After years and thousands of miles, vehicles' suspension system components do wear out, but how long that takes depends a lot on how you drive.
As you can imagine, if most of your driving is on smooth highways, your shock absorbers will last a lot longer than if you do most of your driving on bumpy roads or hauling heavy loads. In addition to just wearing out, vehicle suspension components can be damaged in an accident or by a hard impact like a pothole, hitting a curb or a rock on a bumpy road.
Because the life span of shocks can vary so widely, your vehicle's manufacturer recommend periodic inspections. During an inspection, your mechanic will check for worn, broken or missing parts.
Signs that shocks or struts are wearing out: the vehicle tires may have a cupped wear pattern. This is from the shocks bouncing unevenly. Drivers may notice a floating or drifting sensation when cornering. If the front of your vehicle dives excessively when stopping or rocks back and forth after you stopped, your shocks may be worn out. And if they are leaking fluid, it's definitely time to replace them.
If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, come see us at Auto Select for a suspension inspection. Same if you've been in an accident that involved one of your vehicle wheels. Worn or broken shocks can cause premature wear or failure on other suspension parts such as ball joints and other steering components as well. If your vehicle suspension actually fails, it could lead to a serious accident, so you should take care of these things.
When residents replace their vehicle shocks, it's usually best to replace all four at the same time. That'll provide more even handling. Be sure to consult your service advisor because you don't want a big difference between the performance of your shocks from wheel to wheel, and replacing all may be the safest bet.