Car shakes only on straight

Hi everyone,

Please let me know if I haven’t provided enough information as this is my first question, but I’m sure not the last. I have a VW Golf 2005 diesel. Lately (the past 2 months approx) it has started shaking when I go uphill, but not immediately. Accelerating up the hill initially is fine. For the car to shake I have to take my foot off the gas pedal (because someone is braking or turning) and then when I hit the gas again to continue, the car shakes left to right enough that I notice, but not life threatening. It only does this when the wheel is straight. If I make a turn up the hill the shaking stops, until I turn the wheel straight again, and then it continues until I reach flat road in which it ends all together. I am normally mid way up the hill when I need to do this and have decreased to about 25-30 mph and am trying to accelerate to 35-45. I’d really appreciate any input on what you think the problem could be.

Thank you!

Does the Check engine iight come on?

Shaking while accelerating is commonly caused by a bad drive axle inner CV joint.

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Besides an inboard CV joint it could be a loose ball joint or bushing.
Get a good mechanic (preferably not a dealer or franchise shop) to inspect the suspension.

“It’s not life threatening” --WRONG-it is not supposed to do that and delaying having it corrected could be catastrophic to you or someone else.

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Thanks everyone for your quick answers! Barkydog, the check engine light does not come on.

Thanks again.

There can still be diagnostic codes stored in the computer memory which can be very helpful clues to a problem like this, even with the CEL off. Suggest to start by reading those out. Shaking going uphill , two causes are common,

  • driveline problems (usually something loose in the axel) or something loose in the suspension system
  • the engine is faltering for some reason, usually for a diesel it would be a compression problem or a fuel mixture problem.

Since ti seems to be affected by the steering angle, more likely a driveline or suspension problem.

The bottom line here is that there are a number of possibilities that include both the drivetrain and the engine and the vehicle can and should be looked at by a reputable shop. Until you know what’s causing the problem, assume it could be a safety issue. You’re better to assume it is and find out it isn’t than to assume it isn’t and have a wheel fly off.

Looks like VW is about to buy your car back. Call a dealer and find out how long it’s going to take.

The Volkswagens being bought back are 2009-2015 vehicles, I don’t believe the emissions standards were as difficult for the manufactures to meet in 2005.

Oh darn. I thought I had a swell solution, but no, wrong again.