Home › Vehicles › Ford › F-150
The short version
- An F-150 wheel bearing question on a 4×4 should start with the vacuum hubs, not the bearing.
- From 2004 the front hubs are IWE units. A vacuum leak makes them chatter, and it sounds exactly like a failing bearing.
- From 2005 the front bearing is a sealed hub assembly bolted to the knuckle, with the ABS sensor inside it.
- The rear is not a hub unit at all. It is an axle bearing in the housing, which is a different repair.
The F-150 generates more wheel bearing questions than any other vehicle on this site. A large share of them turn out to be the four wheel drive system rather than a bearing.
Five minutes of testing separates the two, and it costs nothing.
Do the IWE test before anything else
The integrated wheel end uses engine vacuum to hold the front hub disengaged. Lose vacuum and it partially engages, and the gear teeth chatter.
Selecting four wheel drive removes the vacuum and locks the hub fully. If the noise stops, the bearing is fine.
The usual causes are a failed check valve, a split vacuum line or water in the system. The check valve is the single most reported one.
The overview is on the Ford page and the general impostor list on the impostors page.
What the F-150 wheel bearing actually is
| Years | Front | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 on | Sealed hub assembly | Bolts to the knuckle, sensor built in |
| 2015 to 2020 | Sealed hub assembly | Aluminum body, IWE fitted on 4×4 |
| 2009 to 2014 | Sealed hub assembly | IWE fitted on 4×4 |
| 2004 to 2008 | Sealed hub assembly | IWE introduced in 2004 |
| Before 2004 | Varies by drivetrain | Older designs, confirm by year |
Across all of these the front unit is replaced complete. There is no serviceable bearing inside it and nothing to repack.
Confirm your exact part by drivetrain and year rather than by model name. Cross referencing is on the cross reference page.
The rear is a different job
The rear axle rides on a bearing pressed into the housing, with the shaft passing through it. The wheel bolts to a flange on that shaft.
Replacing it means pulling the axle shaft, and a leaking axle seal is often the first sign.
The distinction is on the axle bearing page and the procedure on the rear replacement page.
What makes the job hard
Four bolts pass through the knuckle from behind and corrode in place. On a salt state truck they are the whole difficulty.
Heat and penetrating oil beat force. A snapped bolt turns a short job into a long one.
Those are on the hub bolts page and the broken bolt page.
What shortens F-150 wheel bearing life
Towing and payload matter more here than mileage. Bearing life falls steeply with load rather than in proportion to it.
Larger tires and wheel spacers add to it by moving the contact patch outboard, which lengthens the lever the bearing resists.
Those are on the towing page, the load rating page and the spacers page.
Costs
A bolt on front hub is one of the cheaper versions of this repair, because there is no press work and no machine shop trip.
Four wheel drive parts cost more than two wheel drive ones, and the rear axle bearing is priced differently again because of the labor.
Current figures are on the front cost page, the rear cost page and the labor page.
F-150 wheel bearing part numbers
| Years | Detail | Number |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 to 2024 | Front and rear, past the catalogs | match old part or VIN |
| 2015-2017 | Front hub, 4WD | 515169 check price |
| 2015-2017 | Front hub, 2WD | 515170 check price |
| 2011-2014 | Front hub, 4WD, 6 stud, 38 inch ABS cord | 515142 check price |
| 2011-2014 | Front hub, 4WD, 6 stud, 40.75 inch ABS cord | 515166 check price |
| 2011-2014 | Front hub, 4WD, 7 stud | 513326 check price |
| 2011-2014 | Front hub, 2WD, 6 stud | 515143 check price |
| 2010 | Front hub, 4WD, 6 stud | 515119 check price |
| 2010 | Front hub, 4WD, 7 stud | 515118 check price |
| 2010 | Front hub, SVT Raptor 4WD | 515112 check price |
| 2009-2010 | Front hub, 2WD, 6 stud | 515117 check price |
| 2009-2010 | Front hub, 2WD, 7 stud | 515118 check price |
| 2009 | Front hub, 4WD, 6 stud, built from 23 Jul 2008 | 515119 check price |
| 2006-2008 | Front hub, 4WD, 6 stud | 515079 check price |
| 2006-2008 | Front hub, 4WD, 7 stud | 515080 check price |
| 2005 | Front 4WD, 6 stud, built from 11/29/04 | 515079 check price |
| 2005 | Front 4WD, 6 stud, built to 11/28/04 | 515046 check price |
| 2005 | Front 4WD, 7 stud, built from 11/29/04 | 515080 check price |
| 2005 | Front 4WD, 7 stud, built to 11/28/04 | 515047 check price |
| 2004 | Front 4WD, new body, 6 stud | 515046 check price |
| 2004 | Front 4WD, new body, 7 stud | 515047 check price |
| 2004-2008 | Front 2WD, tapered set, new body | SET930 check price |
| 2000-2004 | Front 4WD, 5 stud, 4-wheel ABS | 515029 check price |
| 2000-2004 | Front 4WD, 5 stud, rear-wheel ABS | 515028 check price |
| 2000-2004 | Front 4WD, 7 stud, 4-wheel ABS | 515030 check price |
| 2000-2004 | Front 4WD, 7 stud, rear-wheel ABS | 515022 check price |
| 1997-2000 | Front 4WD, 5 stud, M12 studs, 4-wheel ABS | SP550200 check price |
| 1997-2000 | Front 4WD, 5 stud, M12 studs, rear-wheel ABS | 515017 check price |
| 1997-2004 | Front 2WD, inner tapered set, seal 4148 | SET11 check price |
| 1997-2004 | Front 2WD, outer tapered set | SET12FP check price |
| 1995-1996 | Front 4WD, inner set SET37, seal 710430, outer set | SET45 check price |
| 1990-1994 | Front 4WD, inner set SET37, seal 4250, outer set | SET45 check price |
| 1990-1996 | Front 2WD, inner tapered set, seal 4148 | SET13 check price |
| 1990-1996 | Front 2WD, outer tapered set | SET12F check price |
| 2004-2008 | Rear, cylindrical bearing, seal 100357 | R1561TV check price |
| 1998-2003 | Rear, 9.75 inch ring gear, seal 100357 | R1561TV check price |
| 1990-2003 | Rear, 8.8 inch ring gear, cylindrical, seal 8835S | 6408 check price |
Every model year this chart resolves: 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017. A 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 or newer F-150 sits past the catalogs and goes by the old part or the VIN.
Timken catalogs several of these positions under its own SKUs: SP550200 for the 97-00 five-stud 4WD, SP550207 and SP550208 for the 06-08 hubs, SP550212 and SP550213 for the 04-05 build-date split, and SP550214 through SP550216 for 2009. They are parallel listings for the same positions, not corrections.
On a 2011 to 2014 4×4 with six studs, measure the ABS sensor cord before ordering: the 38 inch cord takes 515142 and the 40.75 inch cord takes 515166.
Price links lead to Amazon searches for that number. As an Amazon Associate this site earns from qualifying purchases.
Common questions
Is my noise the F-150 wheel bearing or the IWE?
Shift into four wheel drive with the noise happening. If it stops, the IWE was partially engaging and the bearing is fine.
Can I replace just the bearing?
No. The front is a sealed hub assembly, replaced complete, with the ABS sensor inside it.
Is the rear the same part?
No. The rear is an axle bearing pressed into the housing, so it is a different part and a different job.
Do I need a press?
Not for the front. It bolts to the knuckle, which is why the difficulty is corroded bolts instead.
Are 4×4 and 2wd hubs the same?
No. Confirm drivetrain and year before ordering, because the parts differ.
Does towing kill them?
It shortens their life considerably, since bearing life falls steeply with load.
Why did the ABS light come on?
The wheel speed sensor is built into the hub, so a failing hub often takes the signal with it.