Florida shop shows what 8 different vehicle suspension problems sound like
Tire Place USA in Deerfield Beach, Florida has thousands of followers on social media. The shop performs both tire and general maintenance services. As someone who spent a decade listening to customers describe car noises coming from their front suspension over the phone, I found a recent video from the group highly informative. Let’s check it out.
Loose and worn suspension parts make unique noises
As you might already know, drivers tend to understand something’s amiss in the front end based on new and annoying sounds. And yes, vehicle suspensions should feel pretty darn smooth and quiet when all is well.
After working at a shop full time, watching the compilation of suspension sounds really brought me back. Probably the most common front-end noise reported by customers in Central Ohio was a loose rattle-knocking. Many would say it’s like a hyper shopping cart wheel. And, based on that description, it was almost always the front sway bar links.
Here are some other faulty component sounds and their sources:
- Tie rod end: Mid-pitch “click-knock”
- Strut mount: Low-pitch, fast rattle. Imagine loose, hard plastic wiggling.
- Ball joint: Low, loud creaking when stopped and turning the wheels, OR an echoed knocking inside the wheel rim, OR high-pitched, short squeaking
- Sway bar bushings: Tight, “stressed” sounding creaking
- Control arm bushing: Low, flat knocking
Of course, not every car makes the exact same noises. As your car ages, if you hear something weird coming from your suspension, take the vehicle to someone you trust and have it inspected. Many of these noises require a lift and a crowbar of some sort to properly identify the source of the sound. Keep in mind that a few of the above components are critical safety items (tie rods, ball joints, and control arm bushings, for example). At least get an opinion and estimate and go from there.
