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hi ted v- actually that is a moderately common cause of the malfunction you report. but it strangely is rarely suspected in practice. have had that problem at least 5 times since the war with a variety of car models. seems fairly common with radial style tires. once the belt shifts, it stresses the tread until a bubble appears and the tire goes out of round, rumbles like hell and explodes if you push it.sometimes the belt breaks and the wire strands rapidly deflate the tire. one is inclined to look at everything else, calipers, joints , bushings, tie rod ends, etc . this invites shysterism if you go to some mechanics and dealers. two rules- for front end problems inspect the tires carefully first, and pull the ripcord if some joker tells you you need fresh blinker fluid or you need to replace the muffler bearings. give em hades. regards oldduke