If all four of your tires are aligned with complete contact with the road, you wouldn’t have uneven wear. Typically, the most worn tire is the same wheel with the faulty bearing.

Your vehicle’s wheels may seem to have simple functionality, but their design involves a lot of complexity. The wheel bearing is the perfect example of that.

Wheel bearingnoise when accelerating

A failing wheel bearing can lead to increased wheel friction, causing them to change position. As a result, you may experience vibrations and tremors while driving.

When wheels spin around these metal axles, they create friction and heat. Wheel bearings help reduce friction and heat, and protect your wheels and tires.

Wheel bearingnoise test

A wheel bearing is a set of steel balls or rollers found inside the hub assembly and held by a cage in a metal ring called a “race.” At the center of your wheels is a hollow metal piece called a wheel hub. The wheel bearings fit tightly inside this hub and ride on a metal axle shaft.

Since other vehicle issues like tire damage cause a similar noise, it can be challenging to determine if what you’re hearing is a bad bearing noise or tire noise.

Wheel bearings are key to keeping your wheels in position and moving effectively. A wheel bearing issue can prove to be dangerous on the road and can cost you your safety.

However, sometimes you may not have a faulty wheel bearing or a worn tire. The issue can be within the drivetrain, the CV joint, or the rear differential. It’s best to get your vehicle evaluated by a certified mechanic who can say for sure if it’s a bad wheel bearing noise.

A worn wheel bearing can give you a shaky steering wheel at a lower vehicle speed. The shaking will only worsen and may even occur while accelerating if the wheel bearing failure is unaddressed.

Frontwheel bearingnoise symptoms

Plus, sometimes, you may have to remove the steering knuckle to replace the wheel bearing. So even if you were to determine front or rear wheel bearing damage, you’d need specialized equipment and experience to fix it yourself.

The labor costs for replacing a wheel bearing are between $140 and $200, while the parts themselves cost between $150 and $400.

Whether your vehicle has roller bearings, ball bearings, or any other type of wheel bearings, the most obvious sign of damage is noise.

Can you fix it yourself?Well, a critical problem here is diagnosing the exact reason for the issues you see. For all you know, a wheel bearing noise can actually be tire damage in reality.

Wheel bearingreplacement cost

This one’s a symptom your mechanic can identify. When your vehicle is up on the lift, a mechanic can grab the wheel and try to rock it back and forth. If the wheel assembly wobbles, you probably have a wheel bearing problem.

Wheel bearingnoise quick fix

Wheel bearingnoise dangerous

And luckily, AutoNation Mobile Service is the most convenient car repair and maintenance solution that offers all of this.

Our certified mobile mechanics come to your home or office to complete your repair. We make the process easy from start to finish by offering upfront pricing, online booking, after-hours support, and a full warranty.

Wheel bearings are critical for your wheels to stay sturdy and work harmoniously. However, they’re prone to damage. And an almost definite sign of a worn bearing is noise.

Sometimes, a failed wheel bearing can cause you to lose a wheel while driving, which can have potentially deadly consequences.

In this article, we’ll answer all your questions on wheel bearing noise, including what it sounds like, four other damage symptoms, possible causes, and the cost of replacement.

Here’s something you can try to figure out if what you’re hearing is a bad bearing noise: Turn the steering wheel slightly to the left or right. If the noise worsens, then it’s likely one of the wheel bearings.

It is NOT safe to drive with a damaged front or rear wheel bearing. And since wheel bearing noise points to bearing problems, it wouldn’t be a good idea to take your car for a spin.