This study aims to understand the applied forces and related vibrational characteristics of a tripod joint (TJ), which is mostly used in front-drive-type middle-sized sedans in South Korea. The plunging force (PF) and generated axial force (GAF) are the most influential quantities related to the vibrational characteristics of a driveshaft. To obtain meaningful data, specially designed tests were performed using MTS test sets. The results of direct measurements reveal that higher PF and GAF values appear to worsen the vibrational characteristics of the vehicle. On the other hand, the measured apparent mass is useful for calculating the applied forces for a short driveshaft that has no dynamic vibration absorber. Among diversely controlled samples, it shows that the viscosity and tight fit are very sensitive to shudder vibrations of the vehicle. Therefore, these are good design factors for quality controls in the production line of constant-velocity joints.