Wheel bearing noise can not only be an annoyance but it also an indication of a serious problem with the wheel bearings that must be immediately addressed to avoid a potentially dangerous situation.

When a wheel bearing starts to malfunction it can make a variety of different sounds that should alert the driver to the problem. Unfortunately, many times wheel bearing noise is misdiagnosed as something else or is completely ignored altogether by the owner of the vehicle.

How To Diagnose Wheel Bearing Problems

There are many different parts of the wheel assembly that can make noise. These include the struts, shocks, coil springs, ball joints and sway bar brackets. This can make sounds that are quite similar to a wheel bearing, making a diagnosis quite difficult. Wheel bearing noise can easily be separated from the noises of these other parts, however. All it takes is noting the particular characteristics of the sound.

Unlike other parts of the wheel assembly, wheel bearings only make sound when the vehicle is in motion and this sound doesn’t change with the vehicle’s straight-line acceleration or deceleration. If the sound remains constant while driving the vehicle, then it is most certainly a wheel bearing problem.

The wheel bearings can also be checked manually. In order to do this the vehicle must be jacked up and then placed on jack stands. After the vehicle has been raised, the vehicle owner should then spin the wheels in a clockwise fashion while holding the strut assembly. The wheel bearing noise should be painfully apparent as the tire is being spun. This will allow the vehicle inspector to identify if the problem exists in only one wheel or multiple wheels.

Once the noisy wheel bearing has been identified, the car should immediately be checked by a mechanic. Wheel bearing problems can lead to a potentially dangerous situation and should be repaired at once. Since the safety of a car is dependant on properly functioning wheel bearings, it is a problem that should be immediately fixed. As a general rule, wheel bearing need to be replaced every 60,000 miles or so.