While driving on the highway, something in the front suspension made a loud cracking noise and the cars steering became loose. Something like when a strong wind is carrying your car around the highway and you have to correct it with the steering wheel.

It seems like the "dead zone" of the steering wheel increased dramatically, steering feels "mushy".

I just came back from my official service shop (car still under warranty) and they say it's because one of my NEW tyres are deformed (front) and because of worn out tyres at the back.

I was there and checked with them the whole suspension, EVERYTHING is stiff and firm, nothing is loose! Unbelieveable!

Somehow I doubt that the tyres are responsible for the loud crack from under the front end of the car and the unresponsive steering, but they said that I come back when the tyres are changed (I have to change the serionsly worn out pair anyway).

I think the tyres will eliminate only the serious shaking of the whole car at speeds over 120km/h.

Anyone has any ideas what is happening with my car?

P.S. only the "silent blocks", if I wrote it correctly, are non stock from the Ibiza Cupra.

Could be the rack? How does the steering feel with the front wheels jacked up and the ignition off? Do the wheels respond immediatly to the turn of the wheel?

could you have hit something on the road , which flicked up under the car and caused the noise you heard , also by hittng the object you have damaged the tyre , a deformed tyre can give some odd steering sensations

I had a vibration that was caused by a deformed tyre, was a world of difference when I got some new ones.... try it, if it doesn't work, back to the garage

hm... I can only rembember odd resonance of the whole chassis while driving above 120km/h, the resonating frequency was proportional to the speed, the faster I was going the more vibration and noise, until once something broke and driving above 140km/h is risking your life :-/

Chrispy, I also suspect the rack but amazingly the steering wheel turns at the same moment I touch the wheels. Though, there is a pretty loud knocking sound coming from the suspension while turning the wheel left-right with engine off, but that was there before (appeared about 10kkm, now at 32kkm).

Of course, I will solve the tyre problem and see...

hm... I can only rembember odd resonance of the whole chassis while driving above 120km/h, the resonating frequency was proportional to the speed, the faster I was going the more vibration and noise, until once something broke and driving above 140km/h is risking your life :-/

Chrispy, I also suspect the rack but amazingly the steering wheel turns at the same moment I touch the wheels. Though, there is a pretty loud knocking sound coming from the suspension while turning the wheel left-right with engine off, but that was there before (appeared about 10kkm, now at 32kkm).

Of course, I will solve the tyre problem and see...

it all sounds rather scary to me :eek:

Well... I changed the tyres, now basically on four new ones; neither wheel was in balance, thus the shaking, now all of them balanced and a "laser wheel alignment" was performed, cuz of the pulling to the side.

So now everything is solved (shaking, resonance, pulling to the side) but the steering is still somehow, "unconnected" :-/ I also tried another Fabia RS with cupra "silent blocks" and it responds the same! I just couldn't believe it!

But I could swear the steering before the loud crack was so stiff, sharp and responsive... I don't know what to think anymore cuz the car acts fine...