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Bad Wheel Bearing 2007 Prius?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Rd. Vortex, Aug 26, 2015.

  1. Rd. Vortex

    Rd. Vortex Junior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 26, 2015
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    Location:
    Finland
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    So, I recently switched from a VW Passat to a Prius in order to get better mileage and reliability. Of course I almost immediately get issues with my "new" car. (n)

    There's this constant sort of grinding or similar noise when driving. The noise increases when going faster and turning sharply left seems to make it quieter. Tried switching to neutral when driving and that doesn't seem to make any change to the noise. Am I correct in assuming that this means that my driver side front wheel bearing is going bad?

    I've never had a bad bearing on any other car so I'm a bit unsure about this. The car has done approx 140k km or 86k mi. How long is it safe to drive like this if it's a bad bearing? I haven't yet had the time to ask Toyota dealership (or the dealership who sold the car) about fixing the issue.

    Couple of videos of the noise:



    The sound isn't terribly loud but the noise should be audible on them.
     
    #1 Rd. Vortex, Aug 26, 2015
  2. Munpot42

    Munpot42 Senior Member

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    Location:
    Santa Monica, Ca. 90405
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    How long can you wait until you address a failing wheel bearing, how lucky do you feel? If you don't understand that response, fix it as soon as possible.
     
    #2 Munpot42, Aug 26, 2015
  3. Rd. Vortex

    Rd. Vortex Junior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 26, 2015
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    Location:
    Finland
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    So I assumed correctly that it is indeed a bearing? Guess I'll start asking about the repairs next thing tomorrow then. :p
     
    #3 Rd. Vortex, Aug 26, 2015
  4. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

    Joined:
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    Location:
    Indiana, USA
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    IV
    So the wild card in this story is if you just recently acquired the Prius and it's had this symptom since you got it, you don't know how long it was present before that.

    If it had completely developed on your watch and you knew how long ago it started, it would be something you could quite calmly put on your schedule anywhere in the next several hundreds of km, as long as you didn't hear it growing rapidly worse over that period. But if it was already there, you don't know how much grace period you've already used.

    You can jack up that corner, though, and try to spin and shake the wheel around. If it's noticeably rough/loose/shakable you might increase the urgency a bit, otherwise just go ahead and put the part on order and make sure you get it installed before too long. There are plenty of threads here in this forum on how to replace it; it is a moderately challenging but not unrealistic do-it-yourself job if you have reasonable tools and skills.

    -Chap
     
    #4 ChapmanF, Aug 26, 2015
  5. goldfinger

    goldfinger Active Member

    Joined:
    Mar 12, 2012
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    Location:
    Buffalo
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    That's the sound. I've replaced both front and one rear wheel bearing. A wheel bearing hub installed by dealer will run you about $550 USD. I'd schedule replacement soon. It will get allot louder.
     
    #5 goldfinger, Aug 26, 2015
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