Sluggish Steering

[mkal2]

Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 3


Re: 96 stratus stering wander
I don' t know if wander is a correct description. There appears to be a noticable delay, in the car moving to the right, after the steering wheel is turned, (eg. highway speed, changing lanes). One tends to turn the wheel more, and then when the car reacts, you have to quickly turn to the left to correct. Turning to the left, has normal car reaction to steering wheel movement. 'normal reaction' means, the car moves when the wheel is turn.

Is this a pump or rack problem? Could something be loose? The car will track in a straight line, at highway speeds.

[KimMG]

Definitely take it to a shop that does suspension and steering work before you get into a wreck.

[mkal2]

The problem ended up being worn tire rod ends. The shop also pointed out the irregular wear on the outer edges of the tires, is a hint of mechanical wear.

That resolved the sluggish/sloppy steering. Now I've got to get the squealing/groaning power steering pump fixed. Worse in the cold weather 0 to 20 degrees causes a lot more noise.