Tools For Steering System Noise Diagnosis: Drift/Pull

WARNING: This page is about a different car, the 2006 Mercury Mariner and 2006 Ford Escape. However, it is still accessible from the selected car via links, so may be relevant.

Pull is described as a tugging sensation felt by the hands on the steering wheel that must be overcome to keep the vehicle going straight.

Drift describes what a vehicle with this condition does with the hands off the steering wheel.

A vehicle-related drift/pull on a flat road can cause a consistent deviation from the straight-ahead path and require constant steering input in the opposite direction to counteract the effect.
Drift/pull can be induced by conditions external to the vehicle, such as wind or road camber.