Video:What Are Typical Steering and Suspension Problems

Transcript:What Are Typical Steering and Suspension Problems

Hi, I'm Mitchell Zelman, owner and mechanic at Mitchell's Auto Repair in Brooklyn, New York, and author of "What the Experts May Not Tell You About Car Repair," here for About.com. I'm going to give you some tips for when you may be facing suspension and steering problems.

Suspension Problem: Stabilizer Link

If you should be driving down the road and hear rattling coming from your car, one of the things you may want to have checked out will be the stabilizer link. The stabilizer link keeps your car from excessive body roll. And these parts do wear out. It's basically a steel rod with a ball and socket, and it's a relatively tight fit. What happens is over bumps, the ball gets a little bit smaller, the socket gets larger, and it makes a rattling noise.

Suspension Problem: Ball Joint

Another thing that you may want to look at, with regard to suspension, is something called a ball joint. The ball joints are at the point at which the wheel swivels on the lower control arm, and is a part that does wear out. The ball joint is something that should be checked out periodically, whenever the car is on the lift, or during an oil change, or certainly when an inspection of the front end is done. If you find that your ball joint has excessive play in it, then you're going to need to have it replaced. There are many different variations of ball joints. I think the best thing to do is to have a repair shop replace it for you.

Steering Problem: Tie Rod Ends

When it comes to steering you should consider checking the tie rod ends. There are two tie rod ends, one inner and one outer, and they're connected to the rack and pinion. What happens is over pot holes and steering, the tie rod ends wear out and they get excessive play. These are the tie rod ends. This is the outer tie rod end and this is the inner tie rod end, connected to the rack and pinion. When this ball socket gets excessive play in it, it becomes a dangerous situation. If it should disconnect or pop out, then you would lose steering entirely. If there's a minimal amount of play, then this wheel can turn independently of the other wheel, causing a situation where the wheels are no longer in sync with one another, which is a dangerous situation. Not to mention that your tires will wear out prematurely.

Steering Problem: Steering Fluid

Another problem that you might encounter has to do with the steering fluid. One of the problems that we might encounter with the rack and pinion is that it starts to leak power steering fluid from the seal. It would be dripping down onto the frame of the car, at which point the rack and pinion would have to be removed from the car and replaced. It's important to keep your car in good working order and avoid any potential dangerous problems.

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