A clicking noise when turning is most often a worn outer CV joint on a front-wheel-drive or all-wheel-drive vehicle: the clicking gets faster with speed and louder on tight, slow turns, especially while accelerating. Other causes are worn strut mount bearings, loose brake hardware, a failing wheel bearing and worn ball joints or tie rod ends. A grinding noise when turning is more often a wheel bearing, brakes or, on four-wheel-drive vehicles, the front driveline.
Clicking or grinding when turning: causes
| Noise | Likely cause |
|---|---|
| Rhythmic clicking on sharp turns while accelerating | Outer CV joint; see bad CV axle symptoms |
| Click or pop when turning the wheel while parked | Strut mount bearing, tie rod end or ball joint |
| Grinding or growl that changes with turns | Wheel bearing; see wheel bearing noise |
| Grinding or scraping when turning and braking | Brake pads, a bent dust shield or a stone; see grinding noise when braking |
| Binding, hopping or grinding on 4WD trucks on pavement | Driveline bind from four-wheel drive engaged on dry pavement |
| Whine or groan when turning | Power steering; see power steering pump noise |
Clicking noise when turning the steering wheel at low speed
At parking-lot speeds, a click or pop that happens as you turn the wheel usually comes from the strut mount bearings at the top of the struts or from steering joints. If it only clicks while moving and gets faster with speed, the outer CV joint is more likely. See clunking noise over bumps and loose steering.
Grinding noise when turning left or right
Turning shifts weight onto the outside wheel. A grinding or growling noise when turning left often points to the right-side wheel bearing, and the reverse. On four-wheel-drive trucks, grinding only when four-wheel drive is engaged on pavement is driveline bind, not a failure; switch back to two-wheel drive on dry roads; see transfer case problems.
How to narrow it down
- Find a safe empty lot and drive slow circles in each direction, with and without light throttle.
- Note whether the noise follows wheel speed, the steering wheel position or engine speed.
- Look at the CV boots for tears and grease spray.
- With the wheels lifted, check for play in bearings, ball joints and tie rods.
Is it safe to drive?
A clicking CV joint usually gets worse over weeks or months, but it can eventually fail and leave the car without drive on that wheel. Worn ball joints and tie rods affect steering control. Have any new noise diagnosed soon; see car vibrates at high speed for related symptoms.
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