What is causing these Hub Bearings go bad?

INNERG

MEMBER
2006 DODGE STRATUS
180,000 MILES

HELP ! We're on our 3rd defective Hub Bearing on the right passenger side ( in less that 4 months ). On a 2006 Dodge Stratus ( 2.4L ) when the first one went bad 4 months ago we though nothing of it. Once identified as the problem we let the shop do it. Two months later after noticing some noises on the passenger side again we take it to get a wheel alignment and were told it was defective. We said no way. It was just replaced.

I know it should talk longer than that for that part to be defective. 3 more parts later.I watched the last one ( 3rd replacement one ) go bad in less than 2 weeks.I went from the cheap brand from auto zone to a high dollar brand from NAPA. They all done the same thing. The part itself is moron proof.3 screws bolt it to the vehicle. And the nut on the end has been tightened to spec ( 124lb ). The axle threads are not stripped.I'm at a loss I've replaced the brakes, rotors, tie rod ends, got brand new tires just for the heck of it.I'm now focusing on the axle itself. The rubber boot looks to be in good shape. No splits or cracks.

Could the axle be causing the whole thing. The car drives like a dream until the bearing completely fails. Any ideals. Thanks

9 Replies

ASEMASTER6371

MECHANIC
52,797 POSTS

Do you have aftermarket wheels on the car?

Roy

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Tuesday, October 9th, 2012 AT 12:16 AM

INNERG

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6 POSTS

I have some new Hankooks ( 205/60/16 ) on there now. But I got them because of a recent deal. There were firstones on there. Always kept tread on them

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Tuesday, October 9th, 2012 AT 12:57 AM

INNERG

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6 POSTS

Stock on the wheels. Same wheels when bought

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Tuesday, October 9th, 2012 AT 1:10 AM

ASEMASTER6371

MECHANIC
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Most times, the wheel position is the cause of the constant failure because it changes the stress on the bearing.

The other issue could be alignment. If something is bent in the front end, the wheel will tilt adding more pressure to the bearing.

Roy

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Tuesday, October 9th, 2012 AT 1:18 AM

INNERG

MEMBER
6 POSTS

Ok thanks.I was looking around at some videos of guys looking for wobbles on axles.I plan to lift it in the morning and look at the axle. If there is no wobble.I will put a new hub bearing on there and get it aligned right away

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Tuesday, October 9th, 2012 AT 1:28 AM

CARADIODOC

MECHANIC
33,945 POSTS

Hi guys. Here's one more thing to be aware of. First of all, 124 foot pounds seems too low but I don't have a book that new to see for sure. 180 foot pounds was more typical.

The number one thing that causes early failure of these bearings on any brand of car is improper tightening of the axle nut by novice mechanics. For some of them, and for some do-it-yourselfers, it's really not "moron-proof". That nut has to be tightened before any vehicle weight is placed on the bearing. A lot of people put the wheel and tire on, then set the car down on the tire to hold the axle from spinning so they can tighten the nut. By that time the damage is done.

It's real easy to stick a screwdriver in one of the cooling slots of the brake rotor to keep the axle from turning. Once that nut is tight, THEN you can put weight on the bearing. The service manual tells you to have a helper hold the brake pedal to do the same thing. That's fine if you have a helper nearby.

Also look if the nut is a "torque-to-yield" nut. Those were used on the Intrepids and are a one-time-use nut. Trouble is the new bearing assembly didn't come with a new nut. You were supposed to know you needed to buy a new one separately. Those called for 120 foot pounds. If your torque spec really is that low, I'd suspect you're supposed to be getting a new nut installed with each bearing.

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Tuesday, October 9th, 2012 AT 4:42 AM