A control arm or trailing arm is the pivoting link between the vehicle's subframe and the wheel hub carrier, allowing each wheel to travel up and down over road irregularities while keeping it precisely located in the correct geometric plane. Unlike simpler bushes or ball joints, the arm itself carries both vertical load and longitudinal forces, which means a bent or fractured arm translates directly into unpredictable handling and tyre wear. The first warning signs are usually a clunking noise from the wheel arch over speed bumps, vague steering response, or a front wheel that visibly pulls inward under braking — camber or toe alignment drifting outside specification despite recent tracking work is a classic diagnostic clue. Rubber bushes at the inner mounting pivot degrade with age and solvent exposure, so vehicles in road-salt regions often need attention from around 80,000 miles onwards. Matching the OE part number is essential because arm length, bush bore, and ball-joint thread pitch all vary between chassis variants of the same model. Delphi and Febi Bilstein supply a large share of original-equipment arms across the European parc, and both offer replacement parts carrying the same TecDoc cross-references as the factory assemblies.
Browse all Wheel suspension control/trailing arm in our catalogue
Each listing on this page cross-references a TecDoc OE number to specific make, model, and chassis codes. The arm fitted to your car usually has a part number stamped or laser-etched near the inner bush housing. Match that number against the listings here, and confirm using your vehicle's VIN or the make-model-year filter. Front and rear arms differ, as do left and right sides, and even nominally identical model variants may use different arm lengths depending on whether the car has standard or sport suspension.
OEM arms are produced to the chassis engineer's original drawing, usually by a tier-one supplier such as Delphi or Febi Bilstein, and they carry exact OE references. Quality aftermarket arms from established brands match these tolerances and carry the same TecDoc cross-references, making them fully interchangeable at fitting. Budget alternatives may use softer bush compounds or lighter-gauge steel, which can reduce service life in high-load applications such as performance or heavy SUV platforms where the arm sees significant cyclic stress.
Not necessarily, though many workshops recommend replacing both sides when one arm shows significant wear, particularly if the rubber bushes have similar mileage on both sides. Where one arm has been damaged by a kerb strike or pothole impact, it is reasonable to replace only that arm, provided the opposite side is inspected and shows no cracking or deformation. After any control arm replacement, four-wheel alignment should be checked and corrected to prevent premature tyre wear.
The most common symptom is a knocking or clunking sound from the front or rear suspension, especially over uneven surfaces or when the steering is turned at low speed. You may also notice that the car pulls to one side without steering input, or that tyre wear becomes uneven across the tread width — often a sign that camber has drifted outside acceptable limits. A visual check for cracked or collapsed rubber bushes, or any visible bend in the arm itself after contact with a kerb, should precede any alignment assessment.
Showing 100 of 27,563 Wheel suspension control/trailing arm OE numbers. Enter the OE on the main OE search to jump to any reference.
