Like a Doctor, But For Your Car

Vehicle Not Driving Straight? It Could Be Due To These 4 Things

Have you noticed that your vehicle is no longer driving straight on the road? The vehicle may be slowly drifting to one side and require constant correction on your part, which can be quite frustrating. Follow these tips to know what to do about it. 

Keep Notes About Behavior

The first thing you want to do is start taking notes about when the vehicle starts to drift. For example, does it happen when you are braking, when you are driving on a certain road, or when driving at high speeds? This information is going to help a mechanic diagnose the problem, since drifting can be caused by a variety of different problems. You may think that the problem is with your vehicle, but it turns out that your vehicle only drifts on a certain section of road that has a very large slant to the side.

Observe Your Own Driving Behavior

You should also consider if the reason your vehicle is not traveling in a straight line is if it is due to your own driving behavior. Try going to an empty parking lot and try to drive in a straight line by going down the middle of a row of parking spaces. You may be surprised to see your vehicle go straight, but your own behavior of adjusting the wheel causes the drifting.

Look At The Tires

A common reason for drifting is uneven tire wear. However, getting new tires is not necessarily going to fix the problem. There is likely another problem with your vehicle that is causing uneven wear. It could be as simple as having a wheel alignment done to get them in the right alignment, since more pressure could be put on the edge of a tire to put more wear on it that it normally experiences. Uneven wear can also be caused by not rotating your tires frequently enough. Either way, there is an issue that needs to be fixed, and you'll be able to tell by the condition of the tires. 

Consider Getting A Vehicle Inspection

There are many components of your vehicle that will be very difficult to check on your own. Your suspension is one thing that is worth having inspected to see if it is the cause of the problem, or if it is just a component of the steering system in your car. 

Reach out to a local auto repair service provider for assistance determining what repair is needed to fix your vehicle. 


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