Self-excited vibrations are observed in many technical applications. Frictional contacts are often involved in the mechanism which generates vibrations. Reasons for the excitation mechanisms are decreasing friction characteristics depending on the sliding velocity, fluctuating normal loads or different geometrical effects. First, the mechanisms are explained using simple examples. The practical relevance of self-excited, friction-induced vibrations is exemplified with three technical systems: a system with an axial seal; a tread block of a tyre; and a disc brake. The knowledge of the excitation mechanism is necessary to introduce successfully design countermeasures. These measures to avoid self-excited vibrations are important to solve practical problems. They are the main focus of this work. Further, additional passive and active subsystems are described and validated experimentally. Therefore, a large range of design, active and passive solutions are given.