How long can you drive with a bad wheel bearing?
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.
We do not advise driving on them when they fail and recommend getting them checked out as soon as possible. Bad wheel bearings can damage things like your hub, the vehicle's constant velocity joint (CV joint), or the automatic transmission.
Driving with worn wheel bearings can cause serious damage to your drive-axle and steering assembly and ultimately be a major safety hazard. Driving on a bad wheel bearing puts stress on the hub and CV joint, brake system components, and ultimately on the transmission itself.
So replacing a bad bearing as soon as possible will save on more expensive repairs later. Typically, you shouldn't exceed 1,000 miles on a bad wheel bearing.
Typically, you shouldn't exceed 1,000 miles on a bad wheel bearing. Driving for distances longer than 1,000 miles could lead to serious complications with your vehicle. Continuing to put stress on this wheel bearing will also hurt the hub, CV joint, and even the transmission.
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.
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.
You should expect to replace wheel bearings every 85,000-100,000 miles. However, this number is only a guess, as it also depends on the quality of the bearings. Unless both bearings on all side of the wheels are overworked, there is no need to replace them all at once. You should only swap out the ones that need it.
The first sign of bearing failure is excessive vibration.
You can still drive with a bad wheel bearing, but we wouldn't recommend it for long distances. Keep your mileage to a minimum and look out for worsening symptoms of a wheel bearing fault; we cover the symptoms to check for later in this guide.
Is it OK to replace just one wheel bearing?
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.
If a driver overloads the vehicle, bearing damage could be inevitable. 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.
Wheel Lock
Most modern wheel bearings are sealed and for good reason. If any dirt, debris, or other contamination gets into the bearings, it could reduce lubrication and increase friction. If it gets too hot, or there's too much debris in the bearings, they could start to lock up or grind.
We found significant play in the bearing, which can lead to a soft brake pedal. Brake rotors are held in alignment by wheel bearings. If you have a faulty or loose wheel bearing, the rotor will wobble on its axis. This wobble causes the rotor to push the caliper piston into its bore (See Image 2).
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.
How can you stop a wheel bearing making noise? Unfortunately you can't: the only solution to a worn, noisy wheel bearing is to have it replaced by a garage; bearings are not repairable.
If your bearing is suddenly noisy during operation, you're looking at a bearing failure. This excess noise is created when the raceways of the bearing have become damaged, causing the rolling elements to bounce or rattle during rotation.
Since wheel bearings are what your tires spin on, they can reduce your acceleration as they fail. Due to poor lubrication or rust, wheel bearings can start to perform worse, and they won't let your vehicle acceleration freely.
These bearings are unbolted from the steering knuckle, and a new bearing bolted on. Expect to pay for 1-2 hours of labor to replace per side, usually between $80-200.00.
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.
What is the most common bearing failure?
Considering the facts mentioned above, the most common cause of bearing failure is lubrication, whether it is poor lubricant selection, poor application, lubricant contamination or lubricant degradation.
While it may seem like common sense, standard wear and tear is one of the leading causes of bearing failure. Eventually all bearings fail due to wear, however, excessive load, vibration or force can cause a bearing to wear out long before it should. Most of this excess force is caused by improper installation.
The bearings can cause a severe problem if they malfunction. As we said before, extreme heat can be caused by friction, and this can cause a sudden seize of the bearing, causing the wheel to get blocked at whatever speed we are driving at that moment. There is a risk of an accident if we don't take care of this issue.
Sounds like a wheel bearing, but make sure it isn't a tire. Sometimes bad tires can mimic bad wheel bearing symptoms pretty closely.
A worn wheel hub bearing is a pretty big deal. If you let it go on long enough, the wheel could literally fall off while you're driving. That could cause a catastrophic accident that puts your life and others' lives at risk.
On many modern cars, a bad wheel bearing will trigger a warning light. The ABS or traction control warnings will often illuminate, since a bad bearing will trip the system to deactivate.
Damaged or worn wheel bearings
Designed to secure the wheel hub to the vehicle's suspension, and allow the wheels to turn properly, these safety critical components can cause steering wheel vibration if damaged or not lubricated sufficiently. In this instance, the steering wheel will usually only shake when turning.
Severe looseness related to a worn or damaged bearing can cause excessive runout, leading to uneven wear on the brake pads and/or rotor.
Additionally, labour costs for installation may vary depending on the mechanic you choose. As a rough estimate, the price for a single wheel bearing can range from £150 to £250.
Following that, the cost for a wheel bearing averages between $50 to $120, while a new wheel hub could set you back by $200 to $500. The labor charges for a wheel bearing replacement can fall between $60 to $300. And changing the wheel bearing usually takes around 1 to 1.5 hours.
How soon should you replace a bad wheel bearing?
Wheel bearings. They make the world go 'round. Most serviceable wheel bearings need maintenance every 25,000 to 30,000 miles, or during every brake service. But, the average life of a sealed wheel bearing and hub assembly is about 85,000 to 100,000 miles, without the opportunity for a technician to repack the bearings.
The majority of bearing failures occur because of improper lubrication. Lubrication failure can occur if the wrong lubricant is used, if not enough lubricant is applied, or if the bearing has been exposed to excessive temperatures that have caused the lubricant to degrade.
If you replace a wheel bearing soon enough the hub will be ok! If not, then both need to be replaced!
