2013 Nissan Sentra, 2.0L 62,000 miles. Sometimes when I apply the brakes, the steering wheel shakes. It usually happens on the highway when slowing down from speeds above 40mph. I thought that it might be the rotors, but it doesn’t happen all the time. The severity of the shaking also differs from time to time. Does anyone have any thoughts?
It’s still most likely the rotors. It’s not uncommon at first for the vibration to come and go depending on the rotor temperature and the exact braking force. When the rotors start to warp on my car, I always feel it first at once specific off-ramp and nowhere else.
It’s worth making sure that your lug nuts are still tight, also.
Even though it doesn’t always happen, you should act as if it does. The “occasional” variety of shake can be caused by rust buildup on the outer and inner edges of the rotor surface. Using the brakes will kind of knock the rust down a little, making some brake applications smoother than others. Deeply grooved rotors will vibrate every time.
In the rusty case, the brake pads will still look wavy and make you wonder how well they could possibly be working. I recommend new rotors and brake pads.
check your front tires carefully for abnormalities such as bulges on the treads, paying special attention to the inside. I had the same problem but could not find it until the bulge became larger