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lou's garage

My vehicle swerves a lot. I constantly have to correct the steering. Every bump in the road makes it move around. How can I fix this? – Samantha E

Even though you haven’t provided any specifics on your vehicle, I will still assume that your vehicle is experiencing “front-end” issues.

Your symptoms suggest that, at the very least your front struts are worn out. Internally a strut is similar to a shock absorber, and the primary job of these mechanisms is to dampen.

Simply put, they reduce the bounce from the vehicle’s suspension springs after every bump and keep your tires firmly planted on the road. Since your vehicle moves all over the road after a bump, this indicates that your tires are indeed not staying firmly planted and are bouncing uncontrollably.

This continual bouncing of the suspension will prematurely wear out other front-end components and cause the tires to wear unevenly. As you have described, this leads to a vehicle that swerves off the road and doesn’t track correctly.

Drive-ability issues affect all vehicles as their suspensions age. The safety of you and others on the road is critical. Take your car in for service immediately and have a proper inspection and repair completed.

Lou Trottier is owner-operator of All About Imports in Mississauga. Have a question about maintenance and repair? E-mail globedrive@globeandmail.com, placing “Lou’s Garage” in the subject line.

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