91 Fox steering/alignment issues

Jan 19, 2004 4 Replies
91 fox...w/o power steering i skidded in some snow today, and banged into a guardrail.

i know that you're supposed to steer into a skid to regain control of the car, but in the panic of the moment i was trying to steer away from it (steering to the left)



there was slim to no damage done to the body of the car, but as i pulled away from the guardrail i noticed that something was amiss--



when the steering wheel is in its normal, "straight ahead" position, the car pulls very much to the right...'turning' to the right would probably be a more accurate description.



in order to drive straight, you must turn the wheel about 45 degrees to the left.



once we're driving straight ahead, there is a slight drift to the right....the steering wheel is staying turned 45 degrees to the left if your hands are removed from the wheel.



aside from the steering wheel being in the wrong position, and the slight drift, drivability is unaffected. steering response is normal, effort to turn is normal, no vibrations felt through wheel or strange noises.


i don't know if we're looking at a realignment here or something more serious...if anyone has any thoughts, please let me know. thanks much andy


You are looking at a re-alignment at the least, but with that much change in the position of the wheel, it seems likely you will need so steering/suspension parts replaced. It also a good bet that the wheel and tyre have been damaged and should also be replaced for safe operation.

You got things bent/damaged. Best to get it checked soon.

Wish i could crash cars for a living that would be a good job.

The VW Fox has a subframe in the front. In an accident I had many years ago, the subframe was bent and had to be replaced.

"I'm sorry, all my money is tied up in currency." W.C.Fields

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