Your front wheel bearings control your car’s steering, so any excessive wear on them will be felt through your steering wheel. The vibrating will usually start off subtle and then gradually increase as the wear gets worse. Get your front wheel bearings checked out as soon as you notice vibrations in your steering wheel.

Tire bearingsymptoms

More than just noisy or bothersome, bad wheel bearings could also lead to real performance issues like inconsistent braking, spongy steering and handling, uneven tire wear and, in extreme cases, the wheels could fall off. No matter how much (or how little) you know about cars, you don’t want the wheels falling off, right?

If you ignore all the previous signs of a bad wheel bearing, you will eventually have to deal with smoking wheels. Smoking wheels are typically the result of a wheel bearing grinding out so badly that the resulting heat sets fire to the grease inside. Of course, this can be quite dangerous and if you ever get to this point, stop driving and get your car to a mechanic right away.

The short answer is: Not for too long. Having bad wheel bearings can range from inconvenient and unpleasant to downright dangerous.

Wheelbearingreplacement cost

If you have bad wheel bearings, you might experience the vehicle pulling to one side, sloppy or loose steering, grinding and rattling noises, and uneven tire wear.

A telltale sign of worn wheel bearings is out-of-place noises coming from your wheels or tires that seem to get louder as you increase your speed. You may also hear a clicking noise when turning. If these noises change when changing between road surfaces, then this is likely a tire issue, not a wheel bearing issue. However, if these noises persist regardless of your driving surface, then it’s time to get your wheel bearings checked out by a professional.

Tire bearingreplacement

The end result of ignoring the signs of a bad wheel bearing or delaying maintenance is a fallen wheel. This makes your vehicle not drivable and will likely cost a significant amount of money to repair. As long as you keep a lookout for the other signs of bad wheel bearings and stay proactive in your regular vehicle maintenance, you won’t have to deal with such a fate.

How to tell which wheelbearingis bad while driving

No matter what kind of car you drive, all of your wheels contain wheel bearings, which are important for your vehicle’s braking and suspension systems. Additionally, your front wheel bearings are what allow you to steer your vehicle. Given the important function of your wheel bearings, it is important to ensure that they are all in good working condition and don’t go bad. If you notice a wheel bearing going bad, get to a mechanic right away to resolve the issue and ensure the safety of your vehicle. You can easily book wheel bearing services through CarAdvise and be guaranteed to pay less than retail price! Learn more and sign up today.

If your wheel bearings are in bad shape, it’s likely your tires will be as well. Normal tire wear is to be expected, but if you notice that the tire wear is seriously uneven, it’s time to get your wheel bearings replaced.

Recalls may not affect every vehicle of the same year, make and model. Use your VIN or plate to find out if your specific car has open recalls.

If you’ve been driving your car for a while, you will notice if it starts to handle sloppier or more loose. It may start to feel like your wheels aren’t secured tightly. These are signs of a bad wheel bearing. Excess wear on a wheel bearing will allow more space in between the parts surrounding the bearing, producing that loose drive feel.

If you hear noises at the wheels, one explanation might be a need for a wheel bearing replacement at one or more wheels. The noises might be described as rattling, clicking, humming, growling, or squealing. It can be a real symphony of sound if you’re not careful.

Tire bearingfailure symptoms

Front wheelbearingnoise symptoms

For a national average across all vehicles, the average cost to replace the wheel bearings (for 1 wheel) is about $350 (including parts and labor). But KBB.com goes deeper than that. Based on analyzing 100s of actual repair orders, we put together the Kelley Blue Book Fair Repair Range to show you what you should expect to pay for this repair for your Toyota. Simply tell us the year, model and style of your Toyota and we’ll show you a fair price for the repair.

If water, grit, salt or sand get to the bearings, the grease in the hub assembly gets contaminated. This will wear down the bearings, and they will eventually give out.

This is an especially dangerous issue and requires maintenance right away. You don’t want your vehicle suddenly pulling away from you at random and relinquishing your control of the vehicle. In most cases, this is due to bad wheel bearings.

But what are signs that you may have a bad wheel bearing? Let’s take a look at the common issues that signal a problem with your wheel bearings.

In theory, wheel bearings could last as long as your Toyota. Unlike oil changes or tire rotations, there’s no standard maintenance schedule for replacing them. However, wheel bearings can be damaged if you hit a pothole, smack into a curb or bounce over a speed bump too fast.

For more on any of these complaints – not to mention more than you ever knew you wanted to know about wheel bearings, read the full article