If while traveling the roads around Pensacola, Crestview, and Fort Walton Beach, FL, you notice your vehicle drifts to the right or left, it might just be an issue with your vehicle’s alignment.

At World Ford Pensacola, the team of highly skilled technicians at our state-of-the-art service center are committed to helping drivers make the best decisions on their routine maintenance.  If you recently wondered, “Why is my car drifting and pulling?”, continue reading to learn the answer along with the steps to take to quickly fix this routine issue.

The Importance of Getting a Wheel Alignment

If you routinely travel over rough roads or accidently run over a curb, these actions might result in your tires being knocked out of alignment. Your tires are connected to your vehicle’s suspension, which is a complex system of parts that hold your tires in place and keeps them moving in synchronization.

When your tires are out of sync, it often results in your vehicle drifting while traveling a straight road, or pulling to one side when you apply the brakes. This not only prematurely wears down your tires, but also decreases steering power and makes braking more difficult. Four signs you might be due for an alignment include:

• Steering wheel is crooked or remains uncentered
• Uneven tire wear
• Squealing or strange vibrations when brakes are applied
• Pulling to the right or left

Alignments generally aren’t listed on a routine maintenance schedule, but a good rule to follow is to have your licensed technician perform an inspection each time you come in for a tire rotation or yearly inspection.

Three Areas of Proper Wheel Alignment

Ignoring this issue runs a serious risk of developing even bigger problems that are harder and more expensive to fix. For instance, uneven demand can keep your suspension system from working properly, which can result in the entire system breaking, or worse—causing a serious accident.

The good news is that a wheel alignment is often relatively inexpensive and easy to perform. When you drop off your vehicle with our service team, there’s three main areas they inspect which include:

• Toe.  If your tires appear pigeon-toed or spread outward like a duck’s feet, it means they’re out-of-alignment and need to be reset.
• Camber. When looking at your tires from the front, do they lean slightly inward or away from the vehicle? If so, either a ball joint or bearing is broken and needs to be replaced.
• Caster. Crucial in terms of stability and maneuvering around sharp bends, if your vehicle’s steering axis tilts toward the driver, then you have a healthy caster. If it tilts away from the driver, you have an unhealthy caster.

Schedule a Wheel Alignment Today!

At World Ford Pensacola, our team of highly-skilled technicians are here to provide drivers throughout Pensacola, Crestview, and Fort Walton Beach with thorough service to keep your vehicle running at its best performance. Simply, stop in during service hours or schedule an appointment online today!