So I've been having a loud clunking noise when I go over bumps for a while now, and the steering is a little off. I just replaced the entire suspension (struts/shocks) a few months ago, so I'm fairly sure it's not that. The car wanders, even after an alignment. I'm also getting the clunking noise when I turn the car at slow speed sometimes. It's not a grinding sound; it sounds like something is loose and banging around, but only on sharp jolts or when turning...especially on uneven ground.

I've been doing a lot of research on this, and some of the things that have come up are the steering gear (rack and pinion), the CV joints and the tie rods. I've done the "move the wheel" test by lifting up the car and trying to move the wheels with my hands. No movement at all up and down (ball joints) and I get a little bit of movement left and right (tie rods/steering gear), but not enough that it makes me thing anything is wrong with the tie rods. Got under the car and did the pry bar test to see if the ball joints moved, and I don't think they did, but it was difficult to get leverage with the tool I was using (wasn't actually a pry bar, lol). I saw a video on YouTube where they would turn the steering wheel back and forth quickly just a little bit and there was a clunking noise with each change of direction, and I'm experiencing that with my car.

I tell you all of this before I say that when I took my car in for the alignment, they specifically said the rack and pinion was making noise. I don't necessarily doubt them, because they've treated me well in the past, but before I go buying parts, I was hoping for a little more confirmation on this issue...hopefully from someone who has experienced this and replacing the steering gear fixed the problem. Would clunking over bumps and while turning at slow speeds, and sloppy steering, all be caused by a bad steering gear?

 

The clunking is most likely the sway bar mount to frame bushings. All 3 of my ION's had this problem.

Make sure they did the alignment right, my ION didn't like the settings they put on mine. I can't remember the settings that it didn't like but, when they put the numbers closer together, it drove great.

 

Would the sway bar be moving when the car is sitting still? I'm hearing a light clunking when turning the wheel back and forth while it's parked, and also when I move the front wheels by hand at the 9 and 3 positions from outside the car when I have it on a jack. I'm assuming that clunk is much louder when the car is moving and may be what I'm hearing when I go over large bumps and when I hear it while turning at slow speeds.

At any rate, I'll check the sway bar to see if it's moving. Thanks for the suggestion!

 

I do not know the front suspension configuration on an Ion, so take the following as is:

The sway bar acts like a loaded stiff spring between the front lower control arms (L and R). The LCA's connect to the wheel hub presumably through the ball joints. So although in theory, the ball joint shouldn't allow for movement, if the sway bar bushings are not holding the sway bar tight enough to the frame, the sway bar WILL move, even with the car at rest.

 

Also check the control arm bolts, our 07 had a loose one on the passenger side rear bolt..

 

Dude, the sway bar end links need to be checked too. They're attached to the sway bar and will make noise when the car is sitting still and the steering wheel is turned. They don't cost much and I recommend replacing the sway bar bushings at the same time. If you have already done that, then you may want to take a look at the strut mount bearings.

 

Tooter,

Do Ions have front sway bar end links or does the sway bar end mount directly to the control arm?

 

Yes, the IONs do have end links.

 

Thanks. I more CORRECT Ion answer I can share in the future

 

The reality of the situation is that I spent two years in Fort Worth, TX, where the roads are TERRIBLE. Potholes all over the place, and I couldn't afford to change my struts and shocks out until right before I moved back to San Diego. I'm fairly sure that I'm going to end up having to replace my entire suspension system to get rid of all the problems. But honestly, the car runs great otherwise and it's far cheaper in the long run to do that than to buy a new car...

So I think I'm going to start with the steering gear. It's an easy DIY on the '07 Ion (electric power assist steering), and only a few hundred dollars for a rebuilt one, and since the mechanic diagnosed it that way, it should be a safe bet to replace it. I'll be sure to check these other things while I'm in there messing around.

Thanks for all the input!