Why does my car pull to the left

[thexav]

My car is pulling to the left. It doesn't do it all the time but when it does and I brake it pulls even harder to the left.

Its just strange that it only does it sometimes. I had the tracking checked a few weeks ago but it was fine.

 

[Sid447]

Could be your left front brake binding,

intermittently. Or the camber on the road.
Some roads have more (camber) than others but most are built with a slight slope (camber) going from the centre or crown of the road towards each side or gutter.
Primarily there to drain off rain water and this camber affects all cars to some extent.

p.s. this assumes your tracking and toe is in fact within factory spec.

 

[turbonutter69]

Yeah and on country lanes they tend to slope more. My Focus pulls sometimes but it does it both ways on certain roads. Find a quiet road get to about 50mph and then do an emergency stop. If it pulls to the left then i'd point towards the brakes. One could be binding but also one might not be working at all?

 

[HDi fun]

Are the back ones setup evenly? If you have drums at the back then make sure both are self-adjusting properly.

 

[Loz]

Have you had anything replaced on the steering/front suspension recently? I only ask because my steering is slightly on the sqiff & I'm been told it's because that the garage I used to replace a track rod end only replaced the one instead of the pair... I think I got that right!:embarrest:

Also, jack the left front wheel up & check for play.

have you tried braking somewhere flat, like a car park to see if the cars still pulls to the left?

 

[obi_waynne]

It sounds like road camber to me mate. It would be worth checking your tyre pressures as well. If the brakes are binding or dragging that can be a major problem so I'd get that checked out. Jack up the car and see if the wheels rotate freely after a quick jab of the brake. Leave handbrake on for the fronts and the car in gear to check the rears or better still chock the wheels.

 

[HDi fun]

A full four wheel alignment can work wonders but do check everything else firstly.