1. Body stability
Increased body roll during steering
When the car shock absorber works normally, it can effectively suppress the body roll during steering. However, once the shock absorber fails, the body roll increases significantly during steering, and even skidding may occur in severe cases. This is because the shock absorber cannot provide enough damping force to resist the centrifugal force generated when the vehicle turns. For example, when turning at high speed, if the shock absorber fails, the body will tilt excessively to the outside of the curve, and the driver will obviously feel that the vehicle's handling has deteriorated, and the vehicle's driving trajectory is difficult to control accurately. This not only affects driving comfort, but also poses a threat to driving safety.

The body shakes more when the road surface is slightly uneven
Normal shock absorbers can absorb small bumps from the road surface and make the vehicle drive smoothly. But if the shock absorber fails, the body will shake up and down violently even if the road surface is only slightly uneven. For example, on some urban roads, although the road surface is generally flat, there may be some small potholes or joints. Under normal circumstances, there will only be a slight sense of ups and downs when the vehicle passes. When the shock absorber fails, the vehicle will have obvious shaking, just like a ship sailing on a rough sea, which seriously affects the comfort of riding and driving stability.

2. Vehicle Bounce and Vibration
Abnormal Bounce When Passing Bumpy Roads
Under normal circumstances, when the vehicle passes bumpy roads (such as speed bumps), the shock absorber will quickly suppress the rebound of the spring, so that the body will stop after shaking once or twice. When the shock absorber fails, the body may shake three or four times and the amplitude becomes larger. This is because the shock absorber loses effective control of the spring rebound, and the excess energy of the spring cannot be absorbed and dissipated in time. For example, when passing through speed bumps when entering and exiting a parking lot, if there is a problem with the shock absorber, the vehicle will bounce multiple times, and even the passengers in the car may feel bounced out of their seats. This is one of the typical symptoms of shock absorber failure.

Severe vibration during emergency braking
When the car is driving slowly and emergency braking, if the shock absorber is normal, it will help stop the vehicle smoothly and reduce vibration during braking. However, when the shock absorber is faulty, the car will vibrate violently during emergency braking. This is because the shock absorber cannot buffer the forward tilt of the vehicle during braking, resulting in the suspension system being unable to effectively adjust the body posture when the weight of the vehicle is transferred forward, resulting in violent vibrations. For example, when you suddenly brake at a red light, if you feel the body shaking violently, the shock absorber is likely to have a problem.

3. Braking response
Brake response delay
After stepping on the brake, if the shock absorber fails, the brake system may take a few seconds or longer to respond. This is because the shock absorber failure may affect the overall stability of the vehicle and the normal operation of the suspension system, thereby interfering with the normal operation of the brake system. For example, during normal driving, when emergency braking is required, the driver steps on the brake pedal, but the vehicle cannot slow down in time, but there is a significant delay before braking, which may be related to the shock absorber failure. This situation is very dangerous and will increase the risk of traffic accidents such as rear-end collisions.

4. Appearance and sound
Shock absorber oil leakage
Shock absorber oil leakage is a common fault symptom. When the oil seal inside the shock absorber is damaged, it will cause internal lubricating oil to leak. From the appearance, if there are oil stains on the outside of the shock absorber, it means that the shock absorber may have a problem. If the oil leakage is serious, the performance of the shock absorber will be greatly reduced, because the normal operation of the shock absorber depends on the internal hydraulic oil. For example, during vehicle maintenance, if obvious oil stains are found on the shock absorber housing, it is necessary to further check the working condition of the shock absorber to determine whether it needs to be replaced.

Abnormal sound during driving
When driving on a road with good road conditions, if you hear a "dongdong" or "kacha" sound, it may be a shock absorber failure. This sound may be caused by wear and looseness of the parts inside the shock absorber, or collision between the shock absorber and other parts. For example, when driving on a flat highway, if you hear an abnormal sound coming from near the chassis, the shock absorber is one of the parts that need to be checked.