Tires Locking When Turning Steering Wheel.

[kmammas]

When turning the steering wheel more than 1/2 way, the tires become sluggish not wanting to move. If the steering wheel is turned all the way, the tires actually lock and if you continue stepping on the gas, there is a sound and the car moves forward sluggishly. It happens going forward or in reverse, especially when turning around in tight spaces. A few years ago the same thing happened and the dealer told me that it was because the brake drums needed to be replaced and blamed it on the new type of salt that is used to clear snow off the roads. I don't see how this could be happening again after a few years. Is this actually a symptom of brake drum problems?

[kg6emc]

I ran into a similar problem a couple of months ago- binding in the drivetrain, difficulty making sharp turns. It had me scratching my head for a while trying to track down the cause.

It turned out that I had inadvertently activated the center diff-lock by hitting that button instead of the antenna down button just above it as I had intended. The problem immediately cleared-up after deactivating the diff-lock.

[kmammas]

Thank you for the reply. This was exactly what I did. I must have hit it with my knees without realizing it.

[victorjohn]

Same thing just happened to me as well. Had visions of thousand of dollars of front-end repairs dancing in my head. Boy, was I relieved when I realized what it was. I've never used it before so was unfamiliar with it's tendencies. There is suppose to be an indicator light on the dash to show when it's engaged but mine never came on. Live and learn.

[Leprechaun]

Amen fellas.  I just bought my 2003 model and had the same problem starting yesterday.  I just knew I had a $3k fix coming.  My dash lights don't all work so I could see that the differencial was locked.  Now she's back to normal!