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My 2007 TL has developed a problem where the steering wheel has become very hard to turn when reversing. It feels like it is coming from the drivers side. Cornering is also affected and the car feel like is a leaning too much and the ride is a bit rough on this side as well. The shocks seem to be okay as there is no excessive bouncing when going over bumps. When going over roads that are uneven, the steering wheel tends to fight back and move by itself. I had the car inspected by the dealership today and they could not find any issues but said that it could be the power steering pump. I don’t think that this is the case as I suspect a failing pump would make noise and affect steering in both directions.
I am thinking about taking the vehicle in for an alignment check but wanted to get some opinions to see if I am on the right track or what I should check out next. Any suggestions?
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I have not noticed any unusual wear. Last night I was driving around an area of town that has many hills. When going up a hill the front wheels spun a few times when going over small bumps. Perhaps the issue is with the suspension in the rear and my steering is being affected by this.
You say the car feels like it’s leaning too much when cornering. Do you get this impression in both directions, or just when turning in a particular direction?
The front suspension is the first thing I’d look at, and it’s quite possible that more than one thing has gone wrong. Sway bars and struts are what I’d look at first. Also, make sure your tires are inflated properly. Some vehicles can be very sensitive to tire pressures.
With hydraulic systems, it’s rare that a pump with cause problems with steering like that, most often I find problems with the rack. Has the vehicle been in a collision or anything like that? If so, I would defiantly be looking at the rack.
Good luck and keep us posted.
[quote=”Evil-i” post=139656]You say the car feels like it’s leaning too much when cornering. Do you get this impression in both directions, or just when turning in a particular direction?
The front suspension is the first thing I’d look at, and it’s quite possible that more than one thing has gone wrong. Sway bars and struts are what I’d look at first. Also, make sure your tires are inflated properly. Some vehicles can be very sensitive to tire pressures.[/quote]
It is only noticable when turning right and the weight of the car is on the drivers side. Tire pressure has been checked and is okay.
[quote=”EricTheCarGuy” post=139676]With hydraulic systems, it’s rare that a pump with cause problems with steering like that, most often I find problems with the rack. Has the vehicle been in a collision or anything like that? If so, I would defiantly be looking at the rack.
Good luck and keep us posted.[/quote]
The vehicle was in a minor accident and was hit on the front drivers side near the headlight. The side fender, bumper and hood was replaced. The car passed inspection afterwards and an alignment report showed that everything was okay. The alignment was performed about 9 months ago.
The rack may have been damaged in the accident but just now showing the signs. I tend to agree with Eric on this one. I cannot see the pump causing this.
UPDATE: After inspecting the suspension I found that a few of the shocks were leaking. I replaced all of them with OEM parts but we had an issue with getting the bolt out of the control arm on the front passenger side. I took the vehicle into the dealership to have them deal with that as I don’t have the proper tools for getting the bolt out. They managed to get it out but they had to replace the bushing it goes though. Now the car shakes when accelerating at low speeds. I took it back to dealership today and they told me that the drive shaft on that side is bent and needs replacement., Funny how it never did this when I first took it to them. Does this sound right and should I trust this diagnosis? What drive shaft are they referring to? Would this be the axel?
Its sometimes hard to diagnose problems like that when there are possibilities of other components also being an issue. With your car being in an accident sometimes stuff got bent slightly and it causes drivability issues when the car is not static (on the alignment lift). Its hard to notice that when the car is on the lift and the wheels are hanging as well.
Id ask to see the driveshaft (post a picture if you can). I have never seen one bend before. I would go get the car aligned again before you replace any more parts. It might be as simple as that. All it takes is one good bump to set off the alignment
A cv axle can cause a vibration. It happens when moving at low speed. so that would
say its something that rotates. see if this link helps further.http://www.ericthecarguy.com/faq/determining-the-causes-of-vehicle-vibrations
I had similar problem . Lift the car and check for drift on both front wheels. Mine turned out to be a bad Rack one wheel was moving to the turn position faster then the other but only under load . While reversing you might be dragging a wheel that has not reached the same position as the other. Problem was not discovered on alignment rack because wheels were static.
Good luck and check one wheel at a time. If you can turn it (left or right not round and round) Then Eric is right check the rack.I complained to the dealership and they replaced the part at their expense. It is no longer shaking. Ride is still overly rough and the front end of the car seems like hopping over bumps on the road on the drivers side . It is as if the car is not sitting flat when its going down the road as there is a feeling of it leaning too much on the drivers side. Not sure where else to look. Tire pressure is where it needs to be and when I replaced the shocks a few weeks back I did not noticed anything which was broken or bent on the suspension. I have not had the steering rack looked at yet but I am going to make an appointment to have it tested in the next few weeks.
Tires. I can’t stress enough how using the wrong tires on that vehicle in particular can cause an issue. Since they’re low profile tires, it’s very important to use the Michelins that came on it originally. I’ve seen all kinds of issues when using other tires. Also, make sure your tire pressure is correct. Lastly, even if you use the Michelins you’ll still experience a slight vibration until the tires heat up. It’s just the nature of that vehicle.
Good luck and keep us posted on how things work out for you.
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