Listen carefully. The most common and often most-identifiable symptom associated with a bad wheel bearing is noise coming from the wheel or tire area of the moving vehicle. You may mistake this as engine noise, but when you listen closely you are likely to hear grinding or grating that gets louder as the vehicle accelerates. Since wheel bearings are not known for wearing out that frequently, the noise is typically suspected to be something else and the problem overlooked.

Badwheelbearinghumming noise

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The noise may be the result of an under-inflated tire or improperly aligned tires. These issues cause part of the tires (or one tire) to be scrubbing on the pavement. That causes a squealing noise.

If you’re hearing this noise, the issue may be a bad wheel bearing. To confirm it, change the speed of the vehicle. If the noise becomes worse the faster you drive, then it’s almost certainly a bad wheel bearing. If the noise remains the same, then the issue may be the tires instead.

Wheelbearingnoise when driving

Note that tires that are “chopped” or “scalloped” (worn in patches) also make a rhythmic noise that increases in speed. This sounds very similar to a bad wheel bearing. Look at your tires as well if you hear this kind of noise.

We put together this noise guide to save you some labor time. You can have your technicians find the noise that best describes what they’re hearing in the list below. From there, they may be able to figure out what the issue is.

If the wheel bearing and tires look good, you may want to check the drivetrain. Sometimes a humming or growling noise is a sign of an issue within the drivetrain.

Wheel bearings are essential in the operation of your vehicle. More precisely, a wheel bearing is crucial for the proper function of the hub, tire and wheel assemblies to work together. The wheel bearing allows friction-free movement and rotation of the hub assembly, and thereby provides smooth tire and wheel rotation. When the wheel bearing goes bad, you will notice several symptoms.

Wheelbearingreplacement cost

While driving down the road about 40 mph, sway the car side to side slowly, shifting the weight of the vehicle from one side to the other. Do not drive crazy or cause the car to spin out, just sway it gently. Notice whether the noise gets louder or softer. If the noise is a little less if you turn right, the damaged bearing may be on the left, or vice versa.

Wheelbearingnoise when accelerating

It can be hard to figure out if the noise is caused by a wheel bearing or a tire. There’s something you can try, though. Turn the steering wheel slightly to the left or right. If the noise gets worse, then it’s likely one of the wheel bearings.

Most wheel bearings manufactured today are sealed. They come from the factory pressed together as an assembly: front race, bearing set, centre race, bearing set, and outer race, with seals on both the front and rear. Seals protect bearings from the elements, water, and debris, and they also seal in the high-temperature grease the bearing needs. When a seal is broken or damaged, the wheel bearing will fail and start making noise.

You may also trace this noise to a loose pinion-bearing preload. It’s likely the case when you only hear the noise when decelerating.

Most wheel bearings are hardened steel and can withstand a lot of abuse. Its two worst enemies are heat and water. Heat caused by lack of lubrication can destroy a wheel bearing. Water that penetrates a sealed bearing will also destroy it.

If you’re replacing a bad wheel hub bearing, you want to make sure that your techs use high quality replacement parts. Using high quality replacement parts:

If the noise is more “growly”, then the issue is likely a bad wheel bearing. The noise may become louder the faster you drive.

Front wheelbearingnoise symptoms

In extreme cases, a failed wheel bearing can cause abnormal tire wear. When that happens, the noise you’re hearing is caused by both a bad wheel bearing and a worn tire.

How to tell which wheelbearingisbadwhile driving

Chances are when you start hearing a loud noise from under the hood of your car as you drive, you automatically think it’s an exhaust leak or your car is going to break at any moment. But have you thought about the possibility of a broken — or nearly broken — wheel bearing causing that noise?

A worn wheel bearing can cause a howling noise. If you’re also hearing a rumbling noise when turning, then it’s likely a bad wheel bearing.

When the seal on the wheel bearing is broken or damaged, the noise starts out very faint and becomes louder over time. It sounds like the noise that your tires make when hitting a rumble strip on the highway, just not quite as loud, something like the sound of playing cards flapping against bicycle spokes.

What about your tires? We all know the importance of rotating your tires to promote even wear, but did you know a broken wheel bearing can lead to uneven tire wear too? The looseness of the wheel and the vibration that reverberates through the wheel causes your tyres to wear unevenly, meaning you are more likely to have to invest in new tyres sooner.

The best way to figure out the cause of this noise is to check the tires first. If the tires look good, then check the wheel bearings.

Does your car feel loose? When you hear professional drivers talk about a “loose” car, you may not know what that means. It often refers to the steering of the vehicle, which can include wheel bearings. Wheel looseness, or also called wheel play, is another common symptom of a bad wheel bearing. As the bearing begins to wear down, they become loose inside the wheel hub and spindle, which makes your vehicle feel loose while steering.

Badwheelbearingsymptoms

If you’re still not sure whether the issue lies in the tires or one of the wheel bearings, check out the most common symptoms of each issue:

Are you doing the steering, or is the car driving where it wants to? When a wheel bearing corrodes or becomes pitted, the smooth exterior lining is gone and the vibration is transmitted to the tires which may feel like it is “pulling” to one side or the other.

If the issue is a worn wheel bearing, you’d typically hear this noise while cornering or making sharp turns with moderate speed. A bad CV joint can be heard at low speeds with the steering wheel all the way to one side or the other. It can’t hurt to check both the wheel bearings and CV joint(s).

Bad ball bearing soundwhen accelerating

When bearings are damaged and making noise, it’s hard to diagnose because you have to drive the vehicle in order to reproduce the sound. Here are tips to help you find the source of the problem:

What do you do when a customer brings you a vehicle with a roaring or howling noise coming from a wheel? In most cases, it can be coming from a worn tire, or a worn bearing. It is not easy to tell, but there are ways to determine what is causing the problem.

If the problem is a worn wheel bearing, then you’re hearing a knocking noise because the bearing isn’t rotating as freely as it should. A bad tire can cause a knocking or thumping noise, too. To be more specific: