What Causes the Clicking Sound from the Left Front Wheel of a Car?
3 Answers
The causes of the clicking sound from the left front wheel of a car are: 1. Damage to the suspension control arm; 2. Aging of the shock absorber buffer rubber. The solutions are: 1. Replace the suspension control arm; 2. Replace the shock absorber buffer rubber. If there are other abnormal sounds, it is necessary to go to a 4S shop for further inspection by maintenance personnel. Other situations that may cause the clicking sound from the left front wheel include: 1. If there is a rhythmic 'click-click-click' sound that speeds up with the vehicle's speed, it may be due to foreign objects on the tire. You can stop the car and check after parking; 2. If there is an intermittent 'clunk' or knocking sound when turning, going over bumps, it might be due to a damaged outer CV joint of the left front half-shaft, a broken shock absorber, or wear in the ball joint or bushings of the chassis suspension. It is advisable to visit a repair shop as soon as possible to eliminate potential safety hazards; 3. If a noticeable humming sound is heard while driving, which gets louder with increasing speed, it may indicate damage to the left front wheel hub bearing.
A couple of days ago, I was driving to pick up my daughter from school when I noticed a constant clunking sound from the front left wheel, which scared me into getting it checked immediately. The mechanic said the most common cause is a loose ball joint, especially since I drive on rough roads every day. It could also be due to aging and cracked control arm bushings, which make a loud clunk when going over speed bumps. If the tie rod end is severely worn, it can also produce noise when turning the steering wheel. Even scarier is a loose brake caliper—if the brake pads shift at high speeds, it could be disastrous. By the way, my neighbor once experienced a broken shock absorber top mount, which made a clunking sound when turning the wheel while stationary. I recommend not ignoring unusual noises; a colleague of mine delayed addressing it and ended up paying a hefty price for what started as a minor chassis issue. Especially when it comes to noises from the steering system, safety should never be overlooked.
In my twenty years of auto repair experience, about 80-90% of abnormal noises from the left front wheel are caused by issues with moving parts. If you jack up the wheel and try to shake the tire up, down, left, and right, and feel any play, it's almost certainly a bad lower control arm ball joint. A clunking noise during acceleration on smooth roads is often due to a damaged outer CV joint. Metal clanging sounds when going over bumps mean you should check if the stabilizer bar bushings are split in half. What young mechanics often overlook is misaligned shock absorber springs—last time I saw a modified car with springs not seated properly, it made a noise every half turn. Honestly, these parts aren't expensive, but the real danger is delaying repairs and damaging the wheel bearing or steering knuckle, which could cost thousands to fix.