This is a general schematic of what the steering and suspension parts of your Johnsburg vehicle look like. There are quite a few parts and they're all susceptible to damage.

If you’re steering and suspension are in properly aligned and in good shape, as you drive down a straight road here in Johnsburg, your car, truck or SUV should not pull to one side or the other. If you do feel the vehicle trying to pull to the right or left, there’s definitely something out of whack. 

Of course, even if it goes straight, you could have problems with the steering and suspension somewhere. But the test above is a basic place to start checking on the status of your steering and suspension, whether your driving in Johnsburg or anywhere else.

This is a good time to start thinking about the status of your suspension and steering. We are, hopefully, emerging from another winter. And winters in this area are traditionally rough on cars, trucks and SUVs. When it comes to winters giving your vehicle are hard time, we can start with what winter does to your vehicle’s steering and suspension. 

Slippery roads may have caused you to slide into a curb at some point. The jolt of hitting a curb, if you hit hard enough, could damage the steering and suspension sufficiently that you’ll need a tow and immediate repairs. On the other hand, maybe the damage isn’t that bad; maybe you can still operate the vehicle. But has the impact with the curb knocked your vehicle out of alignment? Has it damaged one or more of the numerous parts of your suspension or steering?

There are quite a few parts involved in the steering and suspension of your vehicle, such as:

• Rack & Pinion Unit
• Inner Socket Assembly
• Rack & Pinion Bushings
• Control Arms
• Control Arm Bushings
• Anti-Sway Bar
• Struts or Shocks
• Upper Mounting Plate & Bearings
• Outer Tie-Rods
• Inner Tie-Rods
• Idler Arm
• Center Link
• Stabilizer Links
• Pitman Arm
• Adjusting Sleeves
• Lower Control Arms
• Upper Control Arms
• Control Arm Bushings
• Coil Springs
• Lower Ball Joints
• Upper Ball Joints
• Steering Knuckle
• Power Steering Gearbox
• Power Steering Pump

As mentioned above, sliding into a curb can damage some of these parts, whether to the extent that your vehicle requires immediate repairs or to the extent that something isn’t quite right as you continue to drive. But you don’t have to slide into a curb to suffer damage to your steering and/or suspension.

Winters in Johnsburg and the surrounding area are notorious for causing potholes. Hit a pothole hard and you could damage your suspension and/or steering, as well as knocking your vehicle out of alignment. As winter draws to an end, crews will be out filling potholes and making the roads less stressful for your car, truck or SUV.

This is the time of year to have your steering and suspension checked out, as well as the alignment. Even if you’re able to drive on the vehicle that way for a while, you don’t know when something would break with catastrophic effect. And your tires are almost certain to experience uneven and excessive wear.