodo prescribe: discs are replaced in pairs and new discs get new pads. The ANWB writes that otherwise you get uneven braking. Fitting old pads on a new disc also brings the vibrations back in no time, because the worn-in pad does not sit flat on the new disc.

We do not skim brake discs. A disc that is too thin, warped or pitted, we replace. With modern discs that is usually cheaper than skimming, and you know for certain that the thickness and the braking performance are right again. The trade-off between the two is explained in brake disc skimming or replacement.

If the disc is still thick enough and the problem lies in rust between the disc and the hub or in incorrectly tightened wheel bolts, we clean the hub, refit the disc and measure the run-out again. If the cause is a seized brake caliper, we assess whether the caliper can be freed up again or has to be replaced. We tell you in advance what it costs. When fitting new discs, we clean the hub down to bare metal, as Brembo prescribes, and tighten the wheel bolts in the correct sequence with the torque wrench. After that: brake gently for the first few hundred kilometres. Ferodo advises avoiding hard stops for the first 200 kilometres, Brembo says about 300 kilometres.

How do you prevent juddering brakes?

A large part of thickness variation is caused by heat and by sitting still with hot brakes. With these habits your brake discs last longer:

  • Do not sit still with the pedal pressed after a hard stop. After a slip road or an emergency stop the discs are hot. If you then sit for a minute with your foot on the brake, the hot pad presses material into the disc in one spot. Better to roll forward a little or hold the car with the handbrake.
  • Use the engine to brake downhill. On a long descent, brake firmly for a moment and then select a lower gear so the brakes can cool down. That prevents overheating.
  • Have the hub cleaned at every disc change. A thin layer of rust between the hub and the disc is enough to cause run-out.
  • Have the wheel bolts tightened with a torque wrench, also after a tyre change.
  • Brake firmly now and then with an EV, hybrid or motorhome. Discs that see little use rust, and the rust lip causes vibrations. More in rusty brake discs.
  • Bed in new discs gently and avoid emergency stops for the first few hundred kilometres.

Frequently asked questions

Is a juddering brake dangerous?

No. Usually not immediately, but it does get worse. The brakes still work, only unevenly, and in an emergency stop from high speed the car brakes less smoothly. A disc with thickness variation wears more unevenly with every stop and damages the brake pads. So have it checked soon. If the car shakes and the pedal sinks or the car pulls to one side, do not drive on.

Is my brake disc warped?

No. Probably not in the literal sense. A cast iron brake disc rarely warps. What you feel is almost without exception a disc that is not the same thickness all the way round or that wobbles on the hub. The ANWB uses the word warped and as a picture it is easy to understand. For the fix it makes no difference: a disc that is deformed or uneven is replaced per axle.

Why does my car only shake when braking on the motorway?

Because at high speed the disc turns faster, so the pad loses and regains contact more times per second. At low speed the thickness variation is there too, but you hardly feel it. A vibration that you only feel when braking hard from high speed is often the first sign. Do not wait until you feel it in town as well.

Can a vibration when braking be caused by the tyres?

Yes. A tyre that is out of balance or has a bulge gives a vibration that starts at a certain speed, braking or not. When braking, that vibration can seem stronger because the weight shifts forward. The difference: if it only shakes when braking, it is usually the brake discs. If it also shakes without braking, we start with the tyres and the wheel balancing.

Can new brake discs also judder?

Yes. If the hub was not cleaned at fitting, if the wheel bolts were tightened incorrectly or if the new brakes were worked too hard in the first few hundred kilometres. Brembo prescribes cleaning the hub and tightening the bolts in the correct sequence with a torque wrench. If new discs judder, have the run-out measured again.

Do both the front and rear brakes need replacing when they judder?

No. Only the axle where the problem is. If the steering wheel shakes, it is usually the front. If only the pedal pulses or the whole car shudders, it may be the rear. We measure all four discs and replace only the axle that is out of tolerance, left and right at the same time. If the other discs are still thick enough, not warped and not pitted, they stay on.

Will my car fail the APK if it shakes when braking?

No. Not for the vibration itself. On the brake tester the inspector measures the braking force and the difference between left and right, which according to the RDW APK manual may not be more than 30 percent. A disc with thickness variation can show a fluctuating braking force on the tester. The inspector also looks at wear and rust on the disc. If in doubt, he notes an advisory.

What does it cost to fix juddering brakes?

That depends on the cause. If it is only rust on the hub, it is a matter of cleaning and refitting. If discs and pads have to be replaced, the ANWB gives as an indication an average of between € 300 and € 600 per axle including brake pads, depending on make and model (consulted November 2026). We do not quote our own prices on this page: we tell you one price in advance based on your registration number. More in brake replacement cost in the Netherlands.

Does your car shake when braking?

Call +31 10 479 00 00 with your registration number. We measure run-out and thickness, replace only the axle that is out of tolerance and tell you one price in advance.

You will find us at Boterdiep 11 in Rotterdam-IJsselmonde, close to Stadion Feijenoord (De Kuip). We work by appointment. For a quick question or check you can walk in without an appointment.

Nederlands? Lees dit artikel in het Nederlands.