# Totalled my car!!

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/totalled-my-car/624190>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [June 5, 2012, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/totalled-my-car/624190 "2012-06-05T20:03:02Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\
**Post date:** [June 6, 2012, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/totalled-my-car/624190/21 "2012-06-06T13:22:10Z")

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> [@Johnny\_L.A](#):
>
> I’ve never had a tie rod fail (yet), but if the car was tracking more-or-less straight until you turned the wheel to correct the drift and then went wild, a broken tie rod is what I’d hypothesize.

This seems closest to what happened. Would it also have made a faint tapping sound for an hour or two before it failed?

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**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\
**Post date:** [June 6, 2012, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/totalled-my-car/624190/22 "2012-06-06T13:39:17Z")

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I think the only rational explanation is that your car hated you and tried to kill you.

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**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\
**Post date:** [June 6, 2012, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/totalled-my-car/624190/23 "2012-06-06T13:48:44Z")

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> [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](#):
>
> This seems closest to what happened. Would it also have made a faint tapping sound for an hour or two before it failed?

No idea. I’m _totally_ not a mechanic, unfortunately.

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**Author:** ![pullin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c57346/32.png) [@pullin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pullin)\
**Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 10:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/totalled-my-car/624190/24 "2012-06-07T10:15:34Z")

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> [@Nunzio\_Tavulari](#):
>
> Since you didn’t mention rain, I assume that it was a ball joint or tire failure. I’ve had both happen (as well as a steering disconnect) and it can be very scary. There’s often nothing that you can do except go along for the ride, glad you weren’t hurt and that it didn’t result in a multi-car accident.
> 
> I’ve had ball joints break that were less than two months old. Sometimes you just can’t predict.

A few years ago mizpullin complained that the steering in her minivan was “weird”. I put it up on jackstands in the garage and found the tie rod just barely attached. One good pothole would’ve detached it. I replaced it with a new one on the spot.

And while we’re talking accidents… my two kids managed to _hit each other_ in their cars last week. Fairly slow impact, but I now have two vehicles in the body shop. :rolleyes:

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