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

Wheel hub bearingreplacement cost

There are two types of bearings: hub and wheel. Both employ the same physical characteristics of a bearing in that they house bearing spheres that are lubricated for spinning to allow the wheel to rotate. A major difference between the two is how they are assembled. Wheel bearings can be taken apart, lubricated and reassembled to be used again. Hub bearings are pre-packed at the manufacturer’s factory and are sold and installed as a complete unit. These cannot be taken apart for re-lubrication but must be replaced.

Sometimes this happens if the vehicle is brand new, older, the manufacturer no longer makes vehicles, or we just couldn’t get our hands on the information.

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.

Wheel hub bearingsymptoms

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.

Wheel Bearing HubAssembly Front

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.

In theory, wheel bearings could last as long as your Ford. 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.

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?

Wheel HubAssembly Kit

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.

Wheel hubassembly parts

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.

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 Ford. Simply tell us the year, model and style of your Ford and we’ll show you a fair price for the repair.

Diagnosing car troubles by sound alone is an inexact science, but you should not ignore new or unusual car noises. According to an often-quoted study from Braxton Research, 51% of wheel bearing problems are found because of noise (24% are found during a brake job and 19% during an alignment).

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.

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

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.