Why does my car make noise when I turn?

A car making noise when turning often points to issues in the steering, suspension, or brakes, with common culprits being whining from low power steering fluid, clunking from bad tie rods/ball joints, or crunching from worn CV joints, requiring attention from a mechanic to prevent safety risks.

Common Car Noises & Their Causes

• Whining/Screeching: Usually low power steering fluid or a failing power steering pump, especially at low speeds.
• Clunking/Knocking: Often worn or loose suspension parts like tie rods, ball joints, or sway bar links, sometimes with poor handling.
• Creaking/Squeaking: Can be bad ball joints, bushings needing lubrication, or worn suspension components, often worsening over time.
• Crunching: A classic sign of worn Constant Velocity (CV) joints, especially when turning at higher speeds.
• Grinding: Could be brake system issues (pads, rotors) or worn wheel bearings.

Systems to Check

• Power Steering: Check fluid level; low fluid causes whining/groaning; air in the system can worsen it.
• Suspension: Ball joints, control arms, struts, shocks, and bushings wear out, causing creaks, clunks, or bouncy rides.
• CV Joints: Located on the axles, they crunch when failing, particularly during turns.
• Brakes: Worn pads or damaged rotors can grind during turns.
• Tires/Wheels: Low pressure, uneven wear, or loose components can cause noises.

The most useful way to diagnose it is to match the sound to when it happens, because different systems fail in very specific ways.

Whining or screeching while turning

Whining, groaning, or a brief squeal at low-speed turning is most often the power steering system asking for help.

Low power steering fluid is the common cause. When the fluid level drops, the pump pulls in air and the fluid aerates. Aerated fluid compresses, which makes the pump work harder and get noisy, especially at parking speeds where steering effort is highest.

A failing power steering pump can sound similar. The difference is that a failing pump often whines even with correct fluid level, and the steering may feel heavier or inconsistent. A slipping belt can also create a squeal, particularly if the system uses a belt-driven pump and the belt is worn or loose.

What to check

• Check the power steering fluid level if your vehicle has a reservoir. If it is low, topping up without finding the leak is a short-term fix, not a solution.
• Look for wetness around the pump, hoses, and rack. Small leaks can still cause noise because the system runs at high pressure.
• If the car uses electric power steering, the noise is more likely from a steering rack motor, steering column joint, or a tyre-related issue, because there is no fluid pump to whine.

When it is urgent

• If the steering suddenly becomes heavy or jerky, stop driving. A steering assist failure can catch you out in a car park, then become dangerous on a roundabout.

Clunking or knocking when you turn

A clunk or knock is usually a loose or worn joint getting loaded and snapping into a different position. This is often steering and suspension hardware, and it can turn into a safety issue quickly.

Common sources include worn tie rod ends, ball joints, and sway bar links. Tie rods connect your steering rack to the wheels. If a joint is worn, the wheel can toe in and out under load, which creates a clunk and can make the steering feel vague. Ball joints support the steering knuckle while allowing it to move. When a ball joint has play, it can clunk as the wheel changes direction or goes over small bumps while turning.

Sway bar links can also knock. They connect the anti-roll bar to the suspension. When the link joints wear, you often hear a knock during low-speed turns, driveway entrances, and quick left-right steering inputs.

What to check

• Does the clunk happen only when turning, or also over bumps in a straight line? If it happens over bumps too, suspect ball joints, control arm bushings, sway bar links, or strut mounts.
• Does the steering wheel have free play or a vague centre? That points toward tie rods or steering rack issues.
• Do you feel a knock through the floor or steering column? That can point to a worn lower steering column joint or rack mounting.

When it is urgent

• If the car wanders, feels unstable, or the steering wheel needs constant correction, do not keep driving. A worn ball joint or tie rod can fail, and that can mean loss of steering control.

Creaking or squeaking as you turn

A creak or squeak is often rubber and bushings complaining, or a joint that has lost lubrication.

Control arm bushings, ball joint boots, and strut top mounts can creak as the suspension twists under steering load. Rubber bushings harden with age and cold temperatures, then start to squeak when they flex. Strut top mounts can creak or groan as the spring rotates during steering. This is common on cars with MacPherson struts, because the strut mount is part of the steering rotation.

What to check

• Does it happen more in cold weather? Rubber gets stiffer when cold, so noises often appear or get louder on cold mornings.
• Does it happen when the car is stationary and you turn the wheel? That suggests a steering column joint, strut mount, or steering rack-related noise.
• Does it happen only while moving? That suggests bushings under load, or tyre scrub-related noise.

When it is urgent

• Creaking alone is often a warning of wear, not immediate failure, but it should still be inspected because the same worn bushing can later allow alignment to drift and tyres to wear fast.

Crunching when you turn

Crunching, clicking, or a rhythmic ticking during a turn is the classic sign of a worn CV joint on a Front Wheel Drive or All Wheel Drive vehicle.

CV joints allow the driveshaft to deliver power while the wheels steer and move up and down. The outer CV joint is most likely to click when turning under power. It often starts as a light clicking on full lock, then gets louder and turns into crunching as the joint wears further.

What to check

• Does the noise get louder when you accelerate while turning? That strongly points to an outer CV joint.
• Is the noise more obvious on full lock in a car park? That is typical for CV joint wear.
• Look for a split CV boot and grease sprayed around the inside of the wheel. A torn boot lets grease out and dirt in, which accelerates wear.

When it is urgent

• If the clicking has turned into a heavy crunch or vibration under power, get it fixed quickly. A failed CV joint can leave you stranded and can damage the driveshaft.

Grinding when you turn

Grinding during turns can come from brakes or wheel bearings, and the difference matters.

Brake grinding is often worn pads where the friction material is gone and the metal backing plate is scraping the rotor. This can happen more during a turn because weight shifts and the rotor may contact differently. A stuck caliper can also cause intermittent grinding.

Wheel bearing noise is often a growl or grind that changes with steering input. When you turn left, you load the right wheel bearing more, and vice versa. If the noise gets louder when the car’s weight shifts onto a side, that side’s bearing is a suspect.

What to check

• Does it happen only when braking while turning? That points to brakes.
• Does it happen even when coasting with no brake input, and change when you steer gently left or right at speed? That points to a wheel bearing.
• Any pulsing through the brake pedal suggests rotor issues, not bearings.

When it is urgent

• Grinding brakes should be treated as immediate. You can destroy rotors quickly and lose braking performance.
• A loud wheel bearing growl that changes with steering should also be treated as urgent, because a failing bearing can overheat and in rare cases loosen.

Tyres and wheels that can mimic mechanical faults

Sometimes the noise is not a failing part; it is a tyre or wheel issue that shows up during steering load.

Low tyre pressure can cause sidewall flex and tyre scrub noises. Uneven tyre wear can create a roar that shifts when turning. A loose wheel nut can cause a knock or creak that changes with load. A stone trapped in the tread can click in a way that sounds like a driveline fault.

Quick checks

• Check tyre pressures cold.
• Look for abnormal wear, especially feathering on the inner or outer edges.
• Confirm wheel nuts are torqued correctly if a wheel has been off recently.

Match the noise to the moment it appears, because whining points to steering assist, clunks point to loose steering or suspension joints, crunching points to CV joints, and grinding points to brakes or wheel bearings, and the last two should be treated as urgent.

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