Car is pulling to the left
or right
Causes & Solutions
The most common cause of a car pulling to the left or right is tires that are worn differently. The second most common cause is a different tire pressure in one of the tires. Other possible causes are
1) Car pulls to the right or left
after tire change
You should first make sure that you have the correct tire sizes and dimensions. Non-approved or non-matching tire sizes on the vehicle can also lead to warping of the car to one side. Here you can find out more about how to find the right Tire sizes for your vehicle find. Is the problem exactly after the tire change the problem is most likely due to the pressure in the tires. What the Correct tire pressure is at the B-pillar with driver's door open.
If the car continues to pull to the left or right, check the Profile of the tires.
The following tire tread defects may be the cause:
Differently worn tires (tread depths)
Let's assume that during the last season your summer tires have worn down to varying degrees. This means, for example, that the left-hand tires were worn down more than the right-hand tires for a certain reason.
If you now swap the tires the two sides this summer season, this can lead to the pull the car to one side.
If no one has changed anything on the axle geometry, changing the tires to the correct side (as last summer season) may be the Temporarily fix the problem. However, you can only rectify the error completely if you have a wheel alignment is carried out. This means that the tires no longer wear out at different rates. As the old summer tires have already been used up to varying degrees, you should also get a new one. Get a set of tires.
Of course, all this also applies to winter tires and the winter season.
The cost of the tires adds greatly to the Dimension and the brand depends. On average, these amount to between €300 and €600.
Buy new tires at the best price! *
Summer tires, winter tires and all-season tires-> Reifen.de has the cheapest offer of all compared tire suppliers in the D-A-CH area.
If the cause lies with your tires, it is worthwhile for you to take a look here.
Different wear of the individual tires
If the car pulls to one side, it is often the The reason for the different wear of an individual tire. Through a misaligned axle geometry or unbalanced wheels, individual tires can Different tread depths at various points.
If the tread depth is only minimally different and the steering wheel vibrates when drivingthe problem lies more in the Imbalance in your wheels. Wheel balancing is not expensive and can be done in a Workshop for approx. 50€ be made.
Here special Weights on the inside of the rim mounted to eliminate the imbalance of the wheel.
There is no noticeable change and the problem persists, you have to carry out a wheel alignment leave. A wheel alignment costs approx. 100€ to 300€.
2) Car pulls to the right or left
despite wheel alignment
Exotic answers are suggested in the forum to solve this problem. If the vehicle continues to pull to one side despite correct wheel alignment, Check the following causes in this order:
Damage to the wishbone or axle carrier
First check all Check wishbones and axle carriers for damage, cracks or "rust-through". It is possible that the suspension of only one wishbone is completely rusted through. This is why the car pulls, especially when Accelerating and braking to the right or left.
Raise the vehicle with a jack and check the wheel suspension behind the wheels. The "Shake test" can also be used here (see image). You should also use the shake test for the Buying a used car maketo detect defects in the wheel suspension. When pushing the wheel in and pulling it out, you should no rattling or similar mechanical noise can be heard from the wheel arch. The wheel should not show any noticeable movement when forces are applied in these test directions.
Defect in the track rod (track joint & track head)
As you have already jacked up the car to check the wishbones, you also check the Tie rod.
Watch out for damage to the Track head and track joint. It is not uncommon for a Track head knocked out and the vehicle therefore pulls to the left or right when driving. The cost of a new track head is limited.
You can create a Purchase a new track head from just €25. The Measuringwhich you must have carried out again by changing the track head, but costs 100€-300€.
*Favorable offers for Tie rods can be found here:
Suspension springs broken
If the wishbones and track rods are not missing anything, then the Suspension springs left to check. If the car pulls to the right or left and you drop beating noises in the wheel archit may be due to the springs. Another A sign of broken springs is when your car is leaning in a straight line.
If this is the case, you must replace the defective spring. The cost of a spring is approx. 45€-75€ per piece depending on the manufacturer and car model.
*Favorable offers for Suspension springs can be found here:
Steering center position adjusted
This deficiency will apply in very few cases. For this reason, check the center position of the steering wheel at the end. Do you have the feeling that your steering wheel is not centered when driving straight ahead? If the car also pulls to one side, the center position of the steering gear may be misaligned. This could be the The steering wheel may have been changed or another repair may have been carried out in the steering gear area. If the surveyor has not checked the steering wheel Wheel alignment not centered beforehandthis can also lead to a misaligned center position of the steering wheel.
The steering wheel is connected to the steering gear via gearing. The center is marked most and the steering wheel can be placed in the center accordingly. However, we recommend that you have all this removed during the wheel alignment. Measuring and adjusting the track is one of the few things you can't just do at home. You should leave this work to the measurers with laser tools. It is therefore best to drive back to the workshop and inform them about the misalignment of the steering wheel.
3) Car pulls to the right or left
when braking
Pulls the car when braking to the right or left (or after changing the coating), this is usually due to Incorrectly fitted brake pads.
Make sure that the brake pads are not accidentally lie crooked inside and therefore the full braking surface cannot be used. If the If brake discs are warm to varying degrees after a journey, this may also indicate incorrectly fitted brake pads.
In principle, check the entire brake system:
If it is a BMW X1 or a BMW 3 Series with all-wheel drive the Fault possibly with the car manufacturer. At the beginning of 2012, BMW announced that some cars in the E90 and X1 series Braking is delayed and one-sided in wet conditions. The problem is caused by a "lubricating film" forming on the brake disk and can be attributed to Customer request in a BMW workshop can be eliminated using software.
* Affiliate links are marked with a *. Nothing changes for you and the offer/price remains the same. You can find more information about affiliate links here.
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