Troubling Noises To Listen for in Your Car

Nothing will take a day from bad to worse like getting in your car and hearing some kind of noise you’ve never heard before. The anxiety involved in not knowing the cause can mix with the dread of expensive repairs in the future. As unpleasant as they are, certain noises can pose serious safety issues. Here are a few troubling noises to listen for in your car that you shouldn’t ignore.

Roaring During Acceleration

When you drive a car for long enough, you become very familiar with the noises it makes as you drive it. A sudden loud roaring noise as your car accelerates could mean that your exhaust has a serious problem. If your exhaust is suddenly much louder than normal, you can probably bet that your muffler has an issue that could affect the rest of your exhaust system. In the worst cases, this could lead to carbon monoxide entering the car’s cabin.

Squeaking When Turning the Wheel

Unless you’re in a vehicle manufactured many decades ago, you likely have power steering as part of your package. Most power steering systems use fluid to help them operate efficiently, but this fluid is subject to leaking and failures over time. When it does fail, you can expect to hear a noticeable squeaking sound as you turn your wheel back and forth. You may need more fluid or you might need to repair a line somewhere in your engine.

Engine Knock

Engine knock is one of the more troubling noises in your car. As the name suggests, it’s a loud knocking sound or even a metallic pinging that you can hear under your hood. A wide variety of issues can cause engine knocks, most of which have to do with engine malfunction somewhere under the hood. Don’t wait to get these noises checked out.

Low Hum or Droning

Nothing is quite as annoying as a low, barely perceptible humming or droning noise while you drive. For most vehicles, this kind of noise pops up when its tires have become an issue. Worn down and older tires can start to hum as they deteriorate. Underinflated tires also tend to produce a droning noise. Head to a tire shop right away before you end up with a much bigger problem on your hands.