Car pulling to the left

csh_2

Hi everyone, finally got myself a new (used) car that I can fit everyone and my pram in! Its a 04 Hyundai Santa Fe and its great apart from I find it pulls quite heavily to the left.

Any ideas what would cause this? It was serviced and MOT'd on Wednesday this week so I'm assuming that anything should have been spotted then
Thanks for any advice :beer:

Crabman

It is likely to be the wheel alignment (tracking).

I'd recommend going to one of these centres as they do a better and more through job of it than the likes of Kwik-Fit:

http://www.alignmycar.co.uk/ (click on centre locator on the left)

They offer a free check & you're not obliged to have the work done. They offer a full printout with details of before and after which is always useful to keep (or study in detail if you're a nerd ).

NickWarren_2

As has been said just sounds like the wheel alignment, Should cost no more than £20 to have laser alignment done.

ariba10

Also check the tyre pressures before you spend any money.

ozvaldinho

If it's still pulling to the left after getting the wheel alignment checked, it's likely to be a wheel bearing or steering track rod end ball joint, most likely on the driver's side. Try grabbing the edge of the tyre and pulling/pushing it in and out to see if there's any play. The MOT would have checked for excessive play, but otherwise they wouldn't notice the wheels being out of alignment unless they took it for a road test, which is unusual these days.
Might be worth checking the front wheels for signs of damage from kerbing, ie damage tyre sidewalls or dented/scuffed rims.

Pew_Pew_Pew_Lasers!

NickWarren wrote: »

As has been said just sounds like the wheel alignment, Should cost no more than £20 to have laser alignment done.

Any shop that charges only £20 for laser alignment is about as trustworthy as Gordon Brown.

Ferris

just a quick bump. what was the resolution of this problem, OP? my car (also a hyundai) has started pulling to the right. i noticed it started happening shortly after checking the tyre pressures at a petrol station, so i assumed it was something to do with tyre pressures, but that doesn't seem to be the case as i rechecked them all today.

i'm not really sure of the difference between "wheel alignment", "tracking" and "wheel balance". my steering wheel doesn't shake, and there is no discernible noise from the steering, but the pull is quite significant and it seemed to appear virtually overnight.

my front two tyres need replacing soon anyway, so could i get it checked out at a tyre shop? any suggestions on places that offer a free check?

also, is there a way to rule out problems OTHER than wheel alignment (i.e. more serious steering/suspension-related issues)? the car goes in for MOT in a few weeks, so i guess that would identify some of them. would wheel alignment problems fail the MOT?

EDIT after some research: i should add, it's an old car (~13 years), so probably wouldn't need/isn't worth doing the most hi-tech alignment as described on alignmycar.co.uk, right?

andygb

Ferris wrote: »

just a quick bump. what was the resolution of this problem, OP? my car (also a hyundai) has started pulling to the right. i noticed it started happening shortly after checking the tyre pressures at a petrol station, so i assumed it was something to do with tyre pressures, but that doesn't seem to be the case as i rechecked them all today.

i'm not really sure of the difference between "wheel alignment", "tracking" and "wheel balance". my steering wheel doesn't shake, and there is no discernible noise from the steering, but the pull is quite significant and it seemed to appear virtually overnight.

my front two tyres need replacing soon anyway, so could i get it checked out at a tyre shop? any suggestions on places that offer a free check?

also, is there a way to rule out problems OTHER than wheel alignment (i.e. more serious steering/suspension-related issues)? the car goes in for MOT in a few weeks, so i guess that would identify some of them. would wheel alignment problems fail the MOT?

EDIT after some research: i should add, it's an old car (~13 years), so probably wouldn't need/isn't worth doing the most hi-tech alignment as described on alignmycar.co.uk, right?

Hi Ferris,
There are a few things which this could be:
Brake caliper/piston siezed, brake pads unevenly worn.
Various suspension linkages, drop links, ball joints
Broken front coil springs, or a failed damper/strut on one side
Wheel bearing loose or seizing

Does the car always pull to the left, is it just on acceleration/braking, or if you take your hands off the wheel, will the car dive in towards the kerb?

The MOT will not pick up on any of these, unless something is obviously loose, broken, or the brakes fail the testing.

Best get it seen to ASAP.

Andy

Ferris

andygb wrote: »

Hi Ferris,
There are a few things which this could be:
Brake caliper/piston siezed, brake pads unevenly worn.
Various suspension linkages, drop links, ball joints
Broken front coil springs, or a failed damper/strut on one side
Wheel bearing loose or seizing

Does the car always pull to the left, is it just on acceleration/braking, or if you take your hands off the wheel, will the car dive in towards the kerb?

The MOT will not pick up on any of these, unless something is obviously loose, broken, or the brakes fail the testing.

Best get it seen to ASAP.

Andy

thanks for the reply, andy. when i park/stop i move the steering wheel to a central position, then as soon as i start to move, the steering will tend to the right unless i hold the wheel. given a big enough car park, i would probably drive in circles if i let go of the wheel.

i haven't noticed it particularly when braking or accelerating, although the movement does seem more dramatic at low speeds (this might just be down to me more willing to let the car drift at low speeds, however!)

braking still seems ok, no loss of efficiency, and there doesn't seem to be a problem picking up speed either.

i notice the list in your reply seems to rule out wheel alignment/tracking as a cause, while a lot of people suggest that as the first thing. is there a particular symptom i described that would rule it out?

i will get it sorted asap, but it won't be p for a while as i don't trust the tyres until the ice melts a little, so i have a little more time to get advice from people who know more than me (i.e. everybody...)

Ferris

i noticed this evening that both front tyres are very worn on the inside, and almost completely unworn on the outside. i understand that this might relate to wheel alignment (camber?), but if both sides are the same it doesn't explain to me why it should cause the car to pull to one side...

so maybe one of the other explanations is more likely. gulp.

[i know i should just get it sorted, whatever it is, but i'm not driving it atm, and i like to understand what i'm paying for...]

jack_of_all

Ferris wrote: »

i noticed this evening that both front tyres are very worn on the inside, and almost completely unworn on the outside. i understand that this might relate to wheel alignment (camber?), but if both sides are the same it doesn't explain to me why it should cause the car to pull to one side...

so maybe one of the other explanations is more likely. gulp.

[i know i should just get it sorted, whatever it is, but i'm not driving it atm, and i like to understand what i'm paying for...]

A camber fault would not usually cause such uneven ware, I'd say almost definately tracking. Your car will often pull to one side if tracking is out enough to cause the uneven ware you have described, both tyres are dragging against each other and losing grip, as one tyre gets more grip on the road it takes the traction, the other then loses more grip and so pulls to the side thats getting most traction. Easily sorted and will save you money with your new tyres lasting longer. May still pull a little after as any error in tracking causes one tyre to have more traction than the other and most garages dont get it spot on, just aim for within the setting tolerances. You need regular checks but have to find a place that does an honest free check, maybe easier said than done.