2003 Mazda Protege Stabilizer Bushing Replacement Cost

The stabilizer bar (sway bar) is designed to combat vehicle roll in a turn. As a car turns, the weight of the vehicle leans, or rolls, to the outside of the turn (as much as thirty degrees), placing more weight on the outside tires, and less weight on the inside tires. This weight differential impairs traction and vehicle steering and handling. The stabilizer bar uses torsion to transfer the outside weight to the inside tires and serves to keep the vehicle as level as possible when turning. The stabilizer bar bushings are the tie between the stabilizer bar and the vehicle body or frame.

Worn stabilizer bar bushings will usually cause a squeaking sound when the vehicle is going over bumps or when the vehicle is turning. Whether the sound is coming from the front or the rear of the vehicle will determine if the front or rear stabilizer bushings are worn.

A vehicle can be driven when the stabilizer bar bushings are worn. A squeaking sound will usually be heard when the bushings are going bad, and the sound will likely get worse as the bushings increase in wear. Severely worn or damaged bushings can cause the stabilizer bar to come into metal-on-metal contact with the bushing brackets and cause further wear or damage to the stabilizer bar or brackets.

There is no set replacement schedule for stabilizer bar bushings, through most vehicles will need to have them changed at some point. A good time to replace the stabilizer bar bushings is when they being to make a squeaking sound when the vehicle is going over bumps or through turns, or when the sway bar links are being replaced.

Worn stabilizer bar bushings are diagnosed by a technician during a test drive where they will listen for the telltale squeaking sound of a worn bushing. Alternately, a technician may attempt to bounce the car in place by rocking it up and down in order to cause the stabilizer bar to twist and duplicate the noise. Finally, the vehicle will be raised in the air on a hoist and the stabilizer bushings and brackets will be visually inspected for signs of wear or damage.

Stabilizer bushings are replaced by first lifting and supporting the vehicle off the ground in order to gain access to the bushing brackets and to relieve the torsion on the stabilizer bar from the weight of the vehicle. The stabilizer bushings and brackets are removed and new parts are installed in their place. It is common to replace the stabilizer bar (sway bar) links at the same time.

There are usually two bushings on a stabilizer bar. RepairPal recommends replacing the stabilizer bar bushings as a set. The sway bar links should be inspected and replaced (if necessary) at the same time.

The stabilizer bar is often a relatively heavy component of the suspension. Care should be exercised when disconnecting the stabilizer bar from the vehicle body or frame so that it does not fall and cause injury. It is a good idea to inspect and replace (if necessary) the sway bar links at the same time that the bushings are being replaced.

Replacing the stabilizer bar (sway bar) bushings is a simple beginner to intermediate DIY repair on most vehicles. It is important to note that the vehicle needs to be safely lifted off the ground with a jack and jack stands for this repair in order to access the bushing brackets and to relieve tension on the stabilizer bar. Care must be exercised when lifting a vehicle to prevent serious injury. If the sway bar links are to be replaced as well, the difficulty of the job goes up, as does the time involved for the repair.