What are the symptoms of a broken car tie rod?
2 Answers
Steering tie rod damage manifests with the following symptoms: 1. Wheel tires: At low speeds, the wheel tires exhibit shaking, bouncing, and wobbling. 2. Steering: The steering becomes stiff, and the vehicle tends to pull to one side. 3. Ball joint rubber boot: The ball joint rubber boot is damaged, with oil leakage. Additional relevant information includes: 1. Chassis inspection: When inspecting the chassis, manually shake the wheels. If both wheels show excessive looseness, it can be inferred that the steering gear is damaged; if the tie rod is broken, it is often accompanied by noise. Additionally, the tie rod has a rubber boot—check if the boot is damaged first. Generally, tie rod damage is mostly caused by boot damage. 2. Car chassis overview: The chassis typically refers to the car's underbody main frame, where all the vehicle's powertrain components, including the engine, transmission, differential, and suspension system, are mounted. The chassis consists of four parts: the drivetrain, running gear, steering system, and braking system. It supports and installs the car engine and its components and assemblies, forming the vehicle's overall structure, bearing the engine's power, and ensuring normal operation.
I just had my tie rods replaced recently, and I can definitely tell the difference when driving. The most obvious issue is the severe shaking of the steering wheel—it vibrates intensely at speeds of 70-80 km/h, making my hands tremble. When going over speed bumps or rough roads, there's a loud metallic clunking noise from the chassis, which gets even louder during turns. The worst part is the constant pulling to one side; even on a straight road, I have to tug the steering wheel in the opposite direction to keep the car straight. Once, I almost lost control during a high-speed turn, and after stopping, I noticed abnormal wear on the inner side of the tires. The mechanic later told me this condition easily causes uneven tire wear—after just a week of driving with bad tie rods, a layer of my new tires had already been worn down.
