Your car clunks over bumps, the steering wheel shakes, or the tires wear on one edge, and the shop says a control arm or its bushings are worn. You want to know what the fix costs before you say yes.
So how much does control arm or bushing replacement cost? About $350 to $1,100 per axle, by the price page of a repair shop in Austin, Texas, for the bushings or the arms.
Owners told NHTSA, the US road safety agency, they paid or were quoted $561 to $2,100, most of them for both front arms at a dealer. With a carmaker’s own part and job time, one arm on a Subaru WRX comes to $327.48.
In this guide I will show you what a shop charges, what the carmakers’ parts and times come to, when only the bushing needs replacing, what owners paid, and how to tell the arm is worn.
What a Shop Charges
Luxury Auto Works, a repair shop in Austin that works on luxury and imported cars, lists these prices on its bushing page updated in August 2026:
On its control arm page the same shop puts one lower arm at 1.5 to 3.0 hours per side, and a multi-link front set at 3.0 to 6.0 hours per side. It ends every control arm job with a wheel alignment.
What the Carmakers’ Parts and Times Come To
Carmakers pay their dealers set times for these jobs in their service bulletins. Here are four, with $132 an hour, the average US shop rate Tekmetric found in June 2026:
The arms themselves are not always dear. Toyota’s control arm for a 2018 Camry is $161.45 each on a Toyota dealer parts website, checked October 9, 2026, and Subaru’s for the WRX is $274.68.
Bushing or the Whole Arm?
Mazda and GM fix their creaks with new bushings alone. Mazda’s bulletin covers front lower arm bushings that creak when wet on 2013 to 2016 CX-5s and 2014 to 2016 Mazda3s and Mazda6s.
Acura and Subaru replace the whole arm. On many modern luxury cars the bushings and ball joints come built into the arm, the Austin shop notes, so a complete arm is often the quicker repair.
So ask the shop which it plans to replace, and why. A bushing is the cheaper part, but a complete arm takes less labor and brings fresh joints.
What Owners Paid
Here is what owners told NHTSA they paid or were quoted, with a link to each complaint:
- A torn bushing on the right front lower arm of a 2020 Honda Pilot meant a $561 control arm replacement, not counting a service charge, filed in May 2024.
- Both steering control arms of a 2017 Subaru Forester were replaced and the tires aligned for $816.57, filed in October 2022.
- A dealer found play in both upper control arms of a 2017 Silverado 1500, and the repairs came to $1,246, filed in October 2022.
- An Acura dealer quoted $1,559.78 to replace both front control arms of a 2016 MDX, filed in September 2023.
- A Nissan dealer quoted $1,655.88 for both front lower control arms of a 2020 Murano, filed in January 2023.
- Nissan quoted $2,100 for the cracked bushings and lower front control arms of a 2016 Altima at 60,000 miles, filed in June 2023.
So owners paid or were quoted $561 to $2,100, and both arms at a dealer cost the most.
How to Tell a Control Arm Is Worn
The Austin shop lists a dull clunk over speed bumps, a shaking steering wheel, a pull to one side, and tires that wear fast on the inner or outer edge.
Worn bushings can also squeak in slow turns or make the steering feel vague. Look under the car with the wheel turned for torn or cracked rubber, or shiny metal where parts rub.
Mazda’s creak only came when the bushings were wet, after rain or a car wash. If your noise comes and goes like that, tell the shop, because it helps find the part.
Control Arm Questions You Might Have
How much does it cost to replace a control arm?
About $350 to $1,100 per axle for the bushings or arms at a shop in Austin, Texas. Owners paid or were quoted $561 to $2,100, most for both front arms at a dealer.
How much does it cost to replace control arm bushings?
The Austin shop’s $350 to $1,100 per axle covers bushings or arms. Mazda pays its dealers 0.8 hour for both front lower arm bushings, $105.60 at $132 an hour, plus the parts.
How long does it take to replace a control arm?
The carmakers pay 0.4 to 1.0 hour per side: 0.4 hour on a Subaru WRX and 1.0 hour on an Acura RDX. The Austin shop counts 1.5 to 3.0 hours per side for one lower arm.
Do I need an alignment after replacing a control arm?
Yes. The Austin shop aligns the wheels after every control arm job, and Acura adds 0.4 hour for it.
Should I replace control arms in pairs?
Not always. Subaru’s and Acura’s bulletins price one side or both, and GM replaces only the bushing on the side that makes noise.
Where These Prices Come From
- Luxury Auto Works, Bushing Replacement, updated August 28, 2026, and Control Arm Replacement, updated February 23, 2026, Austin, Texas.
- Subaru bulletin 05-92-25 (February 3, 2025), Acura bulletin 20-025 (June 19, 2020), Mazda bulletin 02-001/15 (November 2015) and GM PIT5563B (April 2020), on NHTSA’s website.
- Part prices on dealer parts websites, checked October 9, 2026: SubaruPartsDeal 20202VC020 and 20202VC030, ToyotaPartsDeal 2018 Camry control arms.
- Tekmetric, Average Auto Repair Labor Rates by State, June 30, 2026, and the owner complaints to NHTSA linked above, read October 9, 2026.
I hope this helps you stop the clunk without paying for two arms when one will do. If you have any questions, you can email me at costcheckr@gmail.com.
