Just plowed into a curb...HARD

[dothedeww]

snowstorm, nailed a curb at about 15mph with the wheel turned right. Hit the curb drivers side.

Now the steering wheel is about 45 degrees pointed to the right when the wheels are straight. When I turn right over 1 turn I hear a grinding noise. What is this and what should I do about it?

I hit a patch of dry pavement and the whole front end went sideways...so I'm guessing dont drive it.

Thanks...please respond ASAP

 

[DOHC4]

Most likely you bent the hell out of the linkage. Hows it look underneath the car?

 

[Blee1099]

Get underneath and look for damage. Could be a damaged tie rod end, bent control arm, etc..

 

[dothedeww]

its 1 oclock in the morning now...and about 6 inches of snow on the ground, I cant check right now. I looked in front and behind the wheel after I hit it and didnt see anything bent.

Worse possible scenario..how much am i looking to get this repaired?

And do you suggest driving it to a shop?

 

[Blee1099]

Its a judgement call honestly. If your going to a dealer, your definately not close to one other than Century, Crouse, Apple which are all atleast 20 minutes away atleast.

 

[dothedeww]

Ill probably head to Mr Tire or something, about 10 minutes away. I bought the thing at apple and they cant change oil w/o messing something up.

Ill jack it up tommrow and see if anything is bent.

 

[DOHC4]

Ill probably head to Mr Tire or something, about 10 minutes away. I bought the thing at apple and they cant change oil w/o messing something up.

Ill jack it up tommrow and see if anything is bent.

Believe me it wont be hard to differentiation what is bent and whats normal.

 

[dothedeww]

Thanks

Ill post an update tommrow.

 

[aaronajb1981]

Its called car insurance! Depends on what your deductable is mightbe worth looking into.

 

[dothedeww]

Well heres an update...I got lucky I guess.

Took it to the local Mr. Tire and it was just out of alignment..badly. like 3 degree tow out and the camber was all messed with. The only other problem is the rear rim has a 6 inch crack on it. Ive got the spare on now...Gonna order a new rim today or tommrow.

Thanks for the help everyone.

 

[4x4xbrian.com]

You need to find what is bent, allignment doesn't change without wear or damage, and a curb didn't wear anything there IS damage. Some parts, like the spindle, are cast iron if they bend they need to be replaced because they could soon crack due to the stress. It could be serious!

 

[dothedeww]

I'm gonna do a thourough inspection myself this weekend, but the shop I took it to did a 4-hour inspection of the whole front end and said nothing seemed to be bent or broken. It knocked out the Toe and the caster, and tore up both drivers side rims.

 

[dothedeww]

Alright, just took it out for another ride.

Two concerns:

When i apply the brakes hard, I get a popping sound in the right front. It only pop's once or twice then stops.

Second: I recieved a "Tire Sensor Fault"...what exactly does this mean? I do have the spare on the left rear if that makes a difference (different tire/rim than normal tire/rim) ie goodyear vs. michelin

 

[JDraper]

Tire sensor fault is most likely the spare. The spare probably doesn't have the sensor in it, so it's causing a fault.

Popping noise could be one of many things. Do you feel any thump or vibration when it pops, or just the noise?

 

[dothedeww]

just the noise. No thump or pop or anything. Sounds more suspension related because it happens more when hitting bumps when braking...not sure though. any ideas?

 

[dothedeww]

Alright, So now this creaking developed.

So i headed over to a different front end shop and they found the left REAR rotor and hub were bent. They still said nothing in the front was messed up.

So how hard is it to change a hub? I can do the rotor easily but I've never done a hub.

 

[dothedeww]

Sorry for the multiple posts...but yet another thing has developed.


tHe creaking can only be heard at low speeds, like under 15mph.

But between 15-50...when I touch the brakes lightly, I get this quick thump-thump-thump....and it gets slower as i slow down. If I press on the brake hard no thump thump is heard until the end when you get a loud thump when you let off the brakes.

Any ideas?

Could the creaking and the thumping be the same thing just speed making the difference. because the thumping goes away as the creaking starts...and vice-versa.

 

[Joe Dirt]

If you've had it at 2 shops now, and they both missed stuff, take it to the dealer or a good solid shop if you haven't been to one. I don't know them from Adam, but if I plowed a curb (which I did in my old Escort so I feel your pain) I wouldn't trust a 3-1/2 year old truck that may end up breaking something serious (after creaks come snaps) to a place called "Mr. Tire"

There are a lot of good suspension guys on here, but you really need someone good on the ground under the truck and in the truck when it's making noise- just my .02

My damage ended up being a control arm that was bent, axle shaft bent, tie rod bent, and a bad wheel. The difference was so minute on what was bent, I would have never seen it. I took it to the dealer, I paid a little more, but it was fixed right the first time.

Good luck to ya- get 'r fixed, your Ex misses you!

 

[dothedeww]

so just a quick update:

I took off all the rotors and checked everything..nothing is bent at all. The rotors have some spots on them but other than that there fine.

The creaking in the left rear has went away completely...not sure whether thats good or bad...


the thumping with the brakes has decreased dramatically...mainly only thumping once when I stop and let off the brakes (bent shock maybe)?

Other than that im just riding it out right now...

Anyone know where to get a rim for the 06 XLT....ive checked all the junkyards...and ebay is my last resort. Just wondering if anyone knew soemwhere else...

Thanks!

 

[Donner]

x2

If you've had it at 2 shops now, and they both missed stuff, take it to the dealer or a good solid shop if you haven't been to one. I don't know them from Adam, but if I plowed a curb (which I did in my old Escort so I feel your pain) I wouldn't trust a 3-1/2 year old truck that may end up breaking something serious (after creaks come snaps) to a place called "Mr. Tire"

There are a lot of good suspension guys on here, but you really need someone good on the ground under the truck and in the truck when it's making noise- just my .02

My damage ended up being a control arm that was bent, axle shaft bent, tie rod bent, and a bad wheel. The difference was so minute on what was bent, I would have never seen it. I took it to the dealer, I paid a little more, but it was fixed right the first time.

Good luck to ya- get 'r fixed, your Ex misses you!

It sounds like the problems are not fully diagnosed... dealership for an expert opinion. What color is your Ex? I have a full set of aftermarket rims sitting in storage...