I have a 1998 Toyota Camry LE. It's no spring chicken, but it is new to me and it's my first car. At first, the car ran just fine. But after two and half months of driving, I started to notice a creaking noise near my front wheels. The car shook a little when driven on the highway, so I got the tires rotated and balanced and had an oil change. The mechanic said the tire pressure was fine.
But last night, after driving a friend home through a curvy neighborhood w/ quite a lot of turns, I heard the creaking noise again...but louder than before. I pulled over to check my tires and saw that the front left wheel was hot -- and I mean glowing orange hot. The tire itself was cool (it was 32 degrees after all), but the wheel was smoking! I sat in the neighborhood for a while to let it cool and then drove it home (about 10 miles) with very few turns. When I got home, the wheel was still cool.
What the heck is going on with my car? And what can I do about it? Any help is useful. Thanks!
--Amber