6 Symptoms of Bad Shock Absorbers
The purpose of shock absorbers is to keep tires on the road by managing suspension and spring movement over bumps for stable handling. So if you hear strange sounds going over bumps or bouncing down the road, your shocks could be failing. Learn to recognize the subtle but serious symptoms of worn shock absorbers before minor comfort becomes major safety issues.
What is a Shock Absorber?
Commonly referred to as a “shock”, a shock absorber is a suspension component which is responsible for controlling the up/down motion of a vehicle’s wheels.
While springs are what mainly handle the energy absorbed from bumps in the road, without shock absorbers, your vehicle would continue to bounce on the springs for a time after hitting a bump.
Shock absorbers absorb this unwanted spring motion. This process is known as dampening and it’s critical unless you want to drive with very little control.
Top 6 Bad Shock Absorber Symptoms
One or more shock absorbers can eventually go bad and ultimately fail to work. A lot of people have trouble figuring out which one has gone bad when strange symptoms arise. Below are six of the most commons signs that could indicate you have a faulty shock absorber.
1) Knocking Noise
When going over various bumps, speed bumps, or potholes and your hear a knocking sound, it likely means you have worn shock absorbers. The noise may be the meal coil springs actually hitting your car’s chassis.
The points on each end of the shock absorber contain rubber bushings. All it would take is for a crack to form in the rubber bushing and it will result in a tapping or knocking sound that you can hear each time you hit a bump while driving.
2) Vibrations
The shock absorber has valves and piston seals inside of it. If either one of them gets too worn, the flow of fluid won’t be controlled, and it will move through the piston seal and/or valve. Once that happens, the steering wheel will vibrate each time you drive over a bump, regardless of how big or small it is.
3) Fluid Leak
The shock absorber’s body has seals to protect it from leaking. After a while, these seals will start to leak fluid along the side of the shock absorber’s body until it falls on the ground. If the shock loses too much fluid, then it won’t be able to function properly.
4) Swerving
If you step on the brake pedal while turning, you may experience swerving or nose diving. When the shock absorber is faulty, the weight of your car will move in the opposite direction while you’re turning. This will cause you to swerve and it will take more work just to fix the turn toward the direction you want to go.
5) Brakes React Slowly
If you step on the brake pedal and your car takes a while to slow down and stop, then there’s a possibility your shock absorber might be faulty. This could arise from the length of the piston rod not being taken up fast enough by the vehicle. So, the vehicle needs more time to complete this task.
6) Uneven Tire Wear
Only certain areas of your tire will actually be touching the road, which will result in these areas becoming more worn than the areas which are not touching the road. Therefore, you will have uneven tire wear, whether it be on the inside or outside.