If you’ve noticed clunking noises coming from your front wheel or from the front of your vehicle when turning, it’s likely due to mechanical issues. Let’s examine four different possible causes!
As an important part of your vehicle’s steering and suspension system, tie rods act as the link between your vehicle’s steering system and the steering arm, which is attached to the steering wheel. The inner and outer tie rods connect to the steering arm in order to move the wheels of your vehicle. In the common rack-and-pinion steering system, the inner tie rods connect to the steering rack while the outer tie rods connect to the steering arms.
Tie rods act as the link between your vehicle’s steering system and the steering arm, which is attached to the steering wheel. This image shows the inner and outer tie rods in green.
Sway bars, or anti-roll bars, are the part of your vehicle that helps it handle turns and prevents it from rolling. These sway bars have sway bar links that connect the outer ends to the suspension component. When these become loose or broken, you may notice a clunking noise as they hit against other parts of the suspension. This noise is especially noticeable from the area around your front tires.
The sway bar links are what connect the suspension to the sway bar and transfer the force of motion from the wheels to the axles. This image shows the sway links in green.
Your vehicle’s ball joints are flexible ball-and-socket joints that connect the steering knuckles (the part that contains the wheel hub) to the control arm, which allows the wheel to be steered at the same time that the suspension is moving with the different road conditions. Ball joints are an integral part of safe steering and suspension. You might not pay much attention to these parts (as they can last a long time), but they do eventually wear out depending on your driving conditions and mileage. This wear can be exacerbated by dirt, debris or water getting inside, causing your vehicle’s ball joints to go bad.
Ball joints are ball-and-socket joints located between the control arm and the steering knuckle. This image shows the upper and lower ball joints in green.
On many vehicles, the front struts are mounted with bearings or bearing plates. These parts are key components to your vehicle's front suspension system: they are the pivot points for the steering. These parts go bad because of intense wear, age, extreme weather, collisions, etc.
It is always in your best interests to have an experienced mechanic diagnose and repair the issue. It’s also beneficial that you fix these problems sooner rather than later, since suspension issues can compound into worse problems and more expensive repairs.
Wonderland Tire replaces tie rods, sway bar links, ball joints, and strut bearing plates at select locations that offer mechanical services.
Please click anywhere to continue browsing our site.