When an unsuspecting sound comes from any part of your vehicle it may raise immediate suspicion and rightly so. Especially when it’s coming from an integral and important part of the vehicle like the steering wheel. In this article we will cover all the possible reasons your toyota camry hybrid steering wheel may be making such noises, which in turn hopefully leads you to a successful resolution.
In a normal situation when you are turning and moving the steering wheel it should not be making any noise and rightfully should be a cause for concern.
When using the steering wheel it may look simple when it operates from the inside there’s a plethora of components and parts that work together in order to have this operate as smooth as it looks. The reason I’m pointing this specifically is because there are a number of places and components that may contribute to the steering noise. And those are:
Possible causes:
Failing rack and pinion:
This is found in most of the newer or moderately new vehicles on the road including the electric and hybrid cars like the Toyota Camry. The rack and pinion is a system used which is actually connected to both the steering wheel and the tie rods and steering knuckles. The system is fairly thin and long in appearance and plays an integral part when the steering wheel is moved in either direction and is reciprocated in the movement of the wheels in the said direction.
The reason I bought the rack and pinion system up is that one of the symptoms of it failing is when the steering makes excess noise so this would definitely be on the near top of list to investigate.
Strut
Worn or damaged struts could also be another potential cause for the noise when steering. This could be because of bad strut bearings. The purpose of the bearing on the front are to reduce friction when the wheels are moving. This component and area would be an ideal place to investigate noise which can be done by using a stethoscope on the strut under the hood.
Ball joints
This component must be greased for it in order to do its job efficiently which allows the steering knuckles to adapt to movement. This component may be susceptible to being worn out which may be due to the lack of lubrication.
Tie Rod ends:
Another potential culprit could be the tie rod ends which is another integral part of the steering system located and fitted on the end of the steering rack. One of the signs this part is damaged is noise, so this is one to keep in mind.
The resolution and solution to this problem varies on where the problem stems from. It could be something easy which you could do yourself or it may need a qualified mechanic for a professional evaluation which should include the inspection or evaluation of the areas previously mentioned in this article. Which in turn should be able to lead to the specific cause to this problem.