When making a 30 degree or greater turn to the left, there’s a low bumping/thumping, repeating noise. Sounds sort of like hard taps on your chest. The frequency of the sound increases with the speed. As soon as the vehicle straightens out, the noise stops.
Also, the noise isn’t audible (at least, not to my ears) from outside the vehicle. I haven’t been able to pinpoint its location.
Tire problem?
Sounds like a CV joint…what kind of car, etc.?
I agree with the CV joint as a prime candidate.
Constant Velocity joints allow a smooth torque transition through a bendable joint. They vary somewhat in detail, but are all (simplified) basically a ball in a socket with grooves and balls in between the ball and socket. The balls in the grooves allow the main ball to pull the socket along with it as it rotates and as the joint bends. If they develop internal problems, including dryness, the internal parts can make thumping sounds as the move within the ball & socket grooves.
I’d just read something similar. Sorry about the lack of vehicle details – 99 Corolla.
You can count this as a third vote for worn-out CV joints being the likely problem.
While the one on the left axle is probably the one making noise, on an 11 year old car you might as well replace both of them at this point, as the one on the right axle will probably fail soon, as well.
I agree 100%.
Same here…CV joints.
I associate “thumps” with ball-joint wear. When the wheels are turned, it puts more of a side load on the ball-joints, and any wear could show itself as a jerk. An alignment shop can check this out.
You could have someone position themselves near the front of the car, and observe the tires as you turn doughnuts (slowly) in a parking lot. If one tire/wheel jerks side-wise as the turn is made, that could be a tie-rod end or ball-joint looseness.
I have a similar issue with my 04 Silverado. It makes a thumping sound when turning left. It doesn’t do it when I make full left turns, it’s only when I turn the wheel halfway left. Then straight and right are fine. I’ve done the front brakes, replaced both CV axles, and it needed new ball joints (I’ve owned the truck for about 2-3 months now with 140k on it). Its still making the same thumping sound. I can, most of the time, feel the thump on my floor board.
Shoot. I didn’t know this as posted 10 years ago haha. Did you wind up figuring out the problem?
Instead of tagging onto a 10 year old thread about a Toyota, and that later diverted–inappropriately–to a different make and model in January, 2020, you should create your own NEW thread.
Make sure that you include the odometer mileage of your vehicle, as well as a FULL description of when you hear that noise
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