4 Symptoms of Worn or Failing Shock Absorbers

You can probably guess from the name that the shock absorbers in your vehicle are designed to absorb the shocks and jolts that come from riding on any surface that’s not perfectly smooth. It’s true that an important part of their job is keeping you comfortable, but they also have another important role: keeping the wheels on the ground at all times. Without functioning shocks, the tires may lose contact with the road, reducing your ability to control the vehicle. Bad shock absorbers are certainly cause for concern; fortunately, they’ll often give certain symptoms if they’re in trouble. As one of our informative service pages, this page will give you four of the most common symptoms of bad shock absorbers.

4. Steering Wheel Vibration
If your steering wheel vibrates slightly when you drive on bumpy roads, there may be no cause for concern (though you should monitor the wheel and pay extra attention to any vibrations). However, a steering wheel that vibrates excessively when you drive over a bump of any kind could be a symptom of bad shock absorbers. Similarly, a steering wheel that vibrates constantly, even when you’re on smoother roads, might mean trouble. If the faster you go, the more violent the vibration becomes, pull over and call in the experts.

3. Longer Stopping Distance
If you Subaru takes longer than usual to stop, it may be a problem with the brakes . . . but it could also be shock absorber trouble. At first, it may not seem like something that absorbs bumps in the road would have much to do with stopping, but your shocks and struts play an important role in weight distribution. Consider that the weight of the vehicle shifts forward with a downward pressure on the front wheels when you apply the breaks. The front shocks help hold the front end up and keeps some of this weight further back on the vehicle. When the shocks go bad, more weight comes forward and that means the front brakes have a much bigger job. Whatever the cause of a slower braking response and longer stopping distance may be, it should be investigated immediately.

2. Uneven Tire Wear
There are several potential causes of uneven tire wear, with one of the most common being alignment problems. However, uneven tire wear that you may notice from worn shock absorbers may look different. It’s called “cupping” or “scalloping.” Rather than even wear on the wrong part of the tire, cupping means that there are certain spots of the tire with excessive wear. A bad shock absorber will cause the tire to bounce, hitting the road at different points. This bouncing motion may cause the kind of uneven patches you see in cupping.

1. Excessive Bouncing, Swerving, & Diving
The bouncing that may cause tires to develop uneven wear won’t just affect the tires themselves: you should feel the effect, as well. If you drive over a bump and your car continues to bounce, bad shock absorbers may be to blame. While you can test this yourself by pushing on the front of your parked car and seeing if it bounces excessively when you let go, we recommend having your Subaru tested professionally. After all, our technicians may find things that you’d miss.

Other movements are suspect, as well. Bad shocks may also cause the front of your Subaru to dive forward when you hit the brakes. Additionally, they could cause the vehicle to shift its weight in the opposite direction of a turn, making it swerve.