5 Symptoms of a Bad Control Arm Bushing
Control arm bushings are the critical cushioning components connecting a vehicle’s suspension to its frame. When worn, these small parts can greatly impact steering, alignment, and ride comfort. Recognizing the symptoms of a bad control arm bushing can mean the difference between a minor inconvenience now versus a major headache later on.
How a Control Arm Bushing Works
The purpose of a control arm bushing is to reduce the amount of vibration created between the frame and the wheels and to keep the control arm aligned. Limited vibration makes for a comfortable drive with minimal unpleasant disturbances.
Without functional bushings, metal-on-metal contact is inevitable which causes increased vibration, driving discomfort, and other irritating and potentially dangerous problems.
Bad Control Arm Bushing Symptoms
Like most parts of your vehicle, the control arm bushings are going to wear out after a while.
These tires transfer more vibrations to through the bushings because they have a short sidewall in order to fit over a rim with a larger diameter. Once bushings start to wear, you can expect a lot of problems to arise while you’re driving.
1) Vibrating Steering Wheel
Usually the vibrations will intensify when accelerating, which can quickly become annoying. This is due to wobbly wheels because of excess play in the system.
2) Clunking/Banging Sounds
When the control arm bushings become too loose or worn, then you will start to hear a clunking sound coming from underneath your car, caused by the bushing getting knocked between the frame and the control arm.
This sound will increase in intensity if you’re driving over rocky or rough terrain, though even small bumps or normal hard braking can cause the banging noise.
3) Steering Wander
A steering wheel that pulls to either the left or right while driving can be due to misalignment caused by worn bushings. Since bushings hold the vehicle frame and control arm snugly in place, bad bushings leave room for abnormal and excess motion in the system which misaligns the wheels.
When the vehicle is up on the lift or jacks, be sure to inspect the bushings for damage or abnormal movement.
4) Uneven Tire Wear
Examine the tire tread on your vehicle regularly to check for uneven tread wear. This problem usually indicates an issue with the alignment, and as explained above the alignment can be affected by worn bushings.
5) Unstable Braking
When braking suddenly, the front end of the car may continue to oscillate back and forth as the car slows.