5 Causes of Lower Control Arm Bushing Noise

The lower control arm bushing is located in the suspension system of your vehicle. It is a rubber component which has two metal sleeves inside of it. It is responsible for allowing the control arm to connect to the frame of the vehicle and the wheel hub. That way, every time you turn the steering wheel, your vehicle will move smoothly in that direction. In normal situations, you will not hear any noises coming from the lower control arm bushing. It will be silent and with no vibrations or issues. On the other hand, if there is a problem with the bushing, then noises can arise.

Top 5 Causes of Lower Control Arm Bushing Noises
Someone who is unfamiliar with cars might not understand what is happening when they hear strange clunking noises. Although there are many reasons for why abnormal noises might occur in a vehicle, a problem with the lower control arm bushing will create very distinct noises. These noises almost resemble a knocking sound from around the control arm area.

Below are the Top 5 Causes of Lower Control Arm Bushing Noises:

Worn Bushings – Bushings do not last forever. The more mileage that is put on your vehicle, the more excessively worn your lower control arm bushing gets. You will first start to hear a light clunking sound but as the bushing gets more worn, the clunking sound will get louder and more consistent.

Loose Bushings – If you have a loose lower control arm bushing, then it will get knocked around between the metal components that surround it. This might not necessarily mean the bushing is worn. Perhaps you drove over a bump which loosened it. Either that or a mechanic may have accidentally loosened it while working on another area of your vehicle. Whatever the reason, loose bushings will consistently make the same knocking sounds.

Broken Bushings – A lower control arm bushing could break from being too worn out. It could also have been damaged accidentally by a mechanic who was working on something else. A broken bushing will create very loud clunking noises, which won’t be gradually louder like the worn bushings.

Uneven Terrain – If you drive over uneven terrains, such as gravel or a rocky road, then the knocking or clunking sounds that you hear will be amplified. A bushing in good condition would not get loosened or rattle around from driving over this kind of terrain. But if the bushing is not secured in its place, the erratic motion of the vehicle as it drives over this terrain could make the bushings loosen more.

Taking Off – If you have loose bushings, then you will hear the knocking noises the loudest as you’re taking off in your vehicle. For example, when your vehicle is parked somewhere, and you switch the gear to drive and then step on the gas pedal, then the knocking will be the loudest at this point.
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How to Fix
If the bushing is just loose, then it was either knocked loose or not installed correctly. Chances are, you will be able to save this bushing by just tightening it. However, in most situations, your bushing will be worn out and you will have to replace it. Either way, you should take the vehicle to an auto body professional, so they can perform this repair or replacement job for you.

It is not a good idea to ignore the clunking or knocking noises because this could lead up to a steering malfunction where you won’t be able to control your vehicle’s direction anymore. It is best to get the problem solved at your earliest convenience.

Symptoms of a bad lower control arm bushing

The suspension system of every vehicle has something called a control arm bushing. The bushing is comprised of two sleeves of metal that are encased in rubber. It is positioned between the vehicle’s frame and the control arm. As you may know, the control arm is what connects the frame to the wheel hub. This is how you’re able to steer the vehicle. If there are any issues with any of these parts, such as the lower control arm bushing, then your driving experience will be impacted.

The basic function of lower control arm bushing
The purpose of a bushing is to reduce the amount of vibration created between the frame and the wheels underneath it. That way, you have a nice pleasant drive without any unpleasant or inconvenient disturbances. Without these bushings, you would have metal making contact with other metal and that would cause all kinds of negative symptoms. These symptoms will be recognizable right away as they occur.

If you’re driving a standard front-wheel drive car, then it will only contain a lower control arm and a lower control arm bushing. It is the 4-wheel drive cars like SUVs and trucks which have both a lower control arm and upper control arm with bushings for each. Chances are, if you’re driving an economy class car, then it just has a lower control arm.

Top 3 Common Symptoms
Like most parts of your vehicle, the lower control arm bushings are going to wear out after a while. Once this happens, you can expect a lot of problems to arise while you’re driving as a result. Assuming you’re driving a front-wheel drive car, below are the top 3 common symptoms that you can expect to see if your lower control arm bushing starts to go bad.

Clunking Sounds – When your lower control arm bushing becomes too loose or worn out, then you will start to hear a clunking sound coming from underneath your car. This sound is caused by the bushing getting knocked between the frame and the control arm. You will hear this sound get even louder if you’re driving over rocky or rough terrain that is not flat. Over time, the sound will continue to get louder until the bushing eventually breaks altogether.

Vibrating Steering Wheel – When your lower control arm bushing begins to go bad, the first symptom you should notice is a vibrating steering wheel. You’ll feel the vibration in your hands as you steer the vehicle on the road. As you step on the gas pedal and increase the vehicle’s acceleration, the vibrations will become more intense. This is something that will easily get annoying so you’ll want to do something about it quickly.

Steering Wheel Pulling – Do you notice your steering wheel pulling too much to either the left or right as you’re driving? If your bushings are too worn out, then the steering alignment of your vehicle will be off center. Although this won’t put your life in immediate danger, it will require you to work harder as a driver because you’ll always have to keep the steering wheel steady so that the car continues to drive straight.