What Causes Car Steering Wheel to Pull to One Side?
2 Answers
Car steering wheel pulling to one side is caused by: 1. Excessive wear on one side of the tires; 2. Damage to the ball joint shock absorber; 3. Inconsistent tire pressure on both sides of the vehicle; 4. Deformation or poor performance of related components in the vehicle's suspension system. Car steering wheel pulling to one side refers to the phenomenon where the car, while driving straight on a flat road, naturally veers to one side, causing the center line of the front and rear axles to be inconsistent with the center line of the driving trajectory. The impact of car steering wheel pulling to one side is: in mild cases, it can cause tire wear and tire scrapping, while in severe cases, it can lead to dangerous situations such as tire blowouts and loss of vehicle control.
Last time my car's steering wheel kept pulling to the right, which was really annoying. It might be due to uneven tire pressure—if one tire is higher and the other lower, the car tends to drift. If the tire wear is uneven, like the left tires wearing out more than the right, the car will naturally pull to that side. It could also be a misaligned wheel alignment—if the wheelbase is off, the steering wheel will pull. I've seen many cars with this issue. Worn suspension parts can cause drifting too, like loose ball joints or broken springs. The worst is when the steering system fails—if the power steering pump isn’t working, steering becomes heavy and the car won’t stay straight. Regularly check your tire pressure, and if the drifting is severe, get it fixed at a shop immediately—don’t wait until the frame gets misaligned, which is even worse. Ignoring steering drift can lead to loss of control at high speeds, so it’s something to watch out for.
