In this paper, the coupled extension and thickness-twist vibrations are studied for AT-cut quartz plates under Lateral Field Excitation (LFE) with variations along the x 1-direction. Mindlin’s two-dimensional equations are used for anisotropic crystal plates. Both free and electrically forced vibrations are considered. Important vibration characteristics are obtained, including dispersion relations, frequency spectra, and motional capacitances. It is shown that, to avoid the effects of the couplings between extension and thickness-twist vibrations, a series of discrete values of the length/thickness ratio of the crystal plate need to be excluded. The results are of fundamental significance for the design of LFE resonators and sensors.