Sudden pull when turning...

[ironsiderodger]

Hey all, I have a 1999 Suburban C1500 4x4. I've noted in the last month or so the front end felt loose. When I would turn the wheel, generally above 25 mph, it felt like the front end would sort of skid into the turn, almost like it wanted to go straight yet the steering wheel would suddenly, but briefly pull in the direction I was turning. It felt like I was about to lose control but it never went that far. I suspected perhaps it needed an alignment and got that done; however, some three weeks later I'm having some of these odd issues. The tires have been rotated and are about a year old.

1. The front almost feels "floaty" if that makes sense, like the minimum amount of tire is contacting the road.

2. The front end just feels a bit sloppy

3. Occasionally and mostly while turning right again the steering wheel feels like its being forced to turn even more, and if I let go I'm sure it would. This is accompanied by an almost skidding sensation in the direction I'm turning -again in this case primarily to the right.

4. It is not consistent in the description above, sometimes it seems to turn fine. When it does this [number 3] it seems as though its only above 25 mph, and when I'm steering to say pull off of highway, or a somewhat sharp curve, or pulling back into a lane after passing a car.

Any thoughts would be appreciated, thanks!

 

[zora]

when you had the alignment, did the shop check ball joints, tie rod ends, steering box play, control arm bushings, etc. Check out this link which has a similar issue.
http://www.2carpros.com/questions/chevrolet-suburban-1999-chevy-suburban-loosesloppy-steering-wheel

 

[ironsiderodger]

Thanks so much for the heads up- that thread looked very similar. Theoretically the shop was supposed to do a "suspension check" as part of the deal; it was done at a Sears auto- which could be part of the problem.