Your car makes a variety of sounds and noises when you drive. Car Makes: While some sounds are music to the ears, especially when you’re driving a performance car, some sounds should set off alarms.

Imagine this situation;

You wake up, get ready, and are all set to go to work. You reach for your Honda Passport that you recently bought from a car buying website. Turn it on, try to turn the steering wheel and suddenly the car makes a loud cracking sound. What do you do in such a situation?

Well, first of all, never ignore such noise. Abnormal noises simply mean that there is something wrong with the car’s mechanics. However, in this scenario, when the grinding noises are heard while turning the wheel, the fault is mostly with the steering or suspension system of the car.

In this article,

We’ll explore everything that could possibly go wrong in such a situation and figure out how you can fix the anomalies. An automobile is made up of thousands of components and each subsystem is made up of hundreds of parts. So whenever there is a strange sound like cracking. There may be more than one part that is going bad. However, as we mentioned earlier, if the noise occurs while turning the wheel, it has something to do with the steering or suspensions.

If you hear a cracking sound when you start the vehicle, there is usually something wrong with the power steering. The power steering pump makes a funny noise at first and the noise eventually. Subsides as you go as other parts of the car start making louder noises. However, you don’t need to ignore the steering pump’s call and get it checked, repaired or replaced as soon as possible.

Cranking noises

Are often caused by a broken or loose tie rod. Tie rods connect the steering rack to the wheel and are therefore a very important component of the steering system. The tie rods wear a lot and are under heavy loads because they are what transmit the steering force from the rack to the wheels. Therefore, wear of the tie rods is very common and you need to first check if they are tied properly if you hear a squeaking sound. Another very common cause of squealing is broken ball joints. Ball joints primarily connect the wheel hub to the suspension arms and are therefore subject to large forces.

Ball joints face a lot of friction and therefore require periodic lubrication. When ball joints dry out, they make cracking sounds when turning. Therefore, you should check the condition of the ball joints of the vehicle if it starts making strange noises while turning. Yet another simple and common cause of a car making a grinding noise during turns is a broken steering column bearing.

The steering column

Bearing ensures smooth rotation of the steering wheel and linear transmission of rotational motion to the steering assembly. This bearing is under constant load and often wears out when owners complain of cracking sounds. Most of the time, the bearing is beyond repair and you simply have to replace it.

Let’s say you’re driving around town with a lot of traffic and suddenly your car makes some screeching and screeching noises. Well, it’s probably due to a broken belt in the steering system. A worn belt doesn’t cause much trouble when you’re driving at low speeds. But it starts making noises when you start to pick up speed. If this has ever happened to you, you know it has something to do with the belt.

If your car is a bit older and has a lot of miles on it, there might be some major problem with the car. Many times it is found that there are problems with the power steering system of the vehicle. Over time, power steering fluid thins and leaks out of the assembly. This low fluid level is often seen to cause a cracking noise. To fix this problem you will need to drain the old fluid and fill it with fresh.

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A clogged steering

Fluid reservoir tank is also sometimes responsible for the cracking noise. However, when the reservoir is full, you will also hear a crackling sound. So, if you hear these kinds of noises, you know it is the reservoir tank that is full and you should visit a mechanic or service center immediately to change the filter and fluid. Sometimes, usually in older cars, worn shocks and struts cause creaking noises. Shocks and struts are very strong components and generally last a long time, but they wear out after a long time.

Worn shocks and struts have a dramatic effect on a car’s ride and handling, and a wobbly ride is also a sign of worn shocks. So if there are creaking noises and if the car feels rough, it’s definitely the shocks or struts that aren’t working properly. Now, if you are traveling at high speed on the highway and if you hear some strange ticking and rattling noise. You need to slow down first and realize that the half shaft and CV Joints are the culprit here.

Worn CV

Joints usually start to crunch at high speeds or when making sharp turns at high speeds. Never ignore these driveshaft noises and problems. This not only affects the ride quality but can also be fatal. So, if you ever hear noises that come from your car at high speeds, you should slow down and go to a mechanic as soon as possible.

So these were some of the reasons why your car is making unusual cracking noises. This usually revolves around the steering and suspension system. And you need to understand and identify what is possibly wrong with the car. Most of the time, such problems can be solved by lubricating or changing the part or fluid, however, sometimes the problem can be serious.

And many times it is also found that the owner’s ignorance aggravates the problem. The suspension and steering system are very important components. The of your vehicle and if something goes wrong with them, you cannot afford to ignore it. So it is important to keep your ears open, listen to all the sounds of the car and if you notice anything unusual, fix it as soon as possible.