can hard braking make your alignment "off"?

[Anonymous]

I had to hard brake yesterday (2022 Subaru Legacy) to avoid unexpectedly stopped vehicle. Now my alignment is somewhat off. How is this possible? Has this ever happened to you?

[Anonymous]

Hard breaking shouldn’t affect your alignment unless some of the suspension bolts are loose, which would be very unusual and not safe to drive in general. Who told you that your alignment is off?

[Anonymous]

Hard braking can reveal bad alignment as car pulls.

[Anonymous]

Thanks PPs. I can tell it's pulling to the right and I noticed immediately after the hard stop incident. I've been driving for 40+ years and never experienced something like this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks PPs. I can tell it's pulling to the right and I noticed immediately after the hard stop incident. I've been driving for 40+ years and never experienced something like this.

The first PP is correct. There may have been a loose bolt somewhere. It could also be a brake that is jammed and dragging a bit. That would make the car pull.

[Anonymous]

Or a low tire.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks PPs. I can tell it's pulling to the right and I noticed immediately after the hard stop incident. I've been driving for 40+ years and never experienced something like this.

The first PP is correct. There may have been a loose bolt somewhere. It could also be a brake that is jammed and dragging a bit. That would make the car pull.

That is an interesting theory that a brake got jammed. You can test it by driving around 10-20 minutes and then checking (very carefully) if one of the wheels is much hotter than the others. Also I would visually inspect the wheels to see if any is tilted more than others, which would indicate bad alignment. Another guess in that a wheel hub was probably on its last legs and the hard braking finished it. That might also contribute to pulling. Grab top and bottom of a wheel and shake it. If you feel some slack or hear clicking that might indicate a bad hub.

[Anonymous]

No.
As mentioned, hard braking can reveal pull.
Most likely you are just thinking it's out of alignment now and imagining it, or else it always was and you just started paying attention.

I'd inspect your brakes though. Most wheels allow you to see the rotors and parts of the pads for a quick inspection to see if anything is stuck in one or unusual wear patterns on the rotors.

[Anonymous]

I am certain it wasn’t pulling before the incident. I pay close attention to how my cars drive. Anyway, I took it in today so should know by tomorrow what the problem is. It has only 17k on it. Thanks guys for your thoughts.

Op

[Anonymous]

Just got back from the dealer. They said my strut is bent. They need to replace right front strut, mount, knuckle and bearing then alignment. They took me in the shop to show the front wheel is "leaning" inside. They also said hard braking couldn't cause something like this, but big potholes or some sort of big impacts can. Except I haven't hit big potholes. Repair cost est - 2100 + 115 I paid this morning. Any good Subaru repair shops near Rockville area is greatly appreciated. Thanks guys.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just got back from the dealer. They said my strut is bent. They need to replace right front strut, mount, knuckle and bearing then alignment. They took me in the shop to show the front wheel is "leaning" inside. They also said hard braking couldn't cause something like this, but big potholes or some sort of big impacts can. Except I haven't hit big potholes. Repair cost est - 2100 + 115 I paid this morning. Any good Subaru repair shops near Rockville area is greatly appreciated. Thanks guys.

Hard braking can put additional stress on parts of the car that had been weaken.

[Anonymous]

OP you said your car has only 17k miles. Is it also less than 3 years old? If so it is covered by the warranty. Insist on the dealership repair it under warranty if you are certain you haven’t hit any potholes. Impact needed to bend a strut would bend the wheel first. I would question the dealership story.

[Anonymous]

Hard braking going into a pothole can absolutely tweak your alignment. I’m constantly having to adjust the alignment on my racecar from dipping into the buffer while under hard braking right before a corner.

It’s a real thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just got back from the dealer. They said my strut is bent. They need to replace right front strut, mount, knuckle and bearing then alignment. They took me in the shop to show the front wheel is "leaning" inside. They also said hard braking couldn't cause something like this, but big potholes or some sort of big impacts can. Except I haven't hit big potholes. Repair cost est - 2100 + 115 I paid this morning. Any good Subaru repair shops near Rockville area is greatly appreciated. Thanks guys.

Anyone else been driving it? Left it with any shady valets?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP you said your car has only 17k miles. Is it also less than 3 years old? If so it is covered by the warranty. Insist on the dealership repair it under warranty if you are certain you haven’t hit any potholes. Impact needed to bend a strut would bend the wheel first. I would question the dealership story.

Op - yeah, no such luck. 7/31 was my purchase date three years ago but they also said something like this wouldn't be covered under warranty anyway.