Well seeing as a "tire iron" is merely a tool, it doesn't hold anything on It's a lug wrench. It's used for unbolting the wheel. I have the feeling that the 'mechanic' is a complete idiot that shouldn't be anywhere near a car.

Basically, the whole wheel can separate from the vehicle and go rolling down the road in a different direction than your car. Yeah, you should get it fixed ASAP. If the bearing fails altogether, you'll be screwed. The wheel bolts to the hub and that spins on the wheel bearing. There's nothing else holding it in place.

A tie rod end can separate and leave you with no steering but it depends how bad it is. If it's just starting to get loose it's not unsafe. If it's really loose, you could die.

My bad...I meant tie rod. Thanks to all for the answers.

if it is starting to go bad, then it is not something you want to drive on for weeks on end. but it will be ok for a bit to drive on. it's not going to fall apart or anything.

Its deff a risk you shouldnt take. I had a bad wheel bearing on that side and when something broke in it, it started sparking while I was driving.

front drive you can drive with a noisy front bearing for thousands of miles and you can adjust the rear bearings, rear wheel drive you can clean and adjust the front bearings in about 20 minutes, you can buy a hub buster and bearing on ebay for about $80 and do it yourself, for either front or rear bearings

I just left the Firestone dealer in central Ohio who told me my right wheel bearing needs to be replaced. Gave me an estimate well over $300. When I asked about the risk because of what I've read, he replied, "there is no real risk." I mentioned about the tire coming off and he also said that the tire iron and another piece keeps the tire. So, after reading posts about the risks, I really need to understand if Firestone downplayed the risk or does a real risk exists.

I'm waiting to have another mechanic do the work but am concerned about the conflicting info re: risk.

thank