A vehicle's suspension system is made up of the components on which the vehicle rides. These include shock absorbers, struts, springs (coil or leaf), sway bars, ball joints, control arms, or torsion bars. These parts work together to provide a smooth comfortable ride, as well as good control and handling of the vehicle. They take a beating on a daily basis and therefore wear out. This wear causes the alignment angles to go out of adjustment, which results in tire wear and poor handling. That is why it's a good practice to have alignment checks every 12,000 miles or 12 months, whichever comes first.