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Maintaining your car’s suspension is critical to your driving comfort and control over your vehicle. A damaged suspension will make your car feel unstable and unbalanced. Driving with a damaged suspension will cause more damage to your whole car over time, and, depending on which part of your suspension is damaged, your car may be unsafe to drive. Learn the signs of suspension failure to know when to get your car serviced.
Contact us for a replacement suspension
A car pulling to the left or right is a common sign of suspension problems. Your car might be pulling due to:
Uneven tire pressure or wear
Poor alignment
Damaged tie rods
Damaged steering rack
Brake issues
If driving your car feels like being on a bad roller coaster after going over a bump, there’s a problem with your suspension. If your car bounces, dips, dives or sways, you may have one or a few suspension issues:
Worn shocks
Damaged struts
A loose steering linkage
Unevenly worn and/or misaligned tires
A car that leans to one side or sits lower on one side than the other when parked is trying to tell you your suspension’s off. You could have:
Worn or damaged struts
Worn or damaged shock absorbers
Worn or damaged coil springs
If you hear squeaking, clanking, or knocking when your car turns and poor control when you try to steer, you have:
Worn ball joints
Chassis bolt is out of place
Bad tie rods (usually accompanied by vibrating or shaking in your steering wheel)
A bad control arm
A bad drive shaft
If your car is hard to steer, your car might have:
A problem with your steering fluid levels
A bad drive shaft
A worn control arm
A bent axle
A bent rim
A tire rubbing against the frame of your car
The short answer to if you can drive with a damaged suspension is “no.” Address suspension issues as they arise to prevent further, more expensive damage to your car and to make sure your car is safe to drive. You don’t have to spend a fortune on new parts- ask us about our massive selection of used suspension replacement parts for an affordable alternative to fix your car.
If you’re desperate to get by in the very short term, here’s our cheat sheet to follow at your own risk:
|
Suspension Problem |
Can I (Technically) Drive With It Temporarily? |
Why? |
|
Damaged Drive Shaft |
No |
Driving with a damaged drive shaft can cause further damage to your suspension and your car. |
|
Damaged Control Arms |
Carefully and slowly, yes |
Damaged control arms put uneven wear on your tires and make your car hard to handle. Repair ASAP. |
|
Damaged Wheel |
No |
If you attempt to drive with a cracked wheel, it can break in an instant and cause a crash. If your wheel is completely broken, your car won’t move. |
|
Damaged Shock Absorber |
Carefully and slowly, yes |
Your car will be uncomfortable and hard to drive. Don’t turn or stop suddenly, and don’t get on the freeway or go fast with a damaged shock absorber. Repair ASAP. |
|
Damaged Struts |
No |
Driving on damaged struts isn’t safe- it will damage your car and it’s uncomfortable, too. |
|
Damaged Springs |
No |
Driving a car with damaged springs is unwise, as it will be too difficult to control in an emergency and one bump can leave you without a tire. |
|
Damaged Anti-Roll Bar |
Carefully and slowly, yes |
Don’t make quick turns and drive slowly because you won’t be able to react quickly in an emergency. Repair ASAP. |
|
Damaged Steering Linkage |
No |
Way too dangerous to lose steering control. |
|
Flat Tire |
No |
Driving on a flat tire isn’t safe, and it can completely wreck your wheel, causing a much more expensive fix than just a tire or a patch. |
It’s not safe to drive with a bad suspension, and pushing your luck by continuing to drive with a bad suspension will cause a lot more damage to your car. You can expect to pay between $200-$5,000 on replacing your suspension. If your car is already valued at $5,000 or less, a damaged suspension likely means the end of an era.
We have a huge selection of used suspension parts for most auto manufacturers:
Sturtevant Auto has an incredible selection of used auto parts.
Call 262-835-2300 to have one of our friendly associates find your part in our computerized inventory.
