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Humming noise coming from front wheels, what's up with that?

Saturn Ion, 2004. Tires are in good shape, about 26,000 miles on car. What could this be.

9 Answers

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  • 1 decade ago
    Favorite Answer

    The humming noise could possibly be a front wheel bearing. If you turn the wheel from side to side ,,the noise will go away either turning right or left. At highway speed and the noise is prevalent slow turn the wheel to the right,,see if the noise goes away,,if not,,,try turning the wheel slightly to the left,,see if the noise goes away,,if it does,,it is most likely one of the wheel bearings in the front of the vehicle. I am sure the humming increases with vehicle speed,,,and it is not really a loud hum when the bearing just starts to go bad,,,after awhile the noise will get louder. Most of the time when it just starts to be noticeable it is hard to determine which bearing is going bad,,,even if you raise the front of the vehicle and check for side play,,it is very hard to determine which one it is because the bearings today are different than years ago. It takes very little wear today to have a noise or failure of a bearing. They are fairly easy to replace,usually takes about a half hour to a hour....most GM cars today,,the bearings are held in place with 3 bolts,,you have to dismantle the brake set on the side in which you are going to replace, remove the nut that holds the drive axle in place,remove the three bolts and remove the bearing,,sometimes the bolts are facing the front,,sometime in the back side of the steering knuckle and tend to be a bit more difficult,,the important thing on these bearings is you never want to drive them into place with a hammer,,and always torque the axle nut to factory specs,,if you do not torque it properly,,you will be doing this same job again in the near future,,,,,Good Luck!!

  • Anonymous
    5 years ago

    It's probably a wheel bearing. Things to try: Jack the car up on that end (you can go ahead and try all the wheels if you want) Put your hands at 12 and 6 o'clock on the wheel, and push, if there's any play in it, it's a bad bearing. If you have a mechanics stethescope I've been able to hear it clearly just by spinning the wheel by hand, it sounds like sand in it. Another thing to rule out tire noise, is rotate your tires. If the sound persists at that spot and doesn't move, then it's almost guaranteed. Try to take hard turns, left and right. If the sound goes away one way or another when you take a sharp turn, then that's a sure sign to.

  • 6 years ago

    This Site Might Help You.

    RE:

    Humming noise coming from front wheels, what's up with that?

    Saturn Ion, 2004. Tires are in good shape, about 26,000 miles on car. What could this be.

    Source(s): humming noise coming front wheels 39 that: https://shortly.im/TQ27K
  • 1 decade ago

    Is it shaking too? The wheels could be imbalanced.

    Could be the bearings too. Those can seize.

    Either way, I'd get it checked out before it gives out.

  • Josh
    Lv 5
    1 decade ago

    It sounds like the front hub assembly/wheel bearing. Not that expensive parts. Easy repair.

  • 1 decade ago

    sounds like a bad wheel bearing.

  • 1 decade ago

    You are probably down to the Nader bars (wear bars) on your tires. If there original equipment tires then it is time to start looking for a new set. Tires will also start to degrade from the uv rays of the sun.

  • Bob H
    Lv 7
    1 decade ago

    Check the boots on the CV joints. If one crackes and the grease flew out, the joint may be going bad.

  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago

    You need to get your alignment done.

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