Turning problems This just started today. I have a 2003 Jeep Grand Cherokee with approximately 140,000 miles. A week ago I got 2 front tires put on. Today my truck feels as if it's pulling. Whenever I try to make sharp turns forward or in reverse the truck doesn't move. It feels like it's stalling. When I straighten my wheel it will go forwrd on reverse. This happened in the middle of the day. While driving this morning it was fine. Would you have an idea of what may cause this? L. Colson

My Answer:

The one thing you never mentioned was if you had your Jeep SUV Front-end Aligned after you had the new tires installed?

I'm guessing/hoping you did???

Where did you have the work done at? Be specific here!

Was it a 2-wheel or 4-wheel alignment if that applies here? Big difference it was done RIGHT or if it was done WRONG? That's just maybe part of the problem though if it was indeed MIS-ALIGNED. When you say PULLING - that is a BIG CLUE right there of a possible MIS-ALIGNMENT!!

Not sure what size tires you had on it originally or which size new tires you had put on, but if the new tires were over-sized then you are rubbing on the mainframe or possibly rubbing the front fender wells??

This has happened before, as sometimes they don't pull the right size tires from stock, and then don't double check them before mounting them.

Esp when you are running bigger rims and lower profile tires, which might be your case, as you didn't say anything to the contrary.

If we're talking about STOCK tires for STOCK tires here then your driver side door decal will state the factory installed tires as to their proper size. Any modification to that as to bigger rims and lower profile tires has to be done to factory recommended specs. Lets hope so anyway!

If I were you I would be double checking everything, as to what was actually done, and as to what tires, etc were put on your SUV.

The clue to your problem lies right there to start with! After all nothing was mentioned about any "pulling" before you had the new tires put on.

Here's one last big clue as to if you actually got a "bad alignment" on your Jeep SUV.

Have someone else drive behind you on an empty straight flat street (or else have someone else drive your Jeep and you follow behind about 4 to 5 car lengths back). If your Jeep's body is trying to track crooked (as if on an angle diagonal to straight ahead) as the tires are trying to track straight ahead - then you definitely just got a bummer mis-alignment!

I'm putting my money this is the case, as I've seen it so many times it's not funny.

It called a "shade tree alignment" and for good reason.

Let me know I was right?

Frank