Loud squeal and smoke

SHELBYSMOM95

MEMBER
2010 FORD ESCAPE
2WD
AUTOMATIC
168,000 MILES

My daughter started her car yesterday and says it squealed very loudly and then smoke came out near rear passenger side back tire. She immediately turned it off.
After a while she started and drove. No squealing but says car feels funny and a little jumpy at red lights.
She is very nervous to be driving it and I need to know if whatever may be wrong would cause the car to go out of control if she is driving it.
Please help because this single momma has no clue!

1 Reply

SCGRANTURISMO

MECHANIC
4,897 POSTS

Hello,

This sounds to me like you have a bad bearing on something that your serpentine belt is driving, i.e. power steering pump, water pump, A/C compressor, alternator, or it could be an idler pulley or the serpentine belt tensioner. Each one of these components have a pulley that turns a shaft for it to operate. Each pulley has a bearing in it to make it spin smoothly and when they go out they will shriek and produce smoke. Eventually the bad one will lock up completely and the belt will shred leaving the vehicle disabled. Here is a link for you to go to below:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/car-squeaking-noise

I have also included diagrams to the drive belts on your vehicle in the diagrams down below. Please look for a bearing that has play, frozen or freezing up, or smelled burnt and get back to us with what you are able to find out.

Thanks,
Alex
2CarPros

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