rear bearings

How do I know if my rear bearing is failing? How do I check this?

I have an 2001 Avalon. The left rear whines a little on the freeway.

Any suggestions on fixing this? Can I repack the bearings or do I have to replace the whole hub assembly?

The easiest way to check a wheel bearing is to lift the wheel off the ground and try to move it up and down, and side to side, looking and feeling for movement.

avalons are pretty common for eating rear wheel bearings. u can try jacking the car up and checking for play by moving the tire up and down and side to side but that will only work if it is extremely loose and you would hear more than a whine it would growl extremely loud on the highway. another suggestion is jack the car up and grab a doctor's stethoscope or mechanics stethoscope and touch it to the spindle and spin the wheel. if you hear any grinding noise then yes its time to replace and yes you have to get a hub/bearing assembly for an avalon