The car usually shakes or jerks when driving due to worn tires or unbalanced wheels. But, if your car jerking when braking, it’s a clear sign of a faulty braking system.
It can also happen due to out-of-balance brake rotors, dirty brake pads, warped rotors, or even poor driving skills.
If you feel jerking, pulsating, or chugging when braking, accelerating, or slowing down, diagnose and inspect the car by a qualified mechanic.
Article Summary
Car Jerking When Braking- Most Possible Causes
When you brake, it shifts the whole weight from the car’s back to the front. The car’s back rises on the back suspension and the front drop on the front suspension. It can cause your car to jerk forward, which is normal.
However, there can be a few internal issues that can cause your car to jerk when braking. The most frequent reasons are severely worn brake pads, faulty braking systems, seized car iron discs, or poor driving skills.
Poor Driving Skill
If your vehicle jerks forward when braking, you may have a problem with how you break. If you press hard on the accelerator pedal or brake unsmoothly and inappropriately, your car can jerk forward. If so, you should improve your driving skills to make the ride smoother.
Weight Shifting Problem
If your car has an issue like a suspension problem that lets its weight shift incorrectly, it can cause the car to jerk when braking. When you slow down the car and shift the driving gear to lower gear, your car can jerk a bit.
But your car may have a serious weight-shifting problem if the jerking is more than noticeable. The weight-shifting problem may also occur if your car’s engine mount gets damaged. If so, the engine can sling forward when you brake hard or come to a complete stop.
Out-of-Balance Brake Rotors
Cars with out-of-balance brake rotors can cause vibrate violently or jerk to stop. The rotors are placed under the brake pad and get damaged due to accumulating dirt and debris.
Worn Out Tires
The wheel will be unbalanced if your car’s tire is worn out. Hence, your car’s steering wheel may start to wobble. The worn tire is responsible if you feel the car jerking noticeably, particularly at high speed.
Dirty Brake Pads
If your car’s brake pad is filled with debris or worn out, it can affect the area under the brake pad. Hence, your vehicle can pulsate while braking.
If a brake pad wears out, it won’t be able to bring wheels and axles to a halt, which can cause a jerking or jumping sensation.
You have to inspect the brake pad regularly to avoid causing wear out and have to replace it if it already gets damaged.
The signs of a worn-out brake bad include a lazy braking process, high-pitched squealing noise, and grinding noise when braking.
Brake Calipers Issues
The brake calipers push the brake pads against the rotor. The steering wheel may start vibrating if it can’t push the brake pad correctly. The brake calipers can fail due to accumulating dust or causing wear and corrosion.
The brake caliper may also become sticky or leak due to the piston inside the caliper. The caliper’s rubber ring may wear out and let the brake fluid leak into the sides.
It can reduce the effectiveness of the piston and wear out the brake pad unevenly, contributing to car jerking when braking.
Brake Fluid Problems
Insufficient or poor-grade brake fluid reduces brake pressure, resulting in a jerky feel. This will cause inconsistent braking pressure and result in jerking.
Binding Drum Brake
Your car’s rear or drum brakes may cause jerking if it gets bound due to weak springs or binding wear wheel brake cylinders. If it happens, the brakes won’t return quickly enough when you apply it and make some jerking.
To fix the problem, you have to inspect the brake by a qualified mechanic, as they can determine the cause of the binding brake and fix it.
Warped Rotors
When you try to stop the wheel and the car, the brake rotors are clamped down by the brake pad. However, these rotors can warp or wear out due to the extreme heat that the brake generates.
Warped or uneven brake rotors can cause the brake’s rough application and make the car jerk when braking.
Suspension or Steering Issues
Suspension components such as control arms and struts can become worn or damaged and worsen how the car reacts by braking, becoming unstable and stopping jerky.
Transmission Problems
A jerking sensation when slowing down can also be caused by transmission issues, particularly when the car downshifts to the lower gear when you brake; there may be a slippage or delay in transmission.
Why is My Car Jerking When Releasing the Brake?
If your car jerks when releasing the brake, it can result from a DSG (Direct Shift Gearbox) or manual transmission. There is a direct connection between the wheels and engine in manual and DSG transmission.
So you can feel the onset of engine braking, particularly at higher RPMs. Typical automatic transmissions don’t have such a direct connection, and the torque converter absorbs the energy.
Your car can also jerk due to the full-functional clutches and good biting surface. Though a worn-out clutch makes fewer jerks, it can cause lots of shuddering when accelerating. The clutches can wear out sooner because the brake is released without getting on the gas afterwards.
To avoid this problem, hold the brake pedal with firm pressure when coming to a complete stop, especially when driving with DSG.
This will inform the car’s computer that you are fully at a stop and won’t try to engage the half-clutch. While accelerating, leave the brake and get on the gas immediately. This will boost your DSG longevity.
How To Avoid Car Jerking when Braking?
If your car jerks when braking due to a lack of driving skill instead of any internal issue, you can follow some tricks to avoid jerking.
If you roughly drive the car, like depress the brake suddenly or accelerate excessively, it can cause the brake parts to wear out. So, drive the car smoothly and have an expert mechanic inspect the vehicle regularly.
One important thing to remember is that many cars have three pedals, and the right one makes the vehicle go faster.
The middle makes the car slow down, and the left is the clutch pedal. If your car jerks forward and speeds up when you try to brake, use the middle pedal instead.
What To Fix a Car That Jerks When Braking?
Since your car can jerk when braking for many reasons, you must work on each possibility to fix the problem.
The tires are the easiest component to fix, and start your inspection by checking the pressure. Tires need routine wheel alignments around every 6000 miles to maintain the best condition, costing about $50 to $150.
Braking and if your car jerks are a car problem, of course, but it depends on the cause. Here are steps you can take for common causes:
1. Replace Worn Brake Pads
Reduced friction often leads to jerking of applied brakes when the brake pads are worn. Replace with high-quality pads to smooth the braking back out. Most of the time, it is a simple fix that will clear it up if it is worn.
2. Warped Rotors Resurface or replace
If your warping rotors are no good, you must resurface or replace them. The resurfacing removes all that unevenness and can solve some of the worst warped rotors, but if the rotors are warped, you may need something besides the resurfacing to ensure safe, consistent braking.
3. Fix Stuck Brake Calipers
If a calliper is stuck, it must be cleaned, lubricated or replaced. However, since it is tough as hell to diagnose without knowledge, get yourself a mechanic.
4. Check And Refill Brake Fluid
Inspect brake fluid levels. Jerky braking or low or dirty fluid. Bleed the brakes if there’s air in the lines to restore smooth brake pressure, and refill or replace the fluid as necessary.
5. Repair or Replace ABS Components
Diagnostic testing is required on ABS issues. The ABS sensors or control modules may have to be replaced. An experienced technician can scan your ABS to find out specifically what the fault is.
6. Repair Suspension or Steering Components
Braking suspension parts that have worn also destabilize braking. Check and replace worn parts such as control arms, bushings or shocks. Faulty components will smooth out your braking once they are replaced.
7. Check and Service the Transmission
Jerking feeling tied to downshifting is a transmission issue. Your transmission fluid level and quality will need to be checked, and a professional will have to check for any slipping or delayed shifting.
After you’ve figured out what causes the problem, many of these are quick fixes, while others will need professional help. Routine maintenance of the brakes, suspension, and Transmission can save you from these problems.
Since many parts are related, your best action will be to take the car to the nearest auto repair shop so the mechanic can identify and fix the exact issue.
FAQs on Car That Jerks When Braking
Why is the Car Chugging When Braking?
Your car can chug when braking or vibrate rapidly due to warped or out-of-balance brake rotors. If the rotor area under the brake pad collects lots of dirt and debris, it can also cause your vehicle to pulsate when braking.
Why Does My Car Jerk When I Brake And Accelerate?
Your vehicle can jerk when applying brakes and accelerate for plenty of reasons, including faulty transmission, damaged brake system, or various engine issues. The worn-out brake can jerk your car when braking, while a bad transmission can jolt the vehicle when shifting gears.
Why Car Pulsates When Braking?
Suppose you experience the car pulsating when braking. It can be the result of a defective rotor or brake drum. A warped rotor or out-of-round drum can cause noticeable pulsing after applying the brake pedal. To fix the problem, you may need to remove the axle’s wheel brake caliper from the rotors, brake pads, and brake rotors. Then, lubricate the rotors and re-install all the parts.
Can Low Brake Fluid Cause Jerk When Braking?
Low or contaminated brake fluid can cause inconsistent brake pressure or a jerking feeling. Low fluid can also allow air in the brake lines that will disrupt smooth braking; the air needs to be purged from the brake lines, and the fluid must be maintained at proper levels.
Can I Still Drive If My Car Jerks When Braking?
Although it’s still drivable, jerkiness while braking can indicate a bigger safety problem. If the issue isn’t addressed, you continue to drive, and the damage further increases, as well as the risk of brake failure or lost vehicle control.
Final Words
Suppose your car jerks when braking. Inspect all the possible causes we’ve discussed above. If you find nothing wrong with the vehicle, your rough driving method causes the issue.
Though experiencing a bit of jerking when braking is common, if you feel uncomfortable, bring the car to the service center.
An expert mechanic will fix the underlying issue or suggest the way to handle your particular car so you don’t feel any jerking when braking.
My car has been jerking when I brake, and after reading your post, I realized it was due to worn-out brake pads. I had them replaced, and the issue is finally gone. Your explanation of other possible causes like warped rotors and suspension problems really helped me understand what could go wrong.