[SailinAway]

I bought a used car in 2019 from a dealer in Salem, NH. It had 68,000 miles and now has 85,000. My mechanic informed me yesterday that the rear tires were mounted incorrectly with respect to "inside" and "outside." I never even heard of this before.

(1) Does this mean that these are directional tires?

(2) The tires were rotated back to front yesterday. I now have noise up front that wasn't there before--- a bup bup bup bup. What could be causing this?

(3) Why did this noise start with the rotation?

(4) At the same time, the traction control warning light is coming on randomly (that started a couple of weeks ago). What does this mean?

My theories: tires have worn unevenly because they were installed wrong, and/or the wheel bearings are worn.