Noises
Humming noise that rises with speed: wheel bearing or tires
A hum or drone that grows with road speed, not with engine revs, usually comes from a wheel bearing or from uneven tire wear. If it changes when you take turns in one direction, it points to the bearing.
See a garage soonNoises
Reviewed by Daniel Morales, founder of Reprorace SL, on
Is it serious? Can I keep driving?
Carefully, and only as far as the garage. See a shop soon. A bearing that starts to hum can last a while, but if the noise becomes loud or you feel play or vibration in the steering wheel, drive slowly and only as far as the shop: in extreme cases the wheel can seize.
A careful, general answer: only someone who inspects the car can say whether it is safe to drive. When in doubt, stop somewhere safe and call for assistance.
Most likely causes
- Wheel bearing: a hum that changes as the weight shifts to one side in turns.
- Unevenly worn tires: cupping or one-sided wear; the sound depends on the road surface.
- Aggressive tread tires: some are noisier from new.
- Driveline or differential: less common: it sounds when accelerating or coasting.
Listed from more to less common in general; on your car they may be different. A fault-code reading and a check at the garage confirm which one it is.
To understand it better: How often should you run diagnostics on your car? Can I diagnose my car myself?
Car system: Steering and suspension
What you can check yourself
Notice whether the noise depends on speed, not on the gear or the revs.
In a gentle turn, check whether it changes to one side or the other.
Run your hand over the tread with the car parked: cupping can be felt.
Check the tire pressures.
Safe checks only: with the engine off and cold whenever you look under the hood, without taking anything apart and without touching hot or moving parts.
Related fault codes
This symptom is usually mechanical and does not always store a generic fault code. Even so, reading the faults of every control unit helps to rule out other problems and to reach the garage with data.
How the ECO-LITE helps diagnose it
Plugged into the OBD socket, the ECO-LITE reads the fault codes of the control units that answer, with the freeze-frame data captured when the fault happened, and shows live data on your phone or computer. With your permission, your garage can see them remotely before you bring the car in.
What to look at here: this symptom is mechanical; a badly damaged bearing can eventually disturb the wheel speed sensor signal and turn on the ABS light.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know which wheel it is?
It usually gets louder when weight shifts onto the damaged wheel: a left turn loads the right side. The shop confirms it on the lift.
How far can I drive with a noisy bearing?
There is no safe figure. Fix it soon: wear speeds up and it can affect the ABS.
Can tire noise be fixed?
If it comes from pressure or alignment, correcting them helps; if the wear is already there, sometimes only new tires cure it.
Keep reading
- Steering and suspension: how they work and what fails
- Steering wheel shakes at a certain speed: what it could be
- Clunking noise over bumps: causes and what to do
- ABS or ESP warning light on: what it means and what to do
- Car symptoms: what they mean and what to do
- Check engine light on: what to do
- How to read and clear your car's fault codes
- OBD fault codes: what each one means