i was on my way home from work doing about 40, everything was good then i started to slow down cause i know i wasnt going to catch the light, i cruise down to about 30, as i started to deccelerate the wheel jerked to the right very hard, hard enough to totaly catch me off guard and knock my hand off the wheel. (sorta feelt like a car with bad tourqe steer pulling hard on one side) at that time the car pulled to the right sending me in the direction of the curb, i had time to pull myself out but it wasnt working i tried braking which didnt work, i tried to pull the wheel but it was almost as if it was stuck, i couldnt pull it past a quarter turn. sure enough i scraped up against the curb.

i turn off the car, inspect under the car and all and besides the huge gash on my rim, every thing looks okay. can anyone tell me what happened. why did the wheel pull and why couldnt i pull out of it. it wasnt like the floor was wet, i had good traction and i shoulda been able to pull out of it.

now heres the best part of all, i dont know if its the impact with the curb that did it or if it is the reason why this all happened in the 1st place but my alignment is WAAAAAAAAY off now. in park/neutral with the wheel centered the wheels are straight forward. when driving the car starts to pull to the right with the steering wheel center and in order to drive straight i have to turn the steering wheel to the left more than 1/4 to get the car to drive in a straight line. i managed to drive home doing 20 and taking the back roads.

can anyone tell me what happened, this could have been much more serious, what if there was a car next to me, what if i was on a resedential street and i jumped the sidewalk and hit someone, it would have been horible.

please let me know what happened, how to fix this and how to prevent this, i just had an alignment 4 months ago after i had my suspension instaled, tires are about 20% left, but the ground was so hot and traction def wasnt a problem. the road was above average condition, no uneven road or pot holes.

<<<<me after seeing my rim

 

okay i jus checked my belts and power steering fluid, everything is okay.

n e one have any ideas at all?????????????

 

My first guess would be that the front right Caliper seized, I would also look at all the steering linkage and make sure something didnt break

 

Your symptoms indicate to me (with a high level of probability) that your steering rack malfunctioned. Not safe to drive. I suggest you have it checked by a technician ASAP.

 

awwwww s#it. that sounds expensive. i was hoping it was just an alignment needed.

when the car is in park and with the steering wheel straight the wheels are perfectly straight as well, its when the car is in motion the car drifts to the right and in order to keep the car in a straight line i have to turn the wheel to the left.

i took the car for a drive around the block and i also notice if i go above 35 the tires screech, like they are being dragged or something. the brakes seem okay, i dont know what a seized caliper feels like so i cant say if its that or not. i didnt drive enough to whic side the screeching tire is from, im pretty sure it sounded like the drivers side.

im gonna keep searching online here and else where. please let me know if you guys can come up with something.

***EDIT***

change that statement, its not like the wheel is being dragged like its not moving, the wheel is def turning but its screeching like it isnt in a straight line, like one wheel is straight and one may be tilted or turned inward/outward....i dont know if that is what you call "toe" or what, im gonna have my friend drive and im gonna sit in the back of a truck to see if i can get a better look.

 

Wow never heard of this but i think thats your right caliper seized hard and while you were still pushing brakes the car kept pulling right that might be a problem that your steering wheel did not move

 

god i hope its the brake caliper and not the steering, if its the caliper i could pob jus get one of the remanufactured ones around here for 100 bux then give them my core, that would be excelent. im reeeeeeeealy praying its just an alignment issue, that would be a life saver since its the cheapest. but the way these things go, its always the most expensive repair, never the cheapest.

how do i know if the caliper is seized. ill lift the car tomorw, tell me what to look for, is it just the caliper clamped down on the rotor, is that the give away of a seized caliper.

THANX SO MUCH FOR ALL THE HELP GUYS I REEEEEEEEEALY APPRECIATE IT.!!!!! :-)

 

sounds soo much like the caliper is seized.

 

last night i did have to do an extremely hard brake, from 75 down to like 20 to avoid a swerving car. maybe that sealed my calipers fate. besides the tires screechin, everything else seemed fine. i thought nothing of it. lol sober this was coming back from the maxout btw lol.

now that i think more and more, i think it is the caliper, i mean for the car to just pull so hard all of a sudden, it pulled like one side braked, and the other didnt. but i dint press the brake tho, i let my foot off the gas to let the car slow down on its own, then the car pulled, then i turned the wheel to see if i could straigten out the car, when the steering wheel wasnt pulling it, i pressed the brakes which slowed me enough to rub the curb, instat of smash it. this all happened in a matter of seconds but it felt like forever, like i had plenty of time to think it out, but my mind jus froze up, i spent most of the time thinking like WTF is goin on.

ill no tomorow after i take a look, and if i can make it down the street to firestone

 

I had a similar issue once, not quite as dramatic, but it ended up just being the road I was on dipped in one spot and givin the size of my tire/rims it pulled my car to the right. :0

 

lol i wish it was that simple. when i woke up i went for another drive to see if its still having the issue and sure enough it is. so now im in the process of lifting the car and checking the brakes. after this im heading to the shop to see what they have to say.

 

okay, now i have some info from a mechanics point of view. this is what he told me (pepboys mech)

the brakes are fine, calipers are not seized, pads are kinda worn, and drivers side rotor is showing some warping. but def isnt the problem. could be a problem in the near future but it isnt what is causing the problem now.

steering assembly is in good order, he topped off my fluid.

cv axles were done 3 months ago and seem to be in good order

my allignment is off he said, you can actually see it, i think he said its the camber, the wheel is tilted inward on the bottom of the wheel so the wheel looks kinda like this -/- instead of straight like this -|-. its tilted slightly, not like actually sunken in but it is noticeable and can def cause steering/alignment issues.

he said the main problem with all of this is that my hub assembly was broken, it needs to be replaced. i dont know what this is, i kno what a hub/wheel bearing is but i dont know what this is. he couldnt do the alignment without replacing this, he said it wouldnt work. so in order to have this repaired he said i would have to buy the hub assembly, labor, and allignment. the hub assembly he said would be 2-300, and labor 150 and 50 for allignment so i def cant do it now.

ill go to my usual mechanic in the morning and see what he says, he can prob save me atleast 60%.

so now we know what is and what isnt the peoblem, what can you guys tell me about hub assembly, do you think that is what the real prolem. will i need to change the bearing at the same time. how ard is a job like this. what should i be looking at $$ wise.

for now my car is down, only use it for trips to mechanics.