Why is the steering in a car called a wheel and an axle?

The steering wheel is called a steering wheel because it's wheel-shaped, and used to steer the car. Not all early cars had steering wheels. This is the Benz Patent-Motorwagen, often considered to be the first automobile, built in 1885. read more

The wheel and axle is what distributes the car’s weight and allows it to roll - that's certainly not what the entirety of the steering system is called, although directional changes of the wheels are what steers the car, and they're mounted to an axle, so there is that. read more

The Wheel and axle are perfect for turning turbines and fans; They are also used in automobiles. For example, when you turn the steering wheel of a car, your effort is multiplied by the axle and results in more turns of the car wheels. read more

Differential steering is the primary means of steering tracked vehicles, such as tanks and bulldozers, is also used in certain wheeled vehicles commonly known as skid-steer, and even implemented in some automobiles, where it is called torque vectoring, to augment steering by changing wheel direction relative to the vehicle. read more