Guide · Diagnosis
CV Joint Failure: The Clicking Noise and What It Means
There is one symptom every mechanic recognises instantly: a rhythmic clicking from the front of the car when you turn on full lock. It is the sound of a worn CV joint, and it rarely gets better on its own. Here is what is happening, why it happened, and what your options are.
A clicking or knocking noise when turning at low speed on full lock is the classic sign of a worn outer CV (constant velocity) joint. The usual cause is a split CV boot: once the rubber boot tears, the grease is flung out and dirt and water get in, and the joint wears rapidly without lubrication. Caught early, a split boot before the joint is damaged, it can sometimes be re-booted and re-greased. Once the joint itself is clicking, it needs replacing, and a reconditioned or exchange driveshaft is usually the most cost-effective fix. Ignored, a failing CV joint can eventually seize or break, leaving the car undriveable.
Why it happens: the boot
CV joints are packed with grease and sealed by a flexible rubber boot. That boot is the joint's lifeline. When it splits, through age, perishing, or damage, the grease is thrown out and grit and water get in. From that point the joint runs dry and contaminated, and wear accelerates fast.
Catch it at the boot, not the joint. This is why a torn CV boot spotted early is a small job, a re-boot and re-grease, and a torn boot left for months is a failed joint that needs replacing.
What the clicking is
A CV joint lets a driveshaft transmit power to the wheel while the wheel steers and moves up and down. When the joint wears, the internal bearings and races develop play, and under the load of turning, especially on full lock at low speed, like pulling out of a junction or parking, that play makes the characteristic click-click-click. The tighter the turn and the more load, the louder it gets. A worn inner joint can instead cause a clunk on acceleration or a vibration.
What happens if you ignore it
- Gets louder. The clicking gets louder and happens on gentler turns.
- Play develops. The joint develops play that can be felt as a clunk on take-up.
- Can seize or come apart. Eventually the joint can seize or come apart, which can leave the car stranded.
- Safety risk. A failed CV joint at speed is a safety risk, not just an inconvenience.
Your options
If it is caught at the split-boot stage before the joint is damaged, re-booting and re-greasing may be enough. Once the joint is clicking, it needs replacing, and because the CV joint is part of the driveshaft assembly, a reconditioned or exchange driveshaft is usually the most cost-effective and reliable fix, supplied balanced and ready to fit. Driveshaft Ireland reconditions and exchanges driveshafts and CV joints with over 30 years' experience, see driveshaft repair or replace for how to decide, and driveshaft or propshaft for the terminology.
Frequently asked
What does a clicking CV joint sound like?
Can you drive with a clicking CV joint?
What causes a CV joint to fail?
Get your price
Driveshaft Ireland has reconditioned driveshafts, propshafts and CV joints for over 30 years, with VSR balancing and a nationwide exchange service that gets you back on the road quickly. Send us your registration or the part, and we will identify the right unit and get it to you, balanced and ready to fit. If a clicking CV joint has been part of what you have noticed around your car's roadworthiness, it's also worth checking how this could affect your next NCT test.