Front Wheel Drive

WARNING: This page is about a different car, the 2003 Pontiac Aztek and 2003 Buick Rendezvous. However, it is still accessible from the selected car via links, so may be relevant.

The rear suspension system on the front wheel drive version of this vehicle is the trailing-arm axle type. Two control arms (trailing arms) mount the axle to the vehicle body. The rear suspension system performs the following functions:

Maintains the relationship of the rear axle to the body.
Opposes the torque reaction on acceleration and braking.

The rear suspension system on this vehicle consists of the following components:

The rear axle.
Two coil springs.
Two shock absorbers.
The rear axle tie rod.

The rear axle contains a stabilizer shaft which is an integral part of the rear axle. A wheel bearing/hub is secured at each end of the rear axle. The wheel bearing/hub also contains an integral wheel speed sensor.

The rear coil springs are retained between the spring seat in the underbody and the spring seat on the top of the rear axle. Rubber insulators isolate the coil spring at the top and at the bottom.

There are two different types of shock absorbers used on this vehicle depending if the vehicle is equipped with Automatic Level Control (ALC).

The rear tie rod attaches to the axle and to the underbody. The rear axle tie rod controls the lateral movement of the rear axle in relation to the vehicle body. The rear axle tie rod bushings are an integral part of the rear axle tie rod.