My 1999 Taurus has recently begun vibrating when I apply the breaks. It’s not a shimmy, it’s more of an up and down thing.
I know that my rear brakes are bad, but they have been for a long time. Had the front breaks replaced about a year ago.
Is it maybe the tires?
Well? If the rear brakes are bad, you ask the front brakes to do the work of both the front and rear brakes. This causes the front brakes to run hotter, which results in warped rotors. When you bring it in for the next brake job, do both the front and rears, and you’ll find your brakes last a lot longer.
Tester
“I know that my rear brakes are bad, but they have been for a long time.”
WHAT?
Let me repeat that; WHAT?
If the rear brakes are “bad” the front brakes are doing all the work of slowing down the car. Of course they are going to warp the rotors and start vibrating, or shimmying, or up and down. Whatever. How does this car pass a safety inspection?
The problem is not the tires, the problem is YOU.
Fix the brakes. You’re gambling with your life, and the lives of others, if you’re driving around in a car with “bad” brakes. That’s your description, not mine.
Are you crazy?
No, let me rephrase that; You are crazy.
Fix the brakes!
And, by the way, it’s “brakes,” not breaks. If you keep doing what you’re doing you’re going to break something because you didn’t fix your car’s brakes.
You may well have damaged your tires by not fixing your brakes, along with other parts of the car.
First, you should fix your brakes-- ALL FOUR OF THEM! You probably have warped rotors in the front, so expect to spend some money.
Next, you should get the suspension checked. You could have bad shocks/struts that have been damaged by this vibration.
Lastly, you will need to get your tires checked. The kind of bouncing you describe could cause your tires to wear unevenly.
This car really sounds like a death trap. Either get it fixed or stop driving it.
I think it is warped rotors. I doubt it is the tires.