What Causes Transmission Vibration?

Worn shocks can cause your transmission to vibrate. If you find your transmission and car start to vibrate during travel on uneven or bumpy roads, this is because your shocks no longer operate at peak efficiency. A bad steering stabilizer can cause similar symptoms. This can cause the transmission and the entire car to vibrate during times of extended use. Improper lube levels in the transmission can also cause vibration.

Improperly installed or worn-out U-joints can also cause transmission vibration, regardless of speed or road quality. You can tell if your U-joints are bad or incorrectly installed if you hear a thudding sound when the transmission changes gears. The same thudding sound can be heard when suddenly changing speeds. Have a licensed technician change your U-joints regularly.

One of the most common sources of transmission vibration lies with the exhaust system on your car. Sometimes, replacing your exhaust with one with different specifications than the original factory exhaust system can cause the normal operations the exhaust performs to pile up and send ripples of vibrations through the entire car, all the way to your transmission. A bent exhaust pipe can also do this. If you're going to replace your exhaust system, always make sure the specifications on the new model meet and will work with those required by your make and model of car.