Are you driving a car with a broken suspension system?

You may not think a lot about your car’s suspension system, but if it fails, it can quite literally stop you in your tracks. I have seen drivers stuck on the road with their suspensions literally broken with one tyre turned uncharacteristically to one direction and the other just fine. Driving with a broken or worn out suspension system not only puts unnecessary wear and tear on your car’s tyres and the system as a whole, but it can put you and others on the road at serious risk.

Your car’s suspension is a system of parts that essentially connect your car to the wheels. Those parts include tyres (and the volume of air inside of them), ball joints, bushings, springs, shock absorbers, linkages and tie-rods.

Your suspension system and all of its components play a big role in keeping you safe on the road. If just one of the above elements in your suspension system is deteriorated, worn, or broken, the entire system cannot perform its essential function of maximising grip or traction between your car and the road. Without that, you will not be in for a not so smooth ride.

Signs of a bad suspension system

So how will you know if your suspension system is not working properly? Fortunately, most of the signs of bad suspension are easy to recognise. Make sure you know the signs so that at the first indication of a problem, you can call your local mechanic for a thorough inspection.

You feel every single bump in the road

We are not just talking about large potholes here. If you are experiencing a bumpy ride even on relatively smooth highways and roads you take every day, you may have an issue with your car’s suspension. Think of it this way, riding in your car should not feel like being on an amusement park ride.

When the shocks become worn or deteriorated over time, your suspension cannot absorb the impact and travel between your car and the road. If your car is bouncing significantly at the slightest dip in the road or rattling on seemingly smooth roads, your car is likely in need of repair.

Difficulty in steering your car

Your steering wheel might be super sporty, but it should also be perfectly connected to the front wheels. It is great to have a say in where you are headed. If your car is functioning properly, you will be able to move your steering wheel to complete a turn with ease. Fighting your wheel when steering, especially at a low speed, is a sign of a problem, most likely with your car’s steering or suspension system. It is also very dangerous to drive with a faulty suspension and steering system. 

Steering wanders from side to side

The geometry of the steering and suspension system on your car is designed to allow the vehicle to track perfectly straight with almost no effort on the part of the driver. The system is even built such that, after you complete a turn, you can release the steering wheel and the vehicle will naturally return to straight ahead travel with the wheel returning to dead centre automatically. As parts in the steering or suspension systems become worn, misaligned or just knocked out of whack, it can cause your steering to wander.

When driving, you should be able to easily keep your car safely between the designated lane lines. If your car is pulling or dragging to one side of the road, there is likely a problem with your tyres, ball joints or shock absorbers, all essential components of your suspension system.

Uneven wear on your tyres

If your car’s tyres are properly aligned, they should be wearing evenly. Uneven wearing on your tyres indicates a problem with your car’s stability and alignment. This could be due to over- or under-inflated tyres, or it could be due to a worn-out suspension system. Buy new tyres or have a mechanic inspect and repair any suspension issue.

Squeaking and clunking noises

A squeaking, creaking sound could indicate that your ball joints are seizing up.

They are protected from dirt, dust and debris by a rubber boot filled with grease -- but if that boot becomes torn or damaged, sand and grime can get into the joint, causing it to seize up. The joint may not articulate like it should, and the whole system can squeak and strain under stress.

Another sound to listen for is a clicking, clunking, or popping sound. If the ball wears out enough inside its socket, it may be allowed to move up and down inside the socket. As you travel over bumps, the motion of the ball inside its socket will create a clunking noise, indicating it is time to get new ball joints.

Suspension parts are sometimes expensive or hard to find so many go for the cheap used ones from Japan, while that’s fine and give you some much needed relief, new parts shall always go a long way.

Rule of thumb is to never gamble with components that connect to the road by always ensuring all is in good order.

Importance

Since your car’s suspension is referred to in the singular, it can be easy for some people to forget that it’s not one single part as such - it’s a system made up of lots of different components, all working together to perform several vital jobs. The first of these is to preserve the comfort of the driver and passengers by taking the brunt of any bumps or potholes in the road. However, arguably more importantly, a car’s suspension system also preserves the vehicle’s traction by ensuring that all four wheels remain in contact with the road as much as possible, so that the driver can maintain total control.