Wheel Bearing Damage Did you know that a wheel bearing can fail after hitting a pothole? This video explains it pretty well: When one of your tires goes into a pothole, the wheel bearing gets a jolt. That can cause a small indentation to one of the races.
The type of damage that can be sustained varies depending on the size of the pothole and the speed you were travelling when the incident occurred. There are four main areas of the car that are most likely to be damaged: the suspension, steering, wheels, and tyres.
An automobile accident can cause damage to any part of a vehicle, including wheel bearings. An impact that even slightly dents them can cause malfunction. Potholes, speed bumps, and even hitting curbs can cause damage to wheel bearings that can be diagnosed by an auto mechanic.
In other cases, drivers who've hit potholes may begin to hear a dull grinding noise when turning hard in the same direction as the side of the car that hit the pothole. This could mean that a rock or some other debris got caught between your rotor and the wheel's dust screen, and should be removed.
Struts largely affect alignment, so if your struts take damage from braking over a pothole, there's a chance that your alignment has been thrown off, too. After hitting a pothole, be on the lookout for any signs you may need new shocks or struts, such as unusual sounds or jerky driving.
Growling, whining, grinding, rumbling, howling, or metallic humming sounds are all bad wheel bearing symptoms.
How long does a wheel bearing last? Wheel bearings have an average lifespan of 136,000 to 160,000 km (approximately 85,000 to 100,000 miles). This is only a rule of thumb though, the actual lifespan of a wheel bearing depends on the quality of the wheel bearing and the operating conditions.
If your car shocks or struts are becoming worn, hitting a bump or pothole in the road could cause damage to the car axles. It could even cause them to break. Because axles are constantly rotating and flexing to accommodate different road conditions, they can wear out and fail.
One of the most frequent types of damage caused by potholes is broken coil springs, which will cause uneven suspension. This is because the coil springs take the brunt of the force when you drive over a pothole.
A car with a dependent suspension has a solid axle that connects the tires on the left and right of the car. So, as the left wheel goes down, the right wheel goes up. Automotive enthusiasts often recommend dependent suspension vehicles for driving on the roughest terrain.
Excessive noise
This excess noise is created when the raceways of the bearing have become damaged, causing the rolling elements to bounce or rattle during rotation. If you notice your bearing making excessive noise while it's running, you'll need to replace it as soon as possible.
The national average is about $350 to fix the wheel bearings at one wheel. As you might imagine, however, luxury brands cost more. Please note: If the wheel bearings need replacing at one wheel, you don't necessary need to replace the bearings at the other wheel on the same axle. It's not like matching a pair of tires.
If your wheel bearing fails, it can cause the wheel to stop while you are driving or possibly even to fall off. At the very least, before a wheel falls off, a failed wheel bearing can/will cause significant damage to your vehicle, so it's very important to keep an eye on these and keep them maintained.
If Only One Bearing Is Bad, Do I Have To Replace Them Both? No. Your car's wheel bearings are entirely separate, and a failure in one bearing does not affect the others. You only need to replace the bearing that has failed.
Apart from the signs that can make us aware of a worn-out car wheel bearing (grinding noise, car looseness, heat on the wheel, and steering wheel pulling), there is a very easy action anyone can do at home to see if there is a broken wheel bearing on our car.
Once you notice any sign indicating a bad wheel bearing, avoid exceeding 500 miles with that issue. A failing wheel bearing will increase your difficulty in driving. But with a high-quality wheel bearing, you can drive for another 1000 miles as per the estimate.
The most common failure pattern for wheel bearings is for those on the passenger side of the vehicle to fail first. The passenger side bearings are exposed to the most standing water in the gutter.
The classic sounds of a bad wheel bearing are cyclic chirping, squealing and/or growling noise. You can also tell that the sound is related to wheel bearings if it changes in proportion to vehicle speed. The sound can get worse with every turn, or it can disappear momentarily.
A worn wheel bearing can be dangerous, especially if it causes one wheel to stop while you are driving. If you hear any unusual sounds coming from one side of the vehicle, especially while you are turning, contact a mechanic right away.
, it is unsafe to drive your vehicle. While you may be able to eke as many as a 1,000 miles out of a bad wheel bearing, ignoring the problem for too long can have serious safety consequences—including one of your wheels stopping without warning while you're driving. and CV joint, and even the car's transmission.