Car Pulling to One Side? It Might Not Be the Tires!

If your car pulls to one side and the steering feels stiff, it may be a sign of tire misalignment. It can cause uneven tire wear, raise the risk of blowouts, and make high-speed driving more dangerous.

Auto deflection happens when a car drifts left or right on its own while driving at a constant speed on a flat, straight, dry, and clean road after you release the steering wheel. This means the line between the front and rear axles does not match the car’s actual driving path. Because of design and manufacturing factors, no car completely avoids deflection. Usually, if a car drifts more than 5 meters over a 1,000-meter distance, we consider it a case of runaway.

Reasons why cars run off the road

Most people think tire issues are the main cause of a car pulling to one side. Uneven tire pressure or tread can cause this, but hidden issues may also lead to the same problem. These hidden faults can also make the car drift off course.

• Accidents cause deformation of the frame.  A common cause of misalignment occurs when repair work after a crash fails to fully restore the car’s frame to its original condition.
  
• Good or bad steering system. A good or bad steering system will also affect the car’s straight-line driving. When connecting parts wear out and develop excessive clearance, or when bearings, main pins, or bushings wear down, they cause the car to deviate from its normal driving path.
• The front shock absorber spring is deformed inconsistent cushioning on both sides. The shock absorber spring can be judged by pressing or comparing it after disassembly.
• Front shock absorber failure. When a front shock absorber fails, one side of the suspension sits higher than the other, causing uneven force and runaway. You can test the shock absorber’s condition with a special tester or by the stretch method after removal.
• Vehicle body deformation. If the vehicle’s overall frame deforms and the difference between the two sides of the wheelbase exceeds the maximum allowed, you can measure it with a tape measure. If it’s out of range, you must correct it using a correction table or replace the parts.
  
• Runaway Falsehood. Some special conditions make you think that the car is running off the road falsely, for example: the normal road surface is sloping, high in the center, and low on both sides, so sometimes the road gets on the car and runs off to the right.
• Brake Cause. Poor brake return on all wheels. It may make one side of the driving resistance increase, causing the vehicle will run off. You can easily check for this by stepping out of the car and feeling the temperature of the wheel hubs. If one wheel is much hotter than the others, it indicates a brake problem causing runaway, and you should have the brakes inspected and repaired.
• Vehicle chassis suspension parts aging wear and tear is also an important cause of vehicle deflection, aging wear and tear between the parts there is an abnormal gap. General steering rod ball head, stabilizer bar rubber sleeve is a common gap is easy to large part, but also can focus on checking the place.