2008 Chevy Cobalt pull to the left

dumbass0708 · Posted at Sat Nov 21, 2009 4:01 am

Steering problem
2008 Chevy Cobalt 4 cyl Front Wheel Drive Manual 28000 miles

at 8000 noticed a slight pull to the left. before i could get an alignment i slid into a curb in winter. had rim replaced but tire still good. the steering wheel never lined up after that. had multiple alignments done to no avail. i have had it checked by them multiple times and still they can't determine real problem. finally dealer said another rim bad but i know they are reaching and just want 300 to replace.
besides i have my tires rotated and the frtont wheel isn't lining up. 3 separate mechanics looked at it and didn't think frame was bent and they all stated front end good? maybe frame bent a little and they can't determine? what could be the cause of this. also at around 50 mph i notice an itermitent humming noise and maybe a very slight vibration. again dealer thinks rim but i know they are wrong. besides, they won;t guarenttee that is the problem.

Ernest Clark · Posted at Thu Jan 28, 2010 5:49 am

It's possible your front sub-frame is bent. But any competent alignment shop would've checked for that once they weren't getting an accurate alignment.

A bad rim will NOT place your steering wheel off center, but it will make your steering wheel shake and your car to pull. Your tie-rods are what's used to align your steering wheel. But having that exactly on center doesn't mean your actual wheels are aligned properly.

The humming and slight vibration could be a failing hub/C.V. joint/axle shaft. But again, neither of these will place your steering wheel off center.

The dealer may actually see a bad rim. There's a possibility you'll have more than one issue. And having a bent rim will make it impossible to align your car properly.