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Wheel bearings are safety-critical automotive components. For this application, the steel rolling elements are subjected to fatigue failure and therefore play a key role in overall bearing fatigue life performance. This performance is influenced by metallurgical, mechanical, and physical properties obtained by precise manufacturing process parameters. These properties are continuously analyzed and are evolving at all bearing manufacturing companies. Last year, the Precision Bearing Components (PBC) Group of NN Inc., a global supplier of steel rolling elements for wheel bearings, developed a non-conventional heat treatment process for 100Cr6 (SAE 52100) rolling element steel for improved fatigue performance. The results of wheel bearing rolling contact fatigue (RCF) tests showed the importance of rolling element dimensional stability. As retained austenite transformed to the martensite phase, rolling element volume increase occurred, leading to fatigue failure.