"What Causes 'Kicking Back' Through Steering Wheel Over Bumps?"
NaTasha Brand • March 16, 2026
The Unruly Steering Wheel: Why Your Car Fights Back Over Bumps
We’ve all felt it. You’re cruising down the Houston Harte, maybe heading out to the loop, when you hit a pothole or a rough patch of asphalt. Suddenly, it feels like the steering wheel has a mind of its own. It yanks, kicks, or "bumps" back against your hands as if the front end is trying to escape your control.
For many drivers in San Angelo, the reaction is to simply grip the wheel tighter and chalk it up to "just how the roads are." But here’s the truth that might save you from a white-knuckle ride and a hefty repair bill: Your car is trying to tell you something is broken.
That sensation of "kicking back" through the steering wheel isn't a feature; it's a failure. Specifically, it’s a failure of your steering system to absorb the shock of the road, a job it was designed to do seamlessly.
The Usual Suspects: What’s Causing the Fight?
When your suspension compresses over a bump, the energy has to go somewhere. In a healthy system, it gets dissipated through the shocks, struts, and linkages. But when parts wear out, that energy travels straight up the steering column to your fingertips. Here are the three main culprits we see here in West Texas:
The Worn-Out Steering Rack (Internal Slop)
Think of your steering rack as the brain of your steering system. Inside, precision gears mesh together to translate your steering wheel input into wheel movement. Over time, and especially with the miles we put on here in San Angelo, those gears wear down. When the internal gears develop "play" or excessive clearance, the rack can no longer dampen vibrations. Instead of the rack absorbing the shock of a bump, the bump rattles the rack and sends that shock right back at you.
Loose Steering Column Joints
Your steering column isn't one solid piece of metal; it has universal joints (U-joints) to allow for the angle between the cabin and the engine bay. If these joints become loose, worn, or improperly assembled, they introduce slack. When you hit a bump, that slack closes abruptly, creating a clunking feel and a nasty kickback. It’s the mechanical equivalent of a loose handshake, unsettling and untrustworthy.
Excessive Play (The Domino Effect)
Sometimes, the issue isn't just one part but the cumulative effect of wear. Worn tie rod ends, ball joints, or bushings create "excessive play" in the front end. This play allows the wheels to move in ways they shouldn't when they encounter a bump. This uncontrolled movement tugs on the steering linkage, and since the shocks have nowhere to go, they travel up to the steering wheel.
Driving with these issues is like trying to have a conversation with someone who keeps interrupting you, eventually, communication breaks down. In your car, a lack of communication between you and the front wheels can lead to a very dangerous loss of control.
Don't Trust Your Safety to Guesswork
Diagnosing the exact source of that kickback isn't a driveway job. It requires lifting the vehicle, inspecting the geometry, and understanding the nuanced difference between a worn inner tie rod and a failing steering column. This is where the rubber meets the road, and where you need a shop that doesn't just throw parts at the problem.
In San Angelo, you need a team that has grown with the industry. Cars aren't the simple machines they were twenty years ago; they're complex computers on wheels.
That’s why you should trust your car in the hands of Ric Henry's Auto Service. For years, Ric Henry's has been the gold standard for automotive care in the 76903 area and beyond. We don't just rely on experience (though we have plenty of it); we constantly evolve. We invest in the same diagnostic tools and equipment that the dealerships use, ensuring that whether you're driving a classic truck or a brand-new import, we can pinpoint the issue accurately the first time.
Whether it’s a minor steering rack adjustment or a major mechanical overhaul, our experienced technicians treat every vehicle with the precision it deserves. And because we stand behind our work, every service we provide is backed by our industry-leading 3-year/36,000-mile warranty.
So, the next time your steering wheel gets into a fight with a pothole, don't just get a stronger grip. Get a smarter diagnosis. Bring it to Ric Henry's Auto Service at 204 W. Washington Drive.
Let us restore the peace and quiet to your daily commute.
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You know that feeling. You fire up your ride on a cool San Angelo morning, maybe heading out from Santa Rita or merging onto Houston Harte, and everything feels perfect. Smooth idle. Good power. Life is fine. Then, ten or fifteen minutes later, the engine reaches operating temperature. Suddenly: stumble, shudder, check engine light blinks. The power cuts. It feels like the engine is trying to shake itself out of the engine bay. You pull into a parking lot near Sunset Mall, let it cool down, and magically, it’s fine again. What in the West Texas heat is going on? Welcome to the frustrating world of heat-related intermittent misfires. These aren’t your standard “bad spark plug” problems. These are gremlins that hide until everything gets hot, and they require a shop that doesn’t just throw parts at the problem. Here at Ric Henry’s Auto Service, we’ve been chasing these thermal ghosts for decades, and we’re going to explain exactly what causes them. The Usual Suspects: Why Heat Breaks Things Heat expands metal. Heat increases electrical resistance. Heat pushes failing components right over the edge. When a misfire only happens on a warm engine, we stop guessing and start testing three specific culprits: Ignition Coil Breakdown When Hot Your ignition coils take low voltage from the battery and turn it into the lightning bolt needed to fire the spark plugs. Inside each coil is a series of windings and insulation. Over time, that insulation gets brittle. When the coil is cold, everything contracts and the crack closes. But once the engine bay soaks up heat, especially on a 100-degree day here in San Angelo, that crack opens up. The high voltage leaks to ground instead of reaching the spark plug. The result? A misfire that vanishes as soon as the car cools off. We see this constantly on GM, Ford, and Toyota trucks. The customer swears they need a tune-up. What they actually need is a coil that won’t fail under thermal stress. Fuel Injector Electrical Issues Here’s one that fools a lot of DIYers. A fuel injector has a small solenoid inside, basically an electromagnetic plunger. When the injector’s internal winding starts to fail, the resistance changes as it gets hot. Too much resistance, and the engine computer can’t open the injector. No fuel to that cylinder = misfire. Cool it down, resistance drops, and the injector works again. We’ve seen drivers spend hundreds on spark plugs, wires, and even catalytic converters, only to find out a single injector was quitting after 20 minutes of driving. That’s why we don’t guess. We use the same dealer-level diagnostic tools to watch injector response in real time, hot and cold. Crankshaft Sensor Heat Failure This one is sneaky. The crankshaft position sensor tells the engine computer when to fire the spark and inject fuel. These sensors are usually magnetic. Heat can cause the internal magnet to weaken or the sensor’s electronic module to start failing intermittently. When that happens, the computer loses sync. You might get a single misfire, a total cutout, or a check engine light for random multiple misfires. The worst part? The sensor often tests perfectly fine when the engine is cold. We have to heat-soak the vehicle, monitor live data, and watch for the signal to glitch. That takes time, experience, and a shop bay, not a parts store parking lot. Why You Need a Shop You Can Trust (Hint: Us) Let’s be honest. A parts-store code reader will give you a P0300 random misfire code. That tells you something is wrong, but not what is wrong. A less-experienced shop might sell you a full tune-up, six coils, or a fuel system cleaning, and the problem will come right back the next time the engine gets hot. We take a different approach. At Ric Henry’s Auto Service, we don’t chase parts. We chase data. Our experienced technicians are equipped to handle a wide range of repairs, from minor fixes to major overhauls, but our specialty is diagnosis that actually solves the problem the first time. We use the same tools and equipment that the dealership does. Not “similar.” The same. That means we can graph ignition coil primary and secondary voltage, perform relative compression tests, and watch crankshaft sensor waveforms while your engine is acting up. We don’t guess. We prove. And because we’ve been evolving with the industry for years, we know that today’s cars require more than a wrench and a prayer. We also offer multiple other system maintenance services, cooling flushes, fuel system cleaning, electrical system testing, because heat affects everything. Our Promise to San Angelo We’re local. We know the heat. We know the dust. 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