What Are Signs of Bad Outer Tie Rods?

A loose feeling steering wheel can be a sign of a bad outer tie rod.ford mustang's steering wheel image by Lario Tus from Fotolia.com

Tie rods are part of the steering mechanism on a car. The tie rods often become worn out after several years of use and will need to be replaced. The symptoms and signs of a bad outer tie rod is vibrations, noise, tire movement and loose steering. All of these symptoms may man that a tie rod needs to be replaced quickly.

Noise

When your tie rods have gone bad, you will begin to hear a grinding noise. This will happen when you are turning your steering wheel one direction or another. It may specifically be the tie rods that are bad when the wheel is vibrating loud and fast when you are driving on the highway.

You can check the outer tie rods by jacking the car up and grabbing the bottom of the tire with both of your hands. Start by lifting it straight up and seeing how much play there is. There should be very minimal movement. If it is very loose, then there may be worn out tie rods.

The last way to know if you have bad outer tie rods is to pay attention to the steering. If the steering has a slow reaction or the car is pulling to one side erratically, the tie rods may be worn out. Also, the steering should not feel loose and ready to slide either way on the road.