i think my car needs an alignment?

Question

when I am going higway spped (above 50mph), my car starts to swerve or lean to the right alot when I let go of the sterring wheel. I am not sure if I need an alignment? I just got my tires balanced. also at high speed the sterring wheel and the my whoel car feels a little shakey. any comments or suggestions? thanks

also will it be dnagerous to leave my tires unaligned? if I dont get an alignment would this hurt or affect other parts of the car or me?

Answer 1

Check the tire pressures.Check that the lug nuts are properly torqued.Raise the wheel and turn it by hand to see if there is unusual resistance,this would indicate a seized caliper.You did not say whether this problem got better or worse after balancing.If it got worse ,I would suspect the workmanship of the person who balanced the tires.Check the sidewalls of the tires for any obvious deformity along the top outer edge,this would indicate a broken belt.If the tire on the right side is showing unusual wear on it's outer edges ,that is under-inflation.If one edge is worn,that's a good indication of mis-alignment.Newer cars generally do not go out of alignment unless a part wears out,such as a tie-rod.A worn tie-rod will cause oscillation at a specific speed that decreases as you move away from that speed.A worn ball joint will cause" wandering" when you hit a bump.Although many people are able to replace worn front end parts competently,the car should always be taken to a shop for final alignment.

Answer 2

You should probably start with the service department. Your vehicle should be covered under warranty unless it was in an accident. I am assuming you bought it used. In that case you may have to talk to the sales manager, don't bother with the sales person he has no power to make any decisions about fixing your car. You could also ask to see the mechanic's check list from the used car inspection any decent dealer will have a mechanic check over every car before it goes on the lot. That should show what condition the tires were in and what repairs were recommended by the mechanic. The dealer may have already known about the problem and just been to cheep to fix it.

Answer 3

Alignment is very important for tire life and your safety on the highway. If in doubt, get it done. Shaking can also be caused by improper tire balance and pulling to one side can also be caused by brake imbalance.

Answer 4

yes, you need an alignment. Take it in and they'll check it out for you. As for te "shaking" at higher speeds that is usually indicitive that you need your tires balanced but u said that u just got that done. Just take in to any place that does alignments and they'll throw it on the rack for u

Answer 5

The most likely cause is typically an alignment.

However you could potentially have a sticking caliper on the side that the car is pulling toward.

Only way to know for certain is to put it on a rack and inspect it.

Answer 6

just a reminder alignment is just a adjustment it wont make nothing shake or bounce so dont get fool