I have a 2000 cherokee sport, stock. About 5 months ago I was backing out of a parking spot and i had the wheel cut hard over to the right (i believe) when all of a sudden I felt and heard POP.....POP......POP....POP which made the car jump and buck, almost like a crow hop but it wasn't in 4 wheel drive. So I stopped the car as soon as I could and smoothed out the steering. The car seemed to be okay after that. Yet, since then the car isn't exactly okay. Every time I turn the wheel to the left I feel and hear a slight popping sound, almost like one of your knuckles cracking. Sometimes, I can feel it in the brake too. And if whipping the wheel around quick to the left it makes like a dry scuffing sound, almost like nails on a chalk board but much deeper pitched. Ive had the alignment done like 3 times on it, my uncle the mechanic had switched some "settings" as he called it because not each tire/axle or something like that was set on the same setting. He thinks after repairing an accident it wasn't set correctly. ( I bought the car used in January) And he's cleaned out the steering box and flushed it with new fluids. All to no avail. This steering problem is driving me crazy and often I just want to put a brick to the gas pedal and jump out of the car and watch it sail over a cliff. Anyone have any ideas what it could be? Cause my uncle can't figure it out.

 

Sounds like to me you've got bad U-Joints. Check for play in the axle u-joints and then replace them if there is any play.