Everything you ever needed to know about wheel bearings

Each wheel on your vehicle is equipped with a set of wheel bearings that have the important job of reducing friction as the wheels are spinning. Each wheel bearing is made up of a bunch of steel balls that are held together by a metal ring and packed with grease. When one or more of the wheel bearings start to wear out, you will begin to experience some things that will let you know it’s time to replace them. If you ignore these signs, you could end up having something very serious happen. In this blog post, you will learn everything you need to know about wheel bearings so you can have them replaced before a major problem occurs.

Here are some symptoms to watch for that will tell you there’s a bad wheel bearing:

1. Grinding or Grating Noise from the Wheel Area: As you drive and increase you speed, the grinding or grating sound will get louder. The reason you are hearing this sound is because there isn’t enough grease to properly lubricate the bearings and there is metal to metal contact. Some of the bearings may have also fallen out.
2. Uneven Tire Wear: Sure, this could be a sign of misaligned wheels, tires that aren’t balanced properly, or not having the tires rotated on a regular basis. It could also be a sign that a wheel bearing is broken. When a wheel bearing is faulty, the wheels will be loose and vibrate. This will cause uneven tire wear.
3. Steering Problems: While you are driving, you may notice a vibration in the steering wheel that gets worse as you accelerate. You may also notice that your vehicle is pulling more toward one side. This could be the result of a bad wheel bearing.
4. Loose Steering: A bad wheel bearing will cause more play in the wheels making it feel like the steering is looser. When we put your vehicle on a lift, we can tell if the bearings are bad if the wheel wobbles or moves back and forth when its rocked.

What can happen if I continue to drive with a bad wheel bearing?

Continuing to drive with a bad wheel bearing is very dangerous. A faulty wheel bearing will affect many other important components on your vehicle like the hub, CV joint, axle and even the transmission. Even worse, if a damaged wheel bearing fails completely, the wheel will seize and you will have an accident.

Don’t leave any concerns you may have about the wheel bearings to chance. You can bring your vehicle to our auto repair shop in Morristown, NJ, for an inspection. If the wheel bearing or bearings need to be replaced, we’ll let you know and will also get you back on the road as quickly as possible. Contact us today to schedule an appointment for wheel bearing repair.