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Car drifts on freeway

S

Steve S

Jul 26, 2000
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#1
I have a 93 Toyota Camry with 70,000 miles on it. My wife used to drive it and got into an accident, rear ending another car on a freeway on ramp. She has a bad habit of following much too closely.

The front end was repaired and the wheels were realigned but sometimes, when I'm on the freeway, the car will suddently pull to the left side, sometimes drifting quickly into the other lane. Other times when braking, the car will pull to the right. I took it into the shop and the repairman couldn't find anything wrong. Because of this problem, I find myself holding the wheels tightly with both hands when I'm on the freeway and when it rains, I really get concerned.

Does anyone have an idea what I need to do to fix this problem? My wife said that she never experienced this...
 
#6
iamlowsound said:
It could be the springs locking up. I had that problem on an old car.

lowsound
Click to expand...

Who the **** told you that, and what kinda car was it?:hmm:


to diagnose front end problems you must jack up the front end and push hard back and forth against the tires to check for play.


If you push on the top or bottom of the tire (in relation to the orientation on the car body) and you get movement, start looking at ball joints...

If you get movement pushing on the tire (with steering wheel locked) on the front or back edges of the tire, begin to pull and tug on steering linkage.

Check your wheel bearings, they could be seizing up on you causing intermittent tugs, but i would normally doubt this would be the likely cause.



You mention you get a drift while braking. When were the last time the front rotors were turned, and are your brake pads wearing evenly?



If you don't know how to get the wheels off and jack it up, or have never done any of these sorts of diagnosis, you will need a friend that does. If not, take it to a reputable place known for doing front end work. carx and places that advertise heavily in brakes and mufflers are not a place you should be taking a car for front end concerns.





Good luck,
Justin
 
#8
You mention you get a drift while braking. When were the last time the front rotors were turned, and are your brake pads wearing evenly? (Quote)


I'm not sure when the rotors were turned. After the accident, the shop supposedly checked everything. Thank you for the suggestions. I'll try them and see if the problem goes away.
 
#9
Be sure to keep documentation of the problem and keep a diary of it as well.
I think it's serious enough, that I wouldn't drive the car.
Maybe take it to another couple of mechanics to have a look.

Possibly take it out for a test drive with the mechanics.
 

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