I have a 2002 Toyota Corolla. The problem is whenever I'm driving and get up to about 55 mph the car starts shaking extremely bad. It only shakes whenever I give the car gas. As long as I am not giving it gas, the car doesn't shake and it only shakes when I'm going 55 mph or faster. I have had my tires balanced and rotated numerous times and I just had my front end alligned and I'm still having the problem. Can somebody help me out on what the problem could be. Thanks alot.

have your engine mounts checked

have your engine mounts checked


Ok, thanks, do you have any idea what that will cost me?

I would be surprised if the problem was engine mounts since your car is only 4 years old. From past experience I have found that tires just slightly out of round really have a big impact on the Coralla. If you can tell does the shaking seem more on the RH or LH side. Take the front tire from whatever side seems worse and move it to the back and bring the back tire up front and see if problem goes away or at least seems less.

Most tire guys just throw the tire on and balance them. They don't look to see if the tire is still round.

i agree fully with gss, it could be your problem for sure

The giving it gas part puzzles me. . . Does it feel like the engine is shaking, or the whole drive train or the wheels. Can you feel it in the steering wheel? Is it constant when you accelerate or does it vary depending on how hard you step on the gas?

If its out of round tires the shake would be there all the time not just when you're giving it gas.

see...this is why i suggested the engine mounts...

The giving it gas part puzzles me. . . Does it feel like the engine is shaking, or the whole drive train or the wheels. Can you feel it in the steering wheel? Is it constant when you accelerate or does it vary depending on how hard you step on the gas?

If its out of round tires the shake would be there all the time not just when you're giving it gas.


It feels like the engine and the drive train are shaking to me. I cant feel it in the steering wheel and it is contant when I accelerate but only above 55 mph. Yeah, the harder I push down on the gas the more it shakes.

engine mounts...here on guam it costs about 99 dollars a set at a cheap auto store...dont know how much they cost at napa or somewhere else...

Ok, I noticed as I was driving today that the problem doesn't start until it goes into 5th gear. Is that possible? Can just 5th gear in the transmission be messed up and causing the problem? If so, then should I get it fixed immediately or would it be ok for another few weeks?

hell corollas are tanks...just leave it...you'll die before the car does

hell corollas are tanks...just leave it...you'll die before the car does


tis true

my '88 Nova/'87 Corolla is still running well, and only major problem was replacing the alternator, radiator (one with metal tanks) and the timing belt

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I suggest you start a new thread with your question. This is totally off topic.

I think I'll eat a little crow pie after my previous post to this thread. My Corolla has the same shaking problem and I've replaced the tires, had them checked twice for balance at two different tire shops. Tires are round and balanced, but car still shakes. I can sense the shaking when accelerating in all gears and even more so in 5th gear. I looked at the motor mounts and they appear to OK. See nothing wrong with struts, but have no idea how to test them to see if they're OK.

Oh my car is a 1996 Corolla with original factory struts and motor mounts and running great at 165,000 miles except for this recent shaking problem that came on with colder weather.

For those of you saying motor mounts did you see kind of damage? And did you have this shaking problem? Did motor mount replacement cure the shaking?

Is there some way to evaluate condition of the struts?

My '94 had a shaking problem--only on acceleration--40 mph and up. It turned out to be the inner CV joint on the passenger side. Totally cured the problem after putting in a reman. CV shaft.
I also had a bad motor mount before the above problem. It caused a vibration throughout the car that could be felt at idle or while driving--fluctuating with RPM. Replacement cured that problem too. There was no visible damage to the mount--it was the passenger side.
Good luck.

How about crossed up spark plug wires?

My 91 Carolla had a funny shimmy/shake/sound at certain speeds. I had no idea what it was, and my boyfriend kept blowing it off as nothing, so I let it go. A while later, the front tires locked up on me coming out of a dangerous highway change curve, and nearly got me, my boyfriend, and my newborn daughter killed. I don't mess around with shimmy shakes anymore, I fix it immediately. It turns out, my Tranny was completely thrashed.

I think I'll eat a little crow pie after my previous post to this thread. My Corolla has the same shaking problem and I've replaced the tires, had them checked twice for balance at two different tire shops. Tires are round and balanced, but car still shakes. I can sense the shaking when accelerating in all gears and even more so in 5th gear. I looked at the motor mounts and they appear to OK. See nothing wrong with struts, but have no idea how to test them to see if they're OK.

Oh my car is a 1996 Corolla with original factory struts and motor mounts and running great at 165,000 miles except for this recent shaking problem that came on with colder weather.

For those of you saying motor mounts did you see kind of damage? And did you have this shaking problem? Did motor mount replacement cure the shaking?

Is there some way to evaluate condition of the struts?



I have a 94 Corolla that sounded very loud on a cold morning. The vibration
was extreme in the cold and at speeds over 70mph. I changed out the motor mounts and it made a big difference. My car had 145K when it was done.
You can get the mounts fairly cheaply on Ebay. From what a mechanic had told me , this is common with Corollas. BTW the mounts can't really be checked with a visual unless thay are grossly deformed.

It finally warmend up enough here in the midwest to investigate my front end shaking problem. My 96 rolla would shake between 60 and 65 mph. Had previously ruled out tire problems if you read some of my former posts in this thread.

Replaced passenger side CV shaft and problem is gone. Also flushed out my 5speed manual gear box and replaced oil. 169,000 miles and going for 300,000

Took about one hour to jack car up high enough and make things safe to work under the car. Took another hour to remove and replace CV shaft. 1/2 hour to find the fill plug on the transmission. Its towards the front and you have to remove a plastic shroud to see it. 15 minutes to drain the remaining trans fluid. Note to those who are shade tree mechanics like me. Have something to catch the transmission oil when you pull the CV shaft out. I used my body and it wasn't pretty. Filled tranny, put tire back on and test drove. 3 hours total. If I had a hoist, and air tools I think I could shave 1.5 hours off. About $130 for this repair using a reman. CV shaft from NAPA and synthetic transmission oil.

a tune up will fix that problem..

I would be surprised if the problem was engine mounts since your car is only 4 years old. From past experience I have found that tires just slightly out of round really have a big impact on the Coralla. If you can tell does the shaking seem more on the RH or LH side. Take the front tire from whatever side seems worse and move it to the back and bring the back tire up front and see if problem goes away or at least seems less.

Most tire guys just throw the tire on and balance them. They don't look to see if the tire is still round.

Interesting...

My wife's Prizm makes a growling sound, but it doesn't seem to abate when turning the wheel back and fourth.... like when diagnosing a bad wheel berring

I wonder if it isn't caused by these cheap-o futura front tires I had put on by PEP BOYS last summer? I'm wating for the weather to improve so I can rotate the spare around the car. I jacked the wheels up last fall and I didn't notice and excessive noise or freeplay when i spun them.