Q: My car is making a thumping sound every time the tire rotates and I can feel it on the steering wheel.
I'm driving a 2008 Chevy Malibu LTZ 3.6L. I am getting a thumping noise from my front end. I can feel it in the steering wheel with every rotation that my tires make. I had a few bad parts so I changed them out. I changed a control arm (loose ball joint), changed a sway bar link, and a tie rod end. Everything seems to be good. I could use some new rotors soon though. I am also hearing a faint clanking sound for every rotation when I jack up the front end and take off the wheels and put it in drive. I cannot pin point where the noise is coming from. Maybe the transmission. Seemed audible from both sides. Wondering if that could be the problem. The steering wheel vibrates at higher speeds. Help.
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Two things instantly come to mind here based on your description. The first is that you may have a broken belt inside one of your tires. The constant thumping sound during driving can also be caused by failing wheel bearings as well. If you replaced those front end components but didn’t have the front end aligned, that may also be causing some thumping issues due to possible loose components. You may want to contact a professional mechanic, such as one at YourMechanic, to inspect the noise from the vehicle for other issues before you spend more money chasing this symptom.
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