Can a bad distributor cause car to shake?

A bad distributor can cause a car to shake because it is responsible for distributing the electrical current from the ignition coil to the spark plugs. A bad distributor can lead to irregular or insufficient spark delivery, which can cause the engine to shake. The shaking is most likely to occur at idle or low speeds. In some cases, the distributor cap, wires, or rotor may need to be replaced to address the problem.