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Rear wheel bearings

17K views 45 replies 25 participants last post by  jello_bob 
#1 ·
I took my Mellow Yellow in because of a rubbing noise from the rear. If it had a drive shaft I'd have called it a bad u-joint noise. Turned out to be a bad wheel bearing. The dealer replaced it no problem and said they checked the other side and found it to be OK.

I'm wondering how many other folks have had to replace the rear wheel bearing? The car has 22255 miles on it. I've never had any other car that needed even one bad wheel bearing!
 
#3 ·
No, it's not common to have to replace a wheel bearing at that low of mileage. It is not, however, completely unheard of. All manufacturers make bad parts, it happens. Whichever manufacturer built the bearings for your car may have just made a bad part. We're working on an '04 Explorer right now that has gone through at least 2 bearings/hubs on the front on both sides. And the hub we just got felt like crap and was stiff, so we sent it back and had it replaced before we even installed it. It does happen unfortunately.
 
#4 ·
Followup.
After the bearing replacement I had a real rattle-your-teeth vibration at 55+. Dealer first said all the tires were out of round (OOR), then said they weren't.
Finally took the car to my local tire dealer. He knew he was just checking it not selling me a set of tires. Found a flat spot on the left rear (the wheel with the bad, changed bearing) and it was way OOR. Also, the right front was headed in that direction. Looks like either the bad bearing caused the OOR or the OOR caused the bad bearing!
We'll see what the dealer says.
 
#13 ·
...We'll see what the dealer says.
I am loving my car but did have both rear bearings replaced at about 7,000.
Yellow Blaze 72 & ReiRey,

I want to check in to make sure you’re not having a concern. If so, please don’t hesitate to PM me with your full name, VIN, approximate mileage, best daytime phone number, and dealer name/state so I can escalate it up to your regional customer service managers.

lol I love that the topic is saying "How many people are having this problem?" and Ford responds with "[Glad we helped!]"
It’s best to take your car to the dealer for repairs, hotleadsingerguy. Drop me a line with any questions you have.

It's all ball bearings nowadays, maybe you need a refresher course.
WizeGuyDezignz,

Hopefully you're not doing any "stunt flyin’.” LOL [hihi]

Cory
 
#5 ·
Thanks for the insight and update.
 
#18 ·
I took mine in every 5,00 miles at 20,000 told then vibration and like you said sounds like a bad u-joint always no problem found and low profile tires have more road noise, why do they treat use like where 15 years old with a learners permit.
So tired of dealer crap I fixed it my self at 46,000 miles when one night it sounded like the wheels were going to fall off. Might take the extremely loose bearings in and see if I can get a refund... LOL
What's funny is they couldn't find it with there 200.00+ chassis ears but I could with my 20.00 home made one.
 
#20 ·
#25 ·
I would think this would be an extremely rare problem on low mileage cars so I am surprised by the responses. So far, we have only heard from people with 2012 models. There are certainly enough 2013 models out there with similar mileage by now so it will be interesting to see if the problem bearings were updated for the 2013/2014 model.
 
#22 ·
That was a question for member Seminoles. Glad they took care of you!
 
#26 ·
I have a 2012 Focus DCT with about 31k. I had a problem with my steering rack the first year of ownership (was trying to auto-center too hard I guess you could say) which they fixed. Besides that, my Focus has been pretty good, DCT and all. No problems or noise form any bearings. No interior (trim) rattles. Not a one.

Are people with bearing problems living in areas with bad roads? Could the bearings going bad be the result of driving over potholes on a regular basis?
 
#29 ·
I heard a failing wheel bearing "whakka whakka" sound on a stretch of new asphalt yesterday, but I didn't notice which corner it was coming from. I have to commute on some really horrible freeways and surface streets. My dct started shuddering badly in reverse lately, so I'll have both looked at when either becomes noticeable enough to be obvious to the dealership.
 
#30 ·
I have a whirrwhirr while driving straight that gets louder at around 25mph and I can hear it even as I'm slowing down to a stop. It doesn't get any louder or sound any different while turning. I attributed this to my summer tires wearing oddly (see thread).

1. Do you think it could still be a bad bearing? (I guess I can check when I get some free time to jack it up...)
2a. Could the rear bearings be going bad because of the -2.0 degrees camber?
2b. Should I buy an adjustable upper arm and increase the camber?
 
#32 ·
Is it wheel bearing(s)

I checked out this thread and others. My 2012 SE auto sedan has 49,000 miles. It now makes a "duff duff duff" noise (that can be felt) when starting or coasting at low speeds. I believe it is coming from the right (pass side) rear. It is not evident at higher speeds or when braking. The wheels are torqued to spec and do not seem bent or out of balance. The tires do not appear out of round. Does this sound like a (rear) wheel bearing to you folks?
 
#34 ·
We'll power train warranty is now up and even under 36000 miles it was like pulling your own teeth to get something done. All I hear is can't duplicate it or no problem found so I fixed it my self. Might send the parts to main ford office and see if I can get a refund. LOL
 
#36 ·
Hi Seminals- Sorry to hear that. My dealer (Plaza Ford) in Belair MD was great- fixed it and told me it was covered. This was my first visit (other than first compl. oil change)since purchase in Oct 12, so while I was disappointed to have a probelm, I was pleased with the dealer.
 
#38 ·
Powertrain covers bearings to 60k. I had my passenger rear replaced a few weeks ago at just under 49k miles. I'm wondering if this problem is mostly limited to passenger rear or if both sides are equally effective, and if the degree of negative camber from the factory is exacerbating the problem.
 
#41 ·
I feel stupid that I paid for an alignment and continued to drive my car with bad bearings for like 60k miles. lol

In my defense, I told the alignment shop to check my bearings and they never did. The bearings aren't that loud and the wheels were never loose enough to shake, but I sure did ruin some expensive tires.
 
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