Had the right front wheel bearing on my 2004 Vibe replaced about 2 months ago due to humming noise - noise went away. About 1 month goes by and the noise returned. Took it back to the shop and they said it must have been a defective bearing. I've never heard of a defective bearing but they replaced it for free so okay with me - noise went away again. Now another month has passed and the noise is back. Could something else be causing the bearing to go out that quickly?
check lower A arm/lower control arm.also check the tie rods, ball joint, cv axles shafts and joints, camber bolts, steering alignment. and upper control arm.
an update. My wheel bearings are making noise now. sounded like it was REALLY bad on the drivers side. had it replaced.
Still sounds noisy as all heck, and from the drivers side. Until i sat around in the car while someone else was driving. ITS the friggin passenger all along. i think its because of the long axle shaft. it causes the noise to sound like its coming from the left side. SO, replace both at the same time, and you will know which it is.
The bearings pretty much fell apart when trying to separate them from the hub.
I need to replace mine, and I am very confident that it is the drivers front. I even jacked the car up and spun the wheel and it gave the same noise it did while driving.
Make sure the shop uses a PRESS to install the bearings, NOT HAMMERS. When the hub is pressed in, make sure the center race is supported properly, or you will junk the bearing.
2009 Vibe AWD
2001 Sunfire GTX
1993 Buick Park Ave
1984 Chevrolet Citation
Yup. I go to a respectable shop and they warranty what they sell/repair. As it turns out one of my old friends works there now and he's a really good mechanic.