As long as you keep your speed down and don’t take turns too quickly, you should be safe driving until you can have it replaced. Note that a broken sway bar doesn’t make your car “un-driveable”.

How much does it cost to replace a sway bar?

The average sway bar replacement cost is between $125 and $160, with labor making up $50 to $70 and the part costing between $55 and $110. It’s not usual to need a new sway bar. Typically, a car requires new sway bar end links or stabilizer bushings.

What happens if sway bar breaks?

If the sway bar link breaks, the steering wheel loosens because the car’s parts are not kept in place. This results in an unstable drive and if you’re not careful, can even cause accidents.

Do sway bars affect ride quality?

Yes, standard design Ant-Sway bars negatively effect ride comfort because they limit the independent suspension’s very design purpose.

When should I replace my sway bar?

If you can see looseness in the end links when you move the bar then they should be replaced. If the bushings are showing signs of deterioration (cracking or brittleness) or they have a gap or are misshapen then they also need to be replaced.

What causes a sway bar to break?

When the shocks get worn out in a vehicle, it loses balance, and tends to tilt to one side or the other, resulting in much of the body weight of the vehicle sitting on the stabilizer bar. Therefore as the vehicle moves on a rough road, the unstable body eventually results into the bar breaking.

How do I know if my sway bar is bad?

Warning signs of a broken or bad sway bar link include clunks and squeaks. Over-steering or excessive lean through turns are also symptoms of worn sway bar links, but they can also be signs of larger problems with your vehicle’s suspension system.

How many sway bars are on a car?

Most of the cars have one sway bar in the front and another separate sway bar in the rear suspension. Sway (stabilizer) bar link. Some cars have only one sway bar in the front suspension. Sports cars have thicker sway bars for better stability when cornering.

Does sway bar make noise?

Sway bar links connect the two sides of the suspension together with the sway bar. They can be found at the end of the sway bar and help support a stable ride and limit body roll. If the sway bar link breaks and loosens, it can make a rattling or clunking sound as it taps other parts of the suspension.

Do all cars have sway bars?

You may have noticed that we did not directly mention a sway bar as part of the general suspension system of all vehicles. This is because while the majority of cars do have a sway bar, not all of them do. It does depend on the purpose of the car as well as the build.

Do you need an alignment after replacing sway bar links?

Basically, if the steering rack, tie rods, subframe, or control arm bolts have been altered or the car has been lowered, you need an alignment. Removing the sway bar, and replacing it would not require an alignment, unless something that I mentioned above had to be moved to access the sway bar.

How long does a sway bar last?

How often should sway bar links be replaced? Now, when it comes to the overall lifespan of the sway bar link, it will be from four to five years. However, if the roads have treated the car exceptionally well and the turns were not that sharp, you can expect them to last over five years.

Will sway bars affect tire wear?

Broken anti-sway bar end links do not cause tire wear.