The wheels and tires of your vehicle are connected to an overall suspension system. This is a system comprised of many other components too. All these components share the same purpose, which is to help the vehicle move on the ground. If you have a front wheel drive vehicle, then you’ll have a lower control arm and upper control arm which connect to them. The purpose of these arms is to keep the wheels stabilized and synchronized as they move on the road, especially when going over rough or bumpy terrain.
The control arms link the wheels to the steering knuckles of the vehicle’s frame. Between the upper arm and lower arm, they form an “A” shape together. Since they are linked to the suspension system, they’re able to control the motion of the tires and wheels as they’re rotating.
Meanwhile, there are vibrations which occur between the frame and the control arms. The bushing of the lower control arm receives most of these vibrations. After a while, the vibrations can damage the lower control arm’s bushing and cause it to malfunction. This can cause all sorts of symptoms that will make driving very uncomfortable and possibly dangerous.
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Bad Lower Control Arm Symptoms
You must really understand the symptoms of a bad lower control arm before you will recognize it as the problem. Many of these symptoms can be caused by other problems in the car too. But if you experience enough of these symptoms together, then you can link them to a bad lower control arm.
Below are the top 5 symptoms of a bad lower control arm in your car.
1) Steering Wheel Pulling
A bad lower control arm may cause your steering wheel to pull too much to the right or left side as you’re driving. This is obviously a bad thing because it will be more difficult to keep your vehicle straight on the road. It won’t be impossible, but it will require more effort on your part to stabilize the steering wheel. But you shouldn’t keep driving like this because it will get worse over time. Replace your lower control arm instead.
2) Steering Wheel Vibrations
A bad lower control arm will have trouble suppressing the vibrations and motions of the vehicle. You will feel more vibrations coming from your steering wheel when this happens. The intensity of the vibrations will increase as you step on the accelerator pedal to go faster. Don’t tolerate these vibrations for longer than necessary. Replace the bad control arm to stop them.
3) Clunking Noises
If your lower control arm is worn out or loose, you’ll notice a lot of strange clunking noises coming from the frame area. The noises will grow louder as you accelerate or drive over bumpy roads or uneven terrain. The bushing of the control arm is probably the main cause of this. Consider the noise as a warning sign of worse symptoms to come. So, take care of the problem now rather than later.
4) Wheel Wobbling
You can test your wheels to see if they’re moving more than they’re supposed to. Use a jack to raise the vehicle up, so one side of wheels are off the ground. Push the wheels with your hands. Does any wheel feel extra wobbly? If so, you probably have a lower control arm issue that needs to be addressed.
5) Steering Wheel Wobbling
The wheels are not the only thing that wobbles when you have a bad lower control arm. The steering wheel will wobble too. This means it will erratically move around from side to side as you’re driving fast, especially over 50 miles-per-hour. Of course, this could also be caused by uneven tire treads, bent wheels, or misaligned wheels too. A mechanic can tell for sure what the real cause is.
