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I took my car in (2011 Nissan Rogue SL AWD) for an AC repair earlier this week but I was hoping they could also take a look to see what has been causing a squeaking/squealing sound to come from the front wheels for the past couple months. I'm going to do my best to describe the noise here and see if anyone else has any thoughts, because the mechanic said he couldn't hear the sound himself and checked the brakes—everything looks fine.

The sound is:

  • A squeal or squeaking of some kind
  • Louder at slower speeds, almost nonexistent above 30mph
  • Rhythmic, with the frequency increasing alongside my speed (until I'm going fast enough for it to fade away, of course)
  • Consistently exacerbated by turning, particularly when turning right
  • Sometimes exacerbated by braking

I've had my CV Axles replaced in the last year, my brake pads are totally fine, no visible rotor damage or any metal rubbing on other metal. I truly have no clue what's happening, and I can't seem to find a mechanic that can replicate the sound when test driving, so I feel a tad bit crazy. Hoping someone has some sort of answer!

Thank you!!

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  • Both front wheels are doing this?
    – HandyHowie
    Commented Jul 1, 2022 at 17:17
  • Can you hear it if you jack up each front wheel in turn, and spin them by hand? So the wheels spin freely, or does it feel lumpy? Try both with the wheels straight and turned, and be sure to chock the back wheels and support the car safely on axle stands. Also, while the wheel is up, try shaking it top-bottom and side-side and see if it feels loose.
    – Nick C ♦
    Commented Jul 1, 2022 at 17:39

2 Answers 2

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Based on your description a worn wheel bearing would be the most likely cause of this. If you get the front wheels off the ground you can do a preliminary check by grabbing the tire top to bottom and aggressively try shaking it from top to bottom. If you feel any play you have a bad bearing. Just because there's no play doesn't mean the bearing is good. The next step would be for a mechanic to use a listening device to listen to the bearing while the wheel is turning. Another thing you might check is to make sure that your axle nuts are installed with the proper torque setting. If they are too tight they will cause premature bearing failure. I say this because you have recently had your axles replaced.

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Glazed brake pads are a possibility. A bent anti-rattle clip could be touching the rotor. (This can be hard to see without disassembling the brakes) Or a front hub bearing as already mentioned.

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