diff --git a/panda/src/bullet/bulletVehicle.cxx b/panda/src/bullet/bulletVehicle.cxx
index 5575d6ff22..5dbb70cc7f 100644
--- a/panda/src/bullet/bulletVehicle.cxx
+++ b/panda/src/bullet/bulletVehicle.cxx
@@ -232,6 +232,9 @@ void BulletVehicle::
 do_sync_b2p() {
 
   for (int i=0; i < _vehicle->getNumWheels(); i++) {
+    // synchronize the wheels with the (interpolated) chassis worldtransform
+    _vehicle->updateWheelTransform(i, true);
+
     btWheelInfo info = _vehicle->getWheelInfo(i);
 
     PandaNode *node = (PandaNode *)info.m_clientInfo;