Question

Is it dangerous to drive with bad shocks?

Answer 1

It can be dangerous to drive with bad shocks or struts because the bad shocks could cause your vehicle to get too bouncy and cause you to lose control over your vehicle.

But some people have driven their vehicles with bad shocks and never had an issue other than having an uncomfortable ride.

I've driven a truck with bad shocks on the rear and although the ride was not very comfortable the truck was still safe to drive.

The back end of the truck sagged more when I had a trailer hooked to it but I never got into a car accident with it.

If the struts on your car are bad or the shocks on the back of a car are bad then it may bounce too much and cause you to lose control because the front wheels could come off the road and cause you to lose steering.

Answer 2

Bad shocks can indeed be a cause of vibration when you're braking.

However most times if the shocks are the problem with the cause of vibration then the vibration may continue while driving.

Another cause of vibration of a vehicle while braking is a sticking brake caliper or even warped brake rotors.

The most common cause of a car shaking when going over 45 MPH is an out of balance tire.

You tire could be wearing out unevenly causing the out of balance on the tire or you may have even lost a wheel balancing wheel weight.

Look at your tire and see if it looks out of round and if so then something such as your wheel bearings, shocks or struts etc could be causing the uneven tire wear.

Also jack the vehicle up and spin the tire by hand and watch it and look to see if it's out of round and if so you'll notice the top of the tire will look like it's going higher and then lower as it rotates.

A bad brake caliper that is sticking could also cause the car to shake at 45 MPH or above and also warped brake rotors as well.

Get the car checked out because the car should not shake at all especially when going over 45 MPH.