Q: Sudden play & random tugging in steering wheel. Hear clicking from steering wheel & front left tire both while driving straight.
While driving I had sudden clicking/clunking along with lots of play & random tugging (to left/right) in steering wheel. The sounds also heard from left front wheel as well. When it 1st happened I thought I had flat tire, it sounded like rim grinding on pavement but tire was fine. The grinding stopped now just clicking. I had all new wheel hub assembly, rotors, calipers, brake pads put on both front sides of car. But I also hear a loud winding sound when exellerating which makes me believe hub assembly again? Should I consider it too dangerous to drive? I've driven about 50miles since it 1st happened and it's gotten extremely worse when it comes to the play and tugging in steering wheel. Ball joints maybe? If there's a way I can diagnose by looking at it what should I look for?
My car has 241000 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.
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Hello, thank you for writing in. Checking the brakes was a great place to start. At this point the first thing we need to find out is if symptoms happen always, or only when driving over bumpy roads. If you feel it only when going over bumps, you want to check the suspension. If the suspension is not up to par on the vehicle, you will feel and fight those forces in the steering wheel. You can perform a bounce test, and do a visual inspection to see if the suspension shows any signs of leakage or damage. This would include the ball joints. If the suspension seems to be okay, you want to turn your attention to the rack and pinion. For more help with diagnostics and resolving the issue, contact our service department.
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