Steering wheel way off to the left after wheeling

[absolute yota]

I went on a little trail ride the other day and I had a pretty good bump off of the side of a muddy rutted trench that I had to hit with some speed to make it through. I wasn't flying but id say I was going maybe 10mph or a little less, my drivers side wheel hit the side and it bounced off. I didn't notice until I was back on pavement , and it could have been from any other rock on the trail but I think it was from that mud pit.

Anyway the steering wheel is about 45* off to the left, and when I hit 35 mph the trac lights and vsc comes on and stay i until I restart the truck. Im sure the lights are from the steering angle sensor saying the wheel is turned while im going straight.

Any idea as to what I should look for ? I did a quick inspection and nothing looks bent, the wheels seem to be in line with each other, the tie rods seem intact, its hard to tell if the alignment bolts moved. It didn't pull while driving but I did have a shake at around 50mph, which may be from the stich that wedged itself in my tire bead(presumably from the same mud pit) Is it possible the steering rack or shaft moved or rotated ? Also, how do I check the inner tie rods that are inside the boots near the steering rack ?

 

[svana]

That happened to me when I hit a curb at speed on a turn. The initial hit blew my tire, when I put on the full sized spare and drove it, it did the exact same thing you just explained and tore up my spare. When I got it towed in, the mech said that I had bent my arm pretty bad, along with some other things I don't remember. Cost me $700 by the time I was done not including new tires. I had just replaced my main tire 2 weeks prior too...

 

[CXS]

You may have just knocked it out of alignment. I'd start by getting that checked.

 

[Sungod]

Alignment check is where you should start. You can cross your fingers and hope that it is something that can be adjusted out, but from the sound of it, you bent something. The alignment check will help identify the damaged part/parts. There are a number of parts it can be, control arm, tie rod, steering rack, etc. It is almost impossible to eyeball the damage. I would prepare to get ready to spend some money. If you plan to keep going off road, you can use this as a point to replace with beefier parts. It is all part of paying the price to play.

 

[fourwd1]

You could get under it and check things out for yourself first.

 

[MikeInNH]

45 degrees off...tells me you did more then just knock it out of alignment. I suspect you have other issues. I'd get this checked ASAP.