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by Anonymous on March 31st, 2006

Anonymous

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Help answer this question below.

My car pulls to the right when I travel at low or high speeds. It even vibrates sometimes. I have new tires and have had a front end alignment. So what could be wrong?

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Answers. 17 helpful answers below.

  • by scotty2006 on November 18th, 2006

    scotty2006

    I would have your right front caliper checked to see if it is sticking this will cause a low as well as a high speed pull and the vibration could very well be the brake pads and rotor on that side overheating due to the caliper sticking.
    The reason for the caliper sticking could be any one of the following, Piston sticking in the caliper bore, the brake hose going to that caliper has come apart on the inside causeing a restriction, the caliper slides could be frozen up. The easiest way to check for this is to jack up the front end and have someone apply the brakes then release them, Try to turn the left front wheel taking note of the effort required to turn it. Then go to the right side and try to turn that wheel most likely if the caliper is sticking it will be very hard to turn.

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  • by mat68046 on October 19th, 2010

    mat68046

    First things first
    1. When did you notice the pull to the right? Was is after a minor accident? If so there's a problem with the chassis that none of the things previously mentioned will address (except the alignment which, if done properly, would pick up on anomalies. Did you get a "front-end alignment or a "four-wheel" alignment or a "thrust-angle" alignment? What is the "thrust angle" off of your printout?) I suspect you didn't get the proper alignment type. Four-wheel and thrust-angle alignments must use the reference angles from the rear wheels as well as the front. The thrust-angle alignment assumes that the rear wheels aren't adjustable but the angle from the rear of the car creates an angle called "thrust angle" which affects the theoretical centerline of the car and must be compensated for if it's not 0 degrees.
    2. Did the new tires change the condition at all? If so swap the two front tires and re-road test.
    3. What is this vehicle? More detailed answers can usually come out of the woodwork from experience with particular vehicle.

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  • by fataka on December 26th, 2006

    fataka

    Add one more check to all of the above,
    Have had wheel balancing done. Vibration at low and high speeds (especially at high speeds) looks like an unbalanced wheel rim.

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  • by drumbum360 on December 26th, 2006

    drumbum360

    Be sure all of your tires are inflated to the proper psi rating for the tire. I had this problem and I found this helped cure it. I think there probably are other underlying problems and the others have suggested.

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  • by 8 Jan 2004-10 Dec 2009 on December 26th, 2006

    8 Jan 2004-10 Dec 2009

    Umm, there are two things I have not seen mentioned here yet and I just went trhough both of them again.

    1) Bad wheel bearing - Most reputable garages won't bother aligning a car with a bad wheel bearing. Randomly variable camber and toe will do odd things.

    2) What about the rear end? My car had a nice front alignment, but did the same thing anyways. It turned out that one of my rear wheels had -1.5 degrees of camber (about three times the factory spec) and 1.2 degrees of toe OUT.
    Depending on the car, the rear should be either zero or slight toe IN, and the excessive camber was wearing out the inside edge of that tire. But would a front end alignment fix that? Nope.

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  • by cloudman on August 11th, 2009

    cloudman

    I've read some of the other answers and would like to add that quite a few years ago I had a tire that was badly "out or round" on the right front. That caused an increase in friction and a decrease in smooth rolling which made the car pull to the right and also accounted for the vibrations that I felt. I'm not saying that is your problem but it sure sounds similar to the one I had.

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  • by TAPriceCTR s son is wearing his COAT on August 11th, 2009

    TAPriceCTR s son is wearing his COAT

    A: the alignment was poorly done
    B: you need new brake calipers, the right one could not be letting go adequately
    C: something more severe could be wrong with the brakes
    D: it might even be the back right brake

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  • by Rick94110 on December 2nd, 2009

    Rick94110

    Have you ever seen a car on the freeway with a wheel out of whack? Boy does it look bad. One time it was very, very obvious. The wheels were going one way, and the car was going the other way. This was on a freeway.

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  • by Jas13288 on July 8th, 2008

    Jas13288

    I have the same problem. I have brand new tires which have been balanced. I also just got brand new brake pads and rotors (not calipers though). I had a 4 wheel alignment from the dealer and saw the print out. Also replaced lower control arm, bushings, sway bar links on right side under warranty but problem persists. Any other suggestions.

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  • by fils1girl on November 17th, 2007

    fils1girl

    Upper or lower control arm bushings
    Stabalizer
    Rocker Arm
    Check the suspension

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  • by Anonymous on November 18th, 2006

    Anonymous

    You should not have this problem, IF, you had the alignment, with your new tires. you paid for the alignment, but are you sure you received it?

    Take your automobile back to the people that supposedly made the alignment. tell them the problem and let them investigate.

    The new tires you purchased.....are you sure they were first grade and not second grade tires?

    Investigate. you should not have this problem.

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  • by TheManOnTheHill on January 19th, 2011

    TheManOnTheHill

    I don't know what part of the world you are in but because the most I know about cars is where to put the gas when needed and how to drive. I've put a great deal of time in finding and interviewing owners of repair shops (before I need repair) so if I find that something is not right about my car I can feel comfort in the fact that I have a repair shop I can trust that I can take my car to. I'm from Maryland but in Arizona at the moment (bend here 6 months not sure if I'm staying yet) and I've found http://www.chandlerazautorepair.co.cc to be a trusted place for auto repair. In Maryland the repair shop I use doesn't have a website but their name is A&A Auto. I hope this is helpful.

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  • by geek860 on July 10th, 2006

    geek860

    Check your brake rotors and calipers for the vibration. As for the pulling to the right that sounds like an alignment issue but since you did that have a look at your steering box, linkage, etc. If something there is loose then it will not hold a path correctly.

    Is there any loose feeling in your steering wheel? Does it feel responsive?

    Hope this helps,
    Good Luck

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  • by adc103051 on December 21st, 2006

    adc103051

    Pulling to the right after what you've done--bad caliper... Vibration---warped rotor.

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  • by Debbie on November 17th, 2007

    Debbie

    your tires may be cupped even though they are new. did u see the print out on the alignment? was it a true alignment. perhaps your rim is bent making even NEW tires go bad.

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  • by kurtdaniel on August 17th, 2007

    kurtdaniel

    Failed brake pads or calipers. Check this products from http://www.autopartsonlinecanada.com/category/brake-drum.html

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  • by mat68046 on October 19th, 2010

    mat68046

    Share your answer...

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