If your vehicle is showing loud pop or bang followed by a sudden pull or loss of control, here are the most likely causes and the parts you'll need to fix each one.
A catastrophic tire failure causes an immediate loud bang and a violent pull toward the side of the blown tire. This is the most frequent cause of a sudden explosive noise followed by loss of control.
The ball joint completely separates from the control arm or steering knuckle due to severe wear. This causes the wheel to fold inward or outward, resulting in a loud pop and an immediate, severe loss of steering control.
The tie rod end snaps or pops out of its socket, completely disconnecting the steering rack from one of the front wheels. The affected wheel will turn on its own, causing a violent pull.
A severely rusted or fatigued coil spring suddenly snaps under load. This creates a loud bang, causes the vehicle to drop significantly on one side, and drastically alters the alignment, causing a pull.
If lug nuts were improperly torqued (left loose or over-tightened) during recent service, the wheel studs can fatigue and shear off all at once with a loud bang, causing the wheel to detach from the vehicle.
Under heavy acceleration, a severely worn CV joint can bind and snap the axle shaft. This causes a loud pop, a sudden torque-steer jerk, and an immediate loss of forward propulsion.