Why does my car shudder between 40 and 60mph?

For some time now my Land Rover Freelander 2 SD4 has been shuddering at between 40mph and 60 mph. It is getting noticeably worse and can be felt at 30mph too. It lasts for anything up to 20/30 seconds then probably won't happen again for a while. People have suggested it could be the torque converter, but was wondering if you had an opinion as that would be an expensive undertaking?

Asked on 29 August 2024 by Lynne Gray

Answered by Alan Ross
The first thing to find out is whether the engine misfires at these speeds - if it does then we would suspect the injectors. You could try some injector cleaner as a first port of call. If the engine doesn't misfire then we would look at the following:

Are the tyres in good condition and do they need balancing? You could try changing them over from front to back (in pairs) and having them rebalanced.
If it's not the tyres then it could be that the front drive shafts are worn but if they do need replacing make sure on genuine parts
Alternatively it could be the propshaft balance as sometimes the balancing weights can detach or the engine mounts could be worn.

We would get these checked before considering the torque convertor.
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