Sway Bar Links – How to Tell if They’ve Gone Bad
Sway bar links are a crucial vehicle component that bind the body to the vehicle’s suspension. They help keep your car feeling stable and secure for a smooth ride. The sway bars themselves are held in place by link pins, otherwise known as sway bar links.
It is quite uncommon for the sway bars themselves to fail, however the sway bar links will go bad over time. To get a simple check-up on your sway bar links or have them repaired, book your service using CarAdvise and pay less than the retail price every time!
How do sway bars and link pins work?
Your car has two sway bars, one in the front and one in the rear, that are joined together to your car’s suspension by the sway bar links (also known as link pins). As you make a turn, the sway bar links pull on the sway bar to keep the vehicle stabilized and prevent it from rolling over. The sway bar links are metal bars with ball joints on either end. Thanks to this design, your suspension and sway bar can move freely and bend while still staying intact. Your mechanic will typically take a look at your sway bar links when performing maintenance on your brakes, suspension, or front-end of the vehicle.
Signs of a worn sway bar links
- Popping noise when going over bumps
- It is normal to hear some slight noise or feedback when driving over a bump, but if you ever hear a “popping” sound come from under your car when you go over bumps, that is most likely due to worn sway bar links.
- Poor handling
- If your car starts to handle more poorly than it did before, this may be due to having worn sway bar links. Keep in mind that poor handling can result from a number of different issues, but poor handling is a common symptom of having worn sway bar links.
The best way to ensure that your sway bar links are always in good shape is to keep up with your regular car maintenance. Download the CarAdvise app today and get regular maintenance reminders for when your car is due to be serviced.
« Back to Glossary Index