Car squeals when wheel is turned slightly

IMS_33

MEMBER
2009 TOYOTA COROLLA
7,100 MILES

My 2009 Toyota Corolla with 7000 miles on it has started making a squealing noise when the wheel is turned slightly. It is very intermittent and seems to occur more frequently on longer trips or when there is more weight in the car. I.E.- If I am in the car by myself it almost never happens, but if my husband is in the car with me it will occur sporadically. If I turn the wheel slightly to go around slight curves one way or the other it will sometimes make this noise but turning the wheel more fully does not seem to cause the noise. Applying the brakes also seems to cancel out the noise. The breaks do squeak a little sometimes when they are applied but it is an an entirely different noise. We bought this used from a Toyotoa dealer earlier this year. We tend to put 12,000 miles a year on our car, so this will be getting quite a bit of use. There are no manufacturer warranties as the car is four years old. Any ideas?

2 Replies

DOCFIXIT

MECHANIC
18,828 POSTS

Suggest replace serpentine belt

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Tuesday, May 14th, 2013 AT 12:43 PM

SPECTATER

MEMBER
1 POST

Many cars are equipped with a sounding device called a wear indicator as a part of the front brake pads. When the brake pad wears to a certain point, the wear indicator makes light contact with the surface of the brake rotor, causing a high-pitched squeak whenever the car is driven. Noises caused by a wear indicator will disappear when the brake pedal is pressed and the brake is applied but will return almost immediately upon release of the brake pedal.