You can drive your car with broken sway bar links, but it may be unsafe to do so. Additionally, you should expect to experience decreased vehicle handling and increased instability while driving, especially at high speeds and when turning.
As key components of your car's suspension system, you should understand what to do if one of your sway bar links breaks. Luckily, we put together this convenient car repair
guide to help you better understand your vehicle's suspension system and whether you can drive with a broken sway bar link. 
4.717k Ratings5M+Drivers Joined
7M+Cars Garaged
What does a sway bar do?
Automotive sway bars—also known as stabilizer bars, anti-roll bars, and anti-sway bars—are suspension components that connect your car's left and right sides and provide stability when turning. Additionally, these suspension parts reduce body roll at high speeds and help improve your control of the vehicle. Your car may have a front sway bar, a rear sway bar, or both.
Sway bar end links are the attachment points between the sway bar and other parts of your car's suspension system, and they work with the bar to increase vehicle stability. They are typically long, thin rods with bushings on each end.
Front sway bar links may connect to the control arms, steering knuckles, or struts, while the rear sway bar links may attach to the control arms or car frame.
MORE: What does a car alignment do?
How do you know if you have a bad sway bar link?
While it's not always dangerous to drive with a bad sway bar link, it can result in some pretty unpleasant driving conditions and can even lead to worse damage if not properly addressed. Because of this, you should understand the symptoms of a bad sway bar link so that you can fix the problem as soon as possible. Let's look at the most common signs of bad sway bar links.
Loud clunking sound. One of the most common symptoms of bad sway bar links is a metallic clunking or knocking noise, especially when driving over bumps and at high speeds.
A rattling sound. If your sway bar bushings are bad, you'll likely hear a rattling sound while driving.
A loose or unresponsive steering wheel. If your steering wheel feels loose, unresponsive, or easier to turn, it could be because your sway bar links are bad.
The car feels unstable, especially while turning. Bad sway bar links can cause your car to sway or feel unstable, especially at higher speeds and while turning or changing lanes.
Can you drive with a broken sway bar link?
Depending on the extent of the damage, you can drive your car with a broken sway bar link. However, you should avoid doing so whenever possible, especially if you need to travel at high speeds on the interstate or make tight turns.
Driving your vehicle with a completely broken sway bar or broken end links is dangerous because you will have significantly less control over the car. If these parts are severely damaged, you could easily lose control of the vehicle and become involved in a serious accident. Because of these reasons, you should prioritize replacing your sway bar links as soon as you become aware of any damage.
How much does it cost to replace a broken sway bar link?
Looking for another reason to prioritize replacing your damaged sway bar links? They are relatively inexpensive parts that don't require extensive installation labor. And while your exact costs will vary depending on your location and vehicle type, you can generally expect a sway bar link replacement to cost between $90 and $175.
The links themselves are fairly cheap, with replacements averaging $20 to $100. Labor costs will account for the rest of your expenses, and you should expect to pay an additional $75 to $100 for the mechanic's installation time.
"My Jerry
rep was efficient and professional. It took about 10 minutes for them to find me my new Nationwide plan. Thank you, Jerry, for a wonderful, stress-free experience." —Tonya R.
4.717k Ratings 5M+Drivers Joined
7M+Cars Garaged
FAQs
We value your privacy
