Tips
Your vehicle's shocks and struts slowly deteriorate over time, though this wear is normally difficult to detect. To maximize your vehicle's ride comfort and safety, it is recommended to replace your vehicle's shocks and struts every 50,000 miles. Worn shocks and struts can also cause additional wear to other vehicle components. Affected components include:
- Brakes
- Tie rods
- Ball joints
- Tires
To inspect your shocks and struts to gauge wear, check for:- Leaking oil or wetness along the body of the shock or strut.
- Broken mounts, worn or missing bushings.
- Broken, damaged, or missing mounting hardware.
- Severely dented reservoir tube, bent or scratched piston rod.
- Cupped tire wear.
- Damaged strut body springs, seats, and bushings.
- Defective strut bearing or missing plate.