Will bad ball joints cause wandering?
Another symptom of worn ball joints is wandering steering. Wandering steering is when the vehicle steering drifts from left to right on its own. Worn ball joints will cause the vehicle steering to wander to the left or right, which will require the driver to compensate for the issue.
What happens when control arms go bad?
If the bushings or ball joints in the control arm become excessively worn it can cause wheel shimmy, which may cause vibrations that may be felt in the wheel. The vibrations may increase as you accelerate and smoothen out once you are traveling at speed.
What are the symptoms of a bad control arm?
Here are the most common symptoms of bad control arm bushings and ball joints: Specifically coming from the control arm and usually following a bump, braking, or a hard turn. Pulling to the left or right without input from the steering wheel.
Can a bad control arm cause steering wandering?
Another symptom commonly associated with bad or failing control arm components is steering wandering. Excessively worn ball joints, bushings, or a combination of these can cause the vehicle’s steering alignment to shift, which may cause the steering to pull to the left or right when traveling down the road.
Can a bad control arm cause tire wear?
Irregular tire wear and steering wander is often a sign of mis-alignment of the wheel which can be caused by problems with either the control arm bushings or ball joint, among other factors. But if these problems arose after having the lower control arm replaced then it’s likely that’s where you’ll find your tire-eating culprit.
Why are control arms, bushings, and ball joints important?
Control arms, bushings, and ball joints may not be common household terms for many vehicle owners. You may have never even heard of them, but they are critical components of your vehicle’s suspension system that allow your tires to smoothly go up and down in a controlled fashion. Without them, your ride probably wouldn’t be very enjoyable.