Why Is My Car Hard To Steer?
Why Is My Car Not Driving Straight? Why Is My Car Making A Strange Noise When Turning?
The answer to this question may be the result of a bad Tie Rod. The Tie Rod connects the Steering Gear or Power Steering Rack to the wheel of your vehicle. Over time, the pivoting joint of the tie rod can wear out, causing your tire to no longer stay in alignment. When you are turning your wheel a little bit and the steering feels loose, or the vehicle isn't responding to the way you are turning your steering wheel, this would be the reason. Other symptoms include:
- No steering at all or unusual steering
- High pitched squealing noise (especially around turns)
- Uneven wear on tires
- Wheel alignment off
Our mechanics routinely check your tie rods when your vehicle comes in for service. To safely inspect if the Tie Rod is bad or failed we first ensure that the vehicle is secured on a hoist. Then, we securely grab the tire and wiggle it side to side, with the suspension unloaded. If the tire has movement, that suggests that either the inner or outer Tie Rods are failing.
In these photos, you can see what rust corrosion does to the Tie Rods. Over time the moisture from the air has pushed it's way into the joint and completely corroded the Tie Rod. These can also go bad from normal wear and tear. If you let the Tie Rods wear enough, they can cause uneven wear on your tires, they call this wear, "toe out" or "toe in". You can see the results of the alignment test that the "toe" angles are out of factory specifications and needed this part to be replaced as soon as possible.
Before After
When we set the alignment back to factory specifications, (every vehicle has it's own set of unique specifications), we see just how off the alignment was from the effects of these bad Tie Rods and adjust them back to specifications. Our technicians will also inspect your wheel balance to see whether the damage created was extensive enough to make you also need to replace the tires.
At American Import Auto, Inc. we offer tire sales conveniently from our shop. You can choose from a wide variety of brands and price points to find the ones that fit your lifestyle! Our service team combined has over 30 years of experience with tires being of specialty. Call us today or schedule an appointment online for your steering and suspension repair and wheel alignment service!