My 2004 xB has been running great, but recently in the past week there has been a growing "growling" noise and "rumble" in the drivers side / front wheel.

Thinking it was a tire issue, I took it in to the shop and they did a tire rotation, balance and alignment, but everything checked out perfect.

The mechanic said it is possible it may be a wheel bearing, but when he pushed and pulled on the wheels to check for any movement everything seemed tight.

The xB only has 42,000 miles on it and it seems odd that the bearings would be wearing out so soon.

Are there any known issues with the front wheel bearings?
Could this be a warranty repair?

Any ideas?

 

Wheel bearings should not go out so quick, but it does happen. If the wheel bearing did go out, I think it might be covered under the warrnty if
a) you had an extended warranty... I think a standard one is only good for 30,000 miles... but I could be wrong.
b) you haven't done anything to void your warranty such as lowered the vehicle.

If you are unsure that it's your wheel bearing, a good way to tell is to listen for a decrease or increase in "growl" while you are turning. I think that if the driver side is messed up, the growl will slightly go away when you turn to the right (but it could be the left...). Of course, you will have to be going fast enough to hear the growl before you test it. If the growl goes away when you turn the wheel (such as going around a corner) then it's a safe bet that it's your wheel bearing.

 

Yeah, not warranty unless you bought an extended one. If it's a bearing, it will probably make different whine noises at different speeds. I had 3 fail on a previous vehicle and am very familiar with the noise!

You didn't say when it makes the noise. Is this parking lot maneuvers at full lock? If so, there are steering stops probably making the noise that you can grease or get replacement caps for.

 

Thanks for the ideas. I haven't lowered the box or done anything to void the warranty.

I tried the turning test and there is no real increase or decrease or increase in growl sound while turning as it stays about the same. The noise sort of sounds like a snow tire that starts as a low rumble but increases slowly as you speed up. At first I though it was the tires but they are only a 2 years old and in good shape (BF Goodrich Traction T/A-T, with uni-directional tread) so I rotated them but the noise is the same.

Unfortunately, I do not have the extended warrant.

Does anyone know where I can find a repair manual that shows how the front wheel assembly is put together?
Anyone ever change a front wheel bearing in an xB before? How involved is the work?

 

It's a crappy job and you def. need a hydraulic press to do it right... and you MAY need the hub assembly as well if it's too worn...

My advice... take it to a dealer.
Seriously... I did... and I know how to wrench ..

 

Thanks for the advice all.
I will have the dealer take a look
Hopefully it's a warranty repair.

 

Good News!

I just got the xB back from the dealer (Hoselton Toyota) and the repair was covered under the power-train warranty. The problem was a bad front (passengers) wheel bearing.

The work was a Toyota warranty repair because (according to the mechanic) the front wheel-bearing is considered part of of the drive train. He also said that some of the front end uses Toyota Echo parts which are easier to get and are cheaper. The estimate was around $300 but because it was under warranty, there was no charge.

The parts they replaced (as listed on the invoice) are as follows:

PART: FP #
Nut. Lock # 90080-17238
Hub Sub-Assy, FR # 43502-52010
Bearing # 90369-38021
Ring, Hole Snap # 90521-77001

It took them about 1/2 a day to complete the work.

:D