The axles are an important component of your vehicle as they need to perform the main functions, that is, driving, breaking and steering. They are found underneath your vehicle and form part of the suspension settings of your rear wheels. There are two axles for your rear wheels and they are what transfer power from the transmission (in a front-wheel drive setup) to the wheels or the differential (in a rear-wheel drive system). Your car will not drive you for a long time if you have a broken axle. If one of the axles is broken, it is not safe to drive the car.
If you feel the car bumping and you hear a constant grinding and clicking when you are taking a turn, your axle has not broken yet, but it is going to break soon. Actually, the problem here may be coming from a bad CV joint. What you should understand is that there is normally a boot that protects the joint. If that joint is damaged and grease is leaking out, dirt and debris will get stuck inside. The lack of grease will also result in a lack of lubrication which eventually will tear the joint apart.
You will still be able to drive your car if the axles are failing. However, you will be putting your life at risk as the axles could completely fail at any point when you are speeding, which will send the car into dangerous spins. It is better to have this issue diagnosed and repaired rather than betting on your chance that things will still be good during your ride.
If you become suspicious of your axles, it is time to get them replaced. Once broken completely, your vehicle won’t move, and if they break during your ride it could lead to even further damage to other associated parts. Don’t wreck the car! If you are in Kissimmee, you can take your car to a knowledgeable mechanic to check your drive and replace the axle as soon as possible.
2 comments
Thank you for the heads up about axles and how having even one broken is not safe. Lately, I’ve noticed that one particular side of the car is not working or steering as well as the other, and I wondered if this can be ignored until my next big trip. After reading your article, I’ll act quickly and have that axle fixed by a car repair expert in the area.
I had a bad axle in the rear of my car. I drove my car for a half hour home and then another half hour to my mechanic shop the next day as he was closed at the point the axle became real bad, which was about 6pm during the week. I was on my way home and just continued home once i heard the howling noise starting from the rear and i knew, i said to myself. OMG, i think that is an axle I’m hearing, Turns out it was ! i was about half hour away from where i lived and just didn’t want to wait an hour of 2 for a tow truck, so I kept driving but very slowly ! I knew to go very slow and if people behind me didn’t like it , then they can go around me , which they did. some were angry I was going that slow but little did they know. I have bad axle and sorry people, I’m not pushing this over 40 miles an hour. I know I would do more damage and possible wheel seize up. You can hear the howling and it gets louder the faster you go , so it forces you to go slow. Again, I wasn’t driving for days or weeks like that ! As soon as I hear the howling and grinding of metal I knew it was a wheel bearing in the rear of the car. The other thing I realized was it just started howling so maybe, just maybe I had enough to at least get home and then to my mechanic the next morning. Which was the case with my situation. I drove the back roads and not on major highway. i knew at anytime as soon as i heard something go or get worse, I would have pulled over immediately and had it towed , so i stayed close to the breakdown lane. Yes, it is better not to drive a car with a bad axle , anyone would any sense would know that but its not something you need to automatically panic and have it towed , but again, as long as you go no more than 40 miles and hour and either your bringing it home or going to your mechanic and that’s it. And that these places are not that far off ! That’s as far I went, I got home safely with a lot of angry drivers behind me I was going that slow and I was able to drive it to my mechanic shop the next day which was a half hour away. With doing the same thing on my way to mechanic shop, driving slow. My response is , Yes, you can drive with a bad axle but only if you are going no more than 40 miles and hour and if you going no more than a half hour ride to your destination. You need to get that fixed right away and that’s exactly what I did. Once the howling starts and awful sounds coming from the axle, you know at that point, its bad and will only get worse. Turns out it was the rear drivers side axle, my mechanic fixed it the next day and the car is running beautiful now. When your axle goes , sometimes there is really no warning signs . i didn’t hear any warning signs or ignored anything I heard as nothing to worry about. I learned a lesson in axles ,as soon as you hear any noise coming from tires or brakes or underneath car, have it checked out, could be an axle ! Important part of the car and a dangerous part of the car, if you don’t get it fixed right away.