What is the Lateral Link all about?

While your front suspension is the most important for handling and steering, the rear also plays a significant role. There are fewer suspension components in the rear of your car, but one of the most critical is the lateral link. It connects the hub to the midpoint of the body, and keeps the wheel/hub assembly upright and centered while driving.

Lateral links are hollow metal tubes with a connection point on either end. Over time, the tube is exposed to significant amounts of stress and heat, but overall failure is uncommon.

Keep in mind:

• A failed lateral link can make your car ride experience feel wobbly or insecure.
• For the rear lateral link, there may be no noticeable symptoms, as the rear sway bar is thick enough to account for most of the rear lateral link’s operation.
• The most common means for lateral links to fail is through accident damage.

How it's done:

• The vehicle is lifted onto jack stands and the front tires are removed.
• The defective front lateral links are removed.
• The new front lateral links are installed and secured to the link brackets.
• The tires are reinstalled and the vehicle removed from the jack stands. Tires are tightened to specifications.
• The repair is verified and the vehicle road tested to ensure proper operation.

Our recommendation:

Your lateral links are critical to overall vehicle performance. A damaged or broken lateral link can cause undue tire wear, reduce ride quality, and compromise your ability to drive. Immediately have your vehicle diagnosed and repaired by one of our expert mechanics if you suspect any type of suspension problem.

What common symptoms indicate you may need to replace the Lateral Link?

• “Loose” feeling while driving down the road
• Clunking sound in the rear while driving
• Abnormal tire wear on the rear tires
• Torque steer, which can make it seem as though the issue is in the front suspension

How important is this service?

A damaged lateral link can cause serious damage to tires, and even put you at risk while driving on the road. It can throw off your steering and handling to a significant degree. Our recommendation is to have the problem immediately diagnosed and repaired by on of our expert mechanics.