When a wheel hub does its job right, its attached wheel rolls quietly and quickly. But like any other car part, it will wear out over time and with use. Since the vehicle always uses its wheels, the hubs never get a break for long.

Common scenarios that can batter or wear out wheel hub assemblies include driving over potholes, hitting fairly large animals like bear cubs and deer on the highway, and collisions with other vehicles.

You should have your wheel hubs checked as soon as possible if you experience the following symptoms.

1. Grinding and rubbing noises

While operating your vehicle, you may suddenly get an earful of sharp noises made by two metal surfaces as they scrape together. Typically, damaged wheel hubs and bearings put out an audible grinding noise at speeds higher than 35 mph. This could be due to the bearings not working properly or that some hardware components are already in bad shape to begin with.

If your bearings are not in a smooth-sail condition, your wheels won’t spin efficiently. You could tell it by observing your car’s coasting capability. If it slows down quicker than how it usually does, it could be that your bearings are preventing your wheel from spinning freely.

2. Humming noises

A faulty wheel hub assembly doesn’t just grind metal together. It can also produce a sound that resembles humming. Treat the humming sound with the same care as grinding sounds and bring your vehicle to the nearest auto shop, preferably by tow truck.

3.ABS light switches on

The ABS monitors the status of the wheel through electronic sensors. If the system diagnoses anything amiss, it will activate the ABS indicator light on the vehicle’s dashboard.

4.Looseness and vibrations in the steering wheel

When a car with a worn-out wheel bearing in its hub assembly builds up speed, it may cause vibrations in its steering wheel. The faster the vehicle goes, the worse the vibration becomes, and it can make the steering wheel feel loose.

5.Wheel vibration and wobbling

Audible noises aren’t the only signs you need to observe. If you feel some jerkiness or vibrations in the steering wheel when you are driving, chances are there are issues in your hub assembly. Two of the common reasons why this happens are the loss of clamp and a badly worn-out bearing. Also, you’ll observe an abnormal pull to the side when braking due to a possible defective brake rotor – although it could also mean that your calipers aren’t functioning properly.

6.Uneven rotor/tire wear

You’ll also able to tell your that hubs aren’t in good shape when you start changing rotor discs individually. Why, you ask? It’s because rotor discs often worn out together. Abnormal wear on your rotors is an indication that something’s wrong with one of your wheel hubs. Unusual tire wear, on the other hand, points to issues in one of the hubs’ bearings.

7.A play in the wheel when you shake it with two hands

One simple way of checking if you have faulty wheel hubs is by holding your wheel with two hands on a 9:15 or 6:00 clock position. If your wheel hub is completely fine, you shouldn’t be able to feel even a slight looseness, wiggle, or what mechanics call a play when you try pushing and pulling it alternately with your hands. If you tighten the lug nuts and still get a play, you need to replace your wheel hubs as soon as possible.