So my wife was driving the car this morning and she heard a loud bang as she was going around a left turn in the road. No, it wasn't a pothole. She took a right turn more or less immediately after and it happened again, except louder. She felt it through the steering wheel and said that it originated from the driver's side. I drove it and tried to replicate it, but nothing happened. Even did some CV joint testing but still nothing.

However, I felt some looseness and heard some clacking sounds around the area where the driver inner tie rod enters the rack and pinion/gearbox assembly. I had my wife rock the steering wheel lightly back and forth with the key on and engine off, and that was how I found the looseness.

Where should I look? I'm going to go and check all of the suspension nuts and bolts and make sure nothing is loose. I can tell you though that the tie rods are tight. What should I look for after that?

 

I'd jack up the front end and push/pull on the tire in the 12/6 o'clock position and also the 3/9. There should be very little movement in the tire. If you have movement, try to locate what is moving.

Sway bar endlinks are another item I'd look at. Any red/brown powder on suspension components.

 

All of the suspension appears to be in good order as far as I can see. Nothing loose or damaged. Wheels have no looseness; tie rods, ball joints, sway bar brackets and links, upper control arms, and strut mounts are all tight. No red or brown dust anywhere. I even checked the driver's side engine mount and it's tight.

 

Noises are tough to diagnose over the internet.

Have someone turn the wheel while you listen near the front tire to get an idea of the noise location. Put your hand on the component you suspect, then try to feel the noise/vibration.

Be sure to do this safely with the car on the ground, because this may only happen when the suspension is under load.

 

That was what I did initially. I had my wife turn the ignition on (engine off) and rock the steering wheel back and forth with the car on the ground while I inspected the steering and suspension, and I heard and felt it the most where the driver's side inner tie rod enters the rack and pinion housing near the gearbox.