Q: Bearing going bad.

Hi. It is possible that either a wheel bearing is going out or possibly the growling noise you are experiencing is tire wear, generally a chopping or cupping wear on the inner or outer edge of one or more tires. To determine this, the tire on the suspected wheel needs to be checked. This can be done by inspecting the tread wall of the tire on the inner and outer edge to see if there are undulations in the tread wall. If this is the case, the tire/tires will need to be replaced and the vehicle aligned.

If no unusual wear pattern is detected, then the vehicle will need further testing to determine whether it is a bearing issue. This diagnosis commonly includes either a specialized type of test drive to shift the weight of the vehicle while moving or placing the vehicle on an automotive lift to allow the wheels to be unweighted and driven to highway speeds. You may want to enlist the help of a mechanic, like one from YourMechanic, to determine the cause of the noise.