The 7 main causes of a car that pulls to the right or left include:
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- Problems with the caliper
- Troubles with the brake hose
- Issues with the brake pads
- Problems with the suspension system
- Issues related to tire pressure
- Problems with the wheel bearing
- Troubles in the brake pad match
In many situations, it can be stressful to deal with a car that pulls to the right or left. It might sound a little bit scary, especially for inexperienced drivers. Typically, the first thing that always comes to mind is an issue with the vehicle alignment. Still, there are tons of other causes that you should be familiar with before making a repair decision.
There are some problems related to this pension system, while others might be related to a sensitive system like the braking system. Therefore, every driver needs to understand that there are many other things he needs to look for before just going with a wheel alignment to repair the problem and get rid of a card that pulls to the right or left.
This article highlights the seven main causes of a car that pulls to the right or left. Once you understand the different causes, you should be able to identify a list of potential culprits while ensuring that you're not missing anything.
7 causes of a car that pulls the right or left
Automotive experts understand how stressful it can be to deal with a vehicle that pulls to the right or left. That's why they did intensive research to understand all the potential causes behind this problem.
You, as a driver, must go through the entire list of potential culprits before making a final repair decision. Sometimes it might be a combination of a problem with multiple components simultaneously.
We highly encourage you to review the entire list below and identify the culprit. Once the culprit is identified, the next step is to work with the mechanic to resolve the issue as soon as possible before things get out of hand and before you get in situations where your safety might be impacted.
1. Problems with the caliper
The first and most common problem that might make your car pull to the right or left is when you have a problem with the caliper. It doesn't mean that the caliper is not working properly, but it could be that the caliber is stuck to the rigging system, and that's why it's not doing its job.
According to experts' recommendations, when dealing with a stuck caliber, you'll most likely need to replace it to resolve the problem and have your vehicle work again.
Typically, when the caliper is stuck, you will notice some other symptoms that should bring your attention immediately before you get to the point where you can't function in the rating system, which is very stressful and risky.
2. Troubles with the brake hose
Another potential problem for your car to pull to the right or left is when you have a problem with the brake hose. Sometimes the brake hose might look fine to you from the exterior, but unfortunately, it could have some major problems internally.
Typically, the problem you're dealing with is the brake hose; you'll feel that your vehicle pulls in one direction more than the other for some time, but then it goes back to normal, and the problem occurs mostly whenever you engage the brakes.
It can be very challenging for inexperienced drivers to diagnose the brake hose and understand whether it's in good condition. That's why you'll need to consult your mechanic and have him perform a thorough inspection to determine where the problem is coming from and decide on the next steps for repair.
3. Issues with the brake pads
Did you know that if your brake pads are not in good condition, your car might pull to the right or left?! This situation might not be visible to every driver, but it's the case in most scenarios.
Therefore, you need to understand When to replace the brake pad and keep an eye for other symptoms that could indicate that your brake pads are reaching the end of their lifetime.
Your vehicle owner's manual should recommend how often you should check on the brake pads and replace them. However, some circumstances might get your brake pads to wear out before they should. Therefore, you should not only rely on their recommendations in your vehicle's owner's manual, and you must keep an eye for any other symptoms that you can catch as soon as possible.
This will not you to notice the brake pads losing some of their thickness, and the easier it is for your mechanic to resolve the problem by just replacing the brake pads without needing to install major components in your braking system.
4. Problems with the suspension system
As you might notice, most of the problems we discussed before are typically related to the braking system. However, there are some situations where all you're dealing with has to do with the suspension system, forcing your car to pull to the right or left.
There are tons of components along the suspension system, and it can be very challenging to say which components are most likely to wear out before the others. Therefore, you'll need to discuss with your mechanic and have him look carefully at the suspension system to determine where exactly you should focus their care costs.
5. Issues related to tire pressure
After you confirm that your big system is working properly and check on the suspension system, the next step is to look at the tires. The tires might have different problems that could cause your car to pull to the right or left.
For example, if you don't have the right tire pressure throughout the tire, you can easily deal with some vehicle unpleasant behavior related to pulling to one side more than the other.
For instance, if your tires are not all inflated properly at the same pressure level, your car will not be balanced and will not operate as it should. Your vehicle is expecting the same tire inflation from all sides, and if one side is lower than the other, it will cause your car to pull to one side more than the other, and it will eventually cause problems with the suspension system.
6. Problems with the wheel bearing
There is also the wheel bearing that could be a potential culprit for your car pulling to one side more than the other. Again, you need to check on this before you give up on fixing your vehicle because it is one of the common causes for your vehicle to pull to one side more than the other.
The wheel bearing is a critical component in your wheels; if it goes bad, it can lead to many complications, including issues with the vehicle driving direction.
7. Troubles in the brake pad match
Finally, even if you have the best brake pads in your car and they're not completely worn out, there might be some issues with brake pad mismatch that could cause your car to pull to one side more than the other.
For example, if you recently replaced the brake pads in a couple of locations around your car but forgot to replace the other ones, your vehicle will not be balanced, and you will end up with situations where your car doesn't operate properly or doesn't drive straight as it should.
How much does fixing a car that pulls to the right or left cost?
It all depends. As we mentioned earlier, many causes could make your vehicle pull to one side more than the other. Therefore, repair costs can differ significantly depending on what you're dealing with.
For example, if your problem is a faulty caliper, you would expect to pay somewhere between $90 and $110 per caliper. You need to do the math and understand how many calories you need to replace simultaneously to get a total repair cost.
On the other hand, if your problem concerns brake pads, costs can range from $150 to $300.
If you confirm that your car pulls to the right or left because of a problem with what we'll be hearing, repair costs can be slightly higher and might cost around $350 per wheel bearing for each wheel.
Of course, if you're lucky enough and I will deal with some issues with tire inflation, you can inflate your tires and make sure they are at the same pressure level to resolve your problem and move forward without repair costs.
Remember that sometimes your tires may have significant problems that cause them to lose pressure at one location more than the other. Therefore, if you notice that you keep losing tire pressure in tires more than others, you have to talk to your mechanic and have him detect what is going on to fix the problem before it gets more complicated.
Is driving dangerous with a car that pulls to the right or left?
Of course, it's unsafe to continue driving your car if it keeps pulling to one side more than the other. Imagine if you're driving on the highway and trying to focus on the road. It can be very stressful, and if you're running through any external distractions, you might easily get involved in major car accidents that you can avoid simply by resolving the problem.
We always encourage old drivers to take any car behavior seriously because even if it starts with your car pulling to one side more than the other, it can evolve and become a significant problem that impacts your safety.
Final thoughts
When your vehicle doesn't drive straight, it can be very stressful, especially if the problem is new to you and you haven't dealt with it before.
There are lots of potential causes behind your vehicle pulling to one side more than the other, and familiarizing yourself with these different causes is extremely important to help you narrow down the list of potential culprits and expect what to do next, especially for repair costs and repair options.
This article highlighted the seven causes of car that pulls to the right or left. We highly encourage you to understand what needs to be done to fix this issue as soon as possible before you get into situations where your safety might be impacted.
As you might have noticed, some of the causes might be more complicated than the others and require higher repair costs. Therefore, it is your job to identify whether it's worth fixing your vehicle or selling it instead rather than wasting your time and money.
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