Your vehicle’s steering and suspension system are vital, and one of the major components is the tie rods. Tie rods connect the steering rack to the steering knuckle, making the wheels turn smoothly when driving.
They also contribute to your vehicle’s stability when turning. Unfortunately, tie rods are very susceptible to wear since you use them every time you steer and turn your vehicle. But driving with worn tie rods causes handling issues that could lead to an accident.
Thankfully, there are signs you can note before your tie rods wear down completely. Some of the indicators of failing tie rods include; sharp sounds from the front wheels, front end misalignment, and steering wheel play.
That’s why it’s important to watch out for symptoms of bad tie rods. Read on to learn more about tie rods, the symptoms of bad tie rod ends, and replacement costs.
What is a tie rod?
The tie rod is a mechanical part of the steering and suspension system located between your vehicle’s front wheels. Most vehicles use the rack and pinion system. It connects your steering rack gear to your steering knuckle, and the ends attach to the steering rack ends.
The tie rod consists of inner and outer ends that connect with an adjustable length at the middle, allowing front wheel alignment.
Also, each end of the rod has a ball joint that helps transmit rotation forces through the system and control the turning of the front wheels. Finally, the tie rod ends have protective rubber boots that keep grease and dirt out.
Essentially, a tie rod helps keep your vehicle straight when you’re driving and turning, as it lets your vehicle steer smoothly.
Typically, cars have two tie rod ends on each side: inner tie rod end and outer tie rod end－a total of four. However, sports cars like the Honda Prelude and Chevy Silverado have four-wheel steering, which means they have tie rod ends on both the front and rear wheels.
Symptoms of bad tie rods
All cars have tie rods attached to their wheel housing to support steering and turning. Therefore bad tie rods will affect your vehicle in a number of ways. There are symptoms you can feel, hear and see to indicate the tie rods in your vehicle are failing. They include:
Unresponsive steering
Since tie rods connect the steering wheel to the front wheels, steering and handling issues are one of the first bad inner tie rods symptoms. You will feel excess play from the steering wheel, and steering will be less effective.
It means the steering wheel will turn easily, but the wheels won’t move in correspondence. It would be best if you didn’t ignore loose steering as you could end up losing your steering completely.
Abnormal sounds
Noise from the car wheels is always a bad sign. You will hear strange tie rod noises such as clunking, grinding, a squealing.
A knocking or clunking sound coming from the front wheels is a sign of bad tie rods. When they loosen, the tie rods rattle round the joints and links.
Also, you are likely to hear grinding noise when steering when the boot protecting the tie rod joints accumulates dirt.
A loud, high-pitched squeak is a common indicator of poor lubrication. For instance, when the ball joints are not well lubricated or there is low steering fluid, you will hear squealing from the tie rods when turning the car. Other than poor lubrication, you’re likely to find the tie rods already worn out and require replacements.
Misalignment
Poor vehicle alignment leads to excess or uneven tire wear. Even though other suspension components are in good condition, any change in the tie rods will affect front wheel alignment. Tie rods help in steering; they center your car and allow it to track straight.
As a result, damaged or loose tie rods will cause your car’s front end to go out of alignment due to poor handling.
You can notice misalignment by visually checking your tires. In addition, you’ll notice your vehicle steers poorly if you briefly remove your hands from the steering wheel after pointing straight while driving. A well-aligned car maintains a straight path.
Uneven tire wear
The suspension and steering system works to spread out the vehicle’s weight across the contact surface of all tires to ensure they last longer. Failing or loose tire rods affect alignment; as a result, your tires will begin to wear out unevenly.
Excess vibrations
Loose tie rods will affect suspension and steering; thus, your steering wheel and vehicle will vibrate excessively.
A loose tie rod has loose connections in either end and moves around too much. As a result, these motions transfer to the steering wheel, causing it to shake or vibrate. These steering wheel vibrations worsen over time and are more noticeable when accelerating or making sharp turns.
Additionally, a loose tie rod causes other suspension components to loosen, causing the entire car to vibrate. Another reason for excess car vibration is uneven tire wear and misalignment. Typically, when the entire car starts to vibrate, the tire rods are completely damaged and need immediate inspection and changing.
Can bad tie rods cause wobble?
Yes, one of the first signs of excessively worn tire rods is your vehicle wobbling or shaking, especially when the car accelerates. This problem is most common in older SUVs and pick-up trucks with a recirculating-ball steering system. A weak steering stabilizer or damper also makes the shaking worse.
How long can you drive on a bad tie rod?
Typically, you can drive your car with a bad tie rod, but it’s highly dangerous. There is no specific time frame when you can drive on a bad tie rod as it depends on the severity of the damage. You can drive well in the beginning when the wear is not much, but you will still experience steering issues.
Over time, the damaged tie rod leads to a total failure of the suspension system resulting in the wheel detaching from the steering assembly and increasing the chances of an accident. Therefore, when you notice any of the major signs explained here, you should immediately consider a tie rod replacement.
How often should you replace your tie rods?
Tie rods can last for years, and some car owners may never have to replace them. But in most cases, you may have to replace your tie rod once or twice during the car’s lifetime. So anything that puts pressure on your front end suspension contributes to the tie rod’s wear and tear, thus affecting its longevity.
So conclusively, you should replace your car’s tie rod whenever you experience the bad tie rod symptoms explained above. Do not also rely on one symptom alone to diagnose bad tie rods. It is best to consider other signs of bad tie rods then get confirmation from a qualified mechanic.
What ruins tie rods?
Your car uses its tie rod every time you use your steering wheel. Therefore like most automotive components, they go bad due to wear and tear. There are several factors that deteriorate your car’s tie rod. They include:
- Driving on rough terrain: Poor road conditions and portholes can allow the tie rod ends to come loose and affect steering.
- Frequent driving: Your vehicle’s tie rods work every time you steer; therefore, the more you drive your car, the more your tie rods deteriorate.
- Poor lubrication: Tie rod ends have a rotating metal stud requiring greasing to ensure smooth steering. Lack of grease causes friction which wears out these joints. However, most garages do not grease the tie rod ends during service, so checking and doing it yourself is essential. Regular greasing is important as no amount of it will bring a failed tie rod end back to life. Therefore greasing is a preventive measure.
- Corrosion or accumulation of dirt and debris: Moisture and dirt under your car will get to your tie rod and corrode your rack bushing.
- The poor condition of other steering and suspension components: If other parts of the suspension systems are not in good working condition, they can put additional stress on the tie rods since they all work together.
How much does it cost to fix or replace tie rods?
A tie rod replacement or repair is relatively inexpensive depending on location, parts’ quality, and car brand and model. The outer and outer rod parts can cost between $20 to $100. But since the outer tie rod ends are much easier to replace, the labor costs would be about $80 to $100.
On the other hand, the inner tie rod ends require a bit more effort to replace, and you accrue between $150 to $300 for labor expenses.
There may also be additional costs such as front alignment, tire changes, and repairing other damaged steering and suspension components.
Conclusion
We have learned that the tie rod connects to your car’s steering wheel to limit your movement while also facilitating it. Unfortunately, they wear out over time and require replacing. Damaged tie rods will cause poor steering, misalignment, car wobble, and clunking noises.
Knowing the symptoms of failing tie rods allows you to replace them before causing further damage and risk of an accident.