A clunking sound occurs when your vehicle slows down significantly, often sustained over a period of time. This may be due to an irregular tire condition or a mechanical problem developing with the suspension or other components of the vehicle.
People often find it hard to pinpoint the exact problem and this article aims to help you figure out what causes your car to make a clunking noise when driving slow, let’s jump to it!
Clunking noise when driving slow possible causes:
In short clunking noise when driving slow is usually caused by worn-out suspension components (control arm bushes, wheel bearings, endlinks), shocks, or a faulty steering stabilizer.
1. Worn out control arm bushes:
Control arm bushes keep the control arm in position. Over time, these bushes can wear out and cause the control arm to become loose, making a clunking sound when driving slow and when going over bumpy roads with speed bumps and uneven surfaces.
2. Loose wheel nuts:
When your wheel nuts are loose, your wheel is going to move around as you drive, which produces a clunking noise when driving slow. To fix this problem, tighten all of your wheel nuts and make sure that they are not over tightened to avoid issues with tire wear and damage to the wheel hub.
3. Worn out wheel bearings:
Worn-out wheel bearings can make a rattling or clunking noise during slow driving. You can address this problem by replacing the worn-out ball bearings with new ones. Wheel bearings are responsible for ensuring the vehicle tires rotate smoothly with less fraction over bumps and uneven surfaces, and when they are worn out, your tires will not be able to rotate properly and you may hear a clunking sound when driving slow.
4. Faulty steering stabilizer:
Steering stabilizers are responsible for ensuring that your steering wheel and steering arm do not break during hard acceleration or braking. When the steering stabilizer is worn out, your vehicle may make a clunking noise when you slow down. You can replace the worn-out stabilizer with a new one using DIY replacement parts such as generic auto parts.
5. Failing endlinks:
Endlinks connect a sway bar to the suspension system. Clunking noise may occur when one fails and makes contact with other parts of the suspension system.
6. Damaged Ball joints:
Ball joints are the joints that connect your wheel to the steering system. When they are worn out, they get loose, making a clunking noise when driving slow. If you hear this noise, you should replace them with new parts.
7. Damaged Shocks:
Shocks are responsible for applying pressure to the suspension system and damping it in order to absorb bumps and uneven surfaces under acceleration as well as braking during high-speed driving.
How do you fix a clunking noise?
If your clunking noise is caused by worn-out suspension components, you can fix it by replacing them with new parts, such as control arm bushes, ball joints, endlinks, and shocks.
Use quality auto parts and replace the old ones with new ones to ensure that the problem does not come back again, if you are handy then you can watch a few tutorials like the one below and try to do it yourself, however, it is always recommended that you visit a mechanic or auto parts store to have the job done as soon as possible to prevent further damage that may occur if you continue driving with the clunking noise.
Is it safe to drive with a clunking noise?
Although you can drive moderately with a clunking noise it is not recommended that you do it for long periods of time. Drive moderately and visit a mechanic or auto parts store near you to have the problem identified and fixed as soon as possible.
Conclusion on Clunking Sound when driving at lower Speeds
Clunking noise when driving slow is usually caused by worn-out suspension components or shocks. These problems can be addressed by replacing them with new auto parts and the problem should not occur again.
Thank you for choosing to read this article. I hope that it has been helpful and interesting enough for you to share with someone else who may have a similar problem as yours. If you enjoyed reading it, please share it with others using the social media links. I also encourage you to leave your comments below, they are greatly appreciated. Thank you!
