Car alignment or worse?

SEANWHITE

MEMBER
2008 FORD FIESTA
32,000 MILES

This morning on the way to work, I hit a kerb on the front passenger side going about 20MPH. It made a reasonably loud noise. As I continued to drive, I noticed that my wheel would automatically turn a bit to the left. Also, there was quite a loud knocking kind of sound as I drove. Upon getting out of my car, the hub cap appears to be scratched, and was a little loose. I have pushed it in again, and haven't drove since, but need to drive home later. My journey lasts around 30 minutes, and will enter the motorway at some stages. I understand no-one will be able to give a definitive answer as to what is wrong, but suggestions as to what is wrong, how to repair, if it is safe to drive home, and costs to repair could be made, then I would be greatly appreciative.

1 Reply

KHLOW2008

MECHANIC
41,814 POSTS

Without a visual inspection, it definitely is not possible to understand what is wrong and the extent of any damage.

It could be a bent rim, damage to the suspension arms/steering links or something is knocked out of position which can be rectified by an alignment job.
At 20 mph the impact should not be enough to cause serious damage and since you have managed to drive it for some distane without any abnormalites, you should be able to drive the vehicle home.

It is best to get the problem checked as bad wheel alignment can result in abnormal tire wear and could be costly to eplace them at short intervals.