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Symptom: Steering wheel vibrates at speed. Excessive vibration while traveling a constant speed, especially highway speeds.

• Wheels out of balance - have wheels re-balanced.
• Tires worn unevenly or excessively
• Loose wheel bolts - check wheel lugs for correct tightness.
• Warped brake rotor -inspect brake discs (rotors) and replace if needed.

Symptom: Loose or sloppy steering. Steering has excessive play and wanders from side to side.

• Power steering fluid low - check power steering fluid and add if needed.
• Worn strut bearings - inspect strut bearings for play and replace in pairs.
• Worn or broken tie rods or steering rack - inspect steering components and replace as necessary.
• Worn ball joints - inspect ball joints and replace if needed.
• Broken steering rack mounts - inspect steering rack mounts and repair or replace (some cars can be fixed, others require replacement of the entire steering rack.)

Symptom: Clunking over bumps. Feeling clunks and knocks through the steering wheel when you go over bumps or even cracks in the road.

• Worn shocks or struts - replace shocks and/or struts as indicated.
• Worn strut bearings - inspect strut bearings and replace both if needed.
• Worn ball joints - inspect ball joints for play and replace if needed.

Symptom: Screeching and screaming. Steering emits loud screeching when steering at low speeds, such as parking.

• Low power steering fluid - add power steering fluid as needed.
• Loose power steering belt - adjust power steering belt.

• Worn power steering belt - replace and adjust power steering belt.

Remember, this is a guide to help you diagnose steering or suspension problems. Sometimes more than one issue needs to be addressed to fix the symptoms.