The control arms of your car’s suspension have the duty of attaching your wheel assembly to the frame and carrying the weight of the vehicle. This gives them the opportunity to cause many problems with your tires, wheels, and other suspension components.
Table of Contents
We’ve gathered the 7 most common issues with your control arms so you can diagnose the problems and get them fixed.
#1 – Bumps Cause Rattles, Knocks, Or Clunks
Driving over a bump in the road will cause your suspension to absorb the movement (aka the name “Shock Absorber“) of the wheel and tire assembly moving up and down over the bump. This translates to the control arm and may cause an extra thump, rattle, or clunk signaling a suspension problem.
How to Fix It
If you hear an extra thump or clunk, the first step is to isolate which wheel is it coming from. Once you determine which area of the suspension the noise is emanating from, you can further troubleshoot why the noise is occurring.
The control arms have different responsibilities depending on the type of suspension your car has.
All will have a lower control arm that connects the spindle to the frame. It may also carry the weight of the vehicle on the spring. You may or may not have an upper control arm to help with suspension geometry.
The components of the control arm assemblies that wear out the fastest are the bushings and the ball joints. Lift the vehicle to allow the noisy suspension to hang in the air. Check each of the control arms for looseness where the bushings connect to the frame of the vehicle, and where the ball joint attaches to the spindle at the wheel and tire assembly.
If you find excessive wear on the bushings or ball joints, they may be able to be replaced, or the control may be easier to replace as a complete unit. If you don’t identify any worn components, check for loose fasteners at all assembly connections and excessive dirt and grime that could prevent the suspension from moving easily over a bump.
#2 – Your Tires Have An Irregular Or Uneven Wear Pattern
Your tires can help diagnose a problem if their wear patterns are significantly different from tire to tire or if they show a difference across the width of the tread.
If you have properly inflated tires and your suspension is aligned to manufacturer specifications, your tires should wear evenly across the tread mile after mile. Check this article if your tires wear unevenly. If you can see a visible difference from side to side, your control arm may allow the tire to wear out inconsistently.
How to Fix It
The first issue you should check is the tire pressure. Your car should have a recommended air pressure for the tires. Check your tires when they are cold (before you drive on them) and compare their current pressure to the vehicle recommendation.
If the current pressure is significantly different (greater than +/- 20% difference) than the recommendation, adjust the pressure in the tires to match the recommendation.
If the air pressure in the tires is close to the recommended pressure for your car, the control arms may be the prime suspect for uneven tire wear.
Lift the vehicle to allow the vehicle suspension to hang in the air.
Check each of the control arms for looseness where the bushings connect to the frame of the vehicle, and where the ball joint attaches to the spindle at the wheel and tire assembly. If you find excessive wear on the bushings or ball joints, they may be able to be replaced, or the control may be easier to replace as a complete unit.
If you don’t identify any worn components, check for loose fasteners at all assembly connections. If you don’t find worn components or loose fasteners, take your vehicle to an alignment service station that can check the suspension alignment. It may be out of tolerance, and the service station can adjust the alignment to your vehicle manufacturer’s recommendations.
#3 – Your Car Pulls To The Left Or Right When You’re Driving
You know that feeling when driving your car starts to tire out your arms.
Your car I pulling to the left or the right and it seems like a constant battle to keep going straight down the road. Some would think the alignment on the front suspension must be off adjustment, but in reality it could be a bad control arm, bad bushings, or a ball joint that needs replaced.
How to Fix It
Check each of the control arms for looseness where the bushings connect to the frame of the vehicle, and where the ball joint attaches to the spindle at the wheel and tire assembly. If you find excessive wear on the bushings or ball joints, they may be able to be replaced, or the control may be easier to replace as a complete unit. If you don’t identify any worn components, check for loose fasteners at all assembly connections.
If you don’t find worn components or loose fasteners, take your vehicle to an alignment service station that can check the suspension alignment. It may be out of tolerance, and the service station can adjust the alignment to your vehicle manufacturer’s recommendations.
#4 – You Feel A Vibration Through The Steering Wheel While Driving
A vibration through the steering wheel can make your hands go numb or it can be dangerous enough to lose control of the car.
A vibration could be an out of balance wheel and tire, or it could be a control arm that needs servicing.
How to Fix It
Again, the first step is to determine why the vibration is occurring. Check for worn bushings, loose fasteners, and bad ball joints. If you don’t find a problem with the control arm, take your car to a wheel and tire service center for inspection for out-of-balance tires.
#5 – You Hear Excessive Noise Or Vibration From The Suspension
Often, the car muffler is responsible for noise, but if you can hear your suspension making excessive noise on the road, there is a problem to investigate. It may be loose fasteners allowing parts to vibrate, a damaged control arm, or worn bushings or a ball joint that needs to be replaced.
How to Fix it
You will need to identify where the noise is coming from. Is it the front right, front left, or somewhere in the rear of the car. Once you have a general location, you can lift the car to inspect the suspension components. Check for worn bushings, loose fasteners, and bad ball joints before assuming the control arm is damaged and needs to be replaced.
#6 – Your Car Has Poor Handling and Stability
Poor handling and stability can affect how the car responds in corners and during acceleration and braking maneuvers.
It can make your car unpredictable while driving, or it can cause you to lose control.
How to Fix It
A change in the handling and performance of your car indicates a damaged control arm or worn components that are affecting the ability of the control arm to stay in connection to the wheel and tire assembly or the frame of the vehicle. Check for worn bushings, loose fasteners, and bad ball joints. If you don’t find a problem with these items, inspect the control arm for damage from an impact with something on the road.
Sluggish suspension response can also indicate the shocks or struts on the car are ready to be replaced.
#7 – You Can See Visible Damage Or Corrosion On The Control Arm
If you offroad your vehicle, or have recently run into something on the road, there may be damage to the control arm that you can plainly see with your eyes. You may also be able to recognize corrosion (i.e., rust) on bare metal from hitting something on the road.
How to Fix It
Visible damage is a clear sign that the control arm should be replaced.
Most will come with a new ball joint in the control arm assembly. You will need to lift the side of the car with the damaged control arm, remove the wheel and tire assembly, then carefully remove the control arm from the spindle and frame of the car. Remember that coil springs are under pressure and can injure you when removing them from the car without the proper tools.
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