Have you had to replace your Lower Ball Joints Prematurely???

Liberty-4-All · 05-01-2003, 09:05 AM

Ball Joint Poll for those that have had problems...you should be checking yours.

cagemaker · 06-07-2003, 09:18 PM

The lower ball joint on our 2002 Liberty Limited with a little over 30,000 miles catastrophically failed this past week as my wife backed into our driveway.

I was away on business so I haven't seen the parts up close yet but she did take some video under the vehicle to show what happened.

As far as I could see on the video the ball portion of the ball joint broke completely off. This allowed the lower control arm to drop and the vehicle also dropped and sat on the wheel damaging the fender.

Our driveway is dirt and has a very minor "lip" on the end. I'm talking 2" tops in height and spans about 2 feet. So basically a very short wide bump NOT an off road obstacle. Also this Liberty hasn't seen much more than a rutty dirt road so it was by no means beaten off-road.

This would have been VERY BAD if my wife and son were going off a highway ramp and it let go.

I've had ball joint s go before in my 87 full size blazer before but never reached a complete failure as this did. The ones in the Blazer had many more miles and gave me plenty of notice so I was able to change them before it ever reached a dangerous condition.

Has anyone else had their lower ball joint(s) catastrophically fail as this did without banging it on a rock?

Chris S · 06-10-2003, 09:24 AM

No problems here, but I'll take an extra look at them.

Liberty-4-All · 06-18-2003, 10:31 AM

There have been more than a few I have heard about...many of the L.O.S.T. Members have been checking thiers and finding that they are all worn out...upper, lower, tie rod ends and even a-arm bushings...seems to happen after 24,000 miles or so that you start to notice. We have also had a couple people that have had the Rack&Pinion steering rack get very sloppy. Just be careful...I think the manual calls for inspections every 6,000 miles.

mikeylusa · 07-28-2003, 11:52 AM

I had been loving my Jeep Liberty, until this past Sunday when I was making a left turn at 5-10 MPH and it felt like I had lost the right front wheel. I clanged along to the curb, got out and looked under the vehicle only to see that the ball joint was completely broken away from the lower control arm, and the lower control arm had snapped. Granted I have 58,000 miles on the Liberty, but it is all highway and some in-town driving. I was shocked to have this happen. The service manager said he had never heard of this happening before, but I have seen several postings online about this same event.

05-01-2003, 09:05 AM	#1
Liberty-4-All Registered User Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: San Antonio, Tx Posts: 20	Have you had to replace your Lower Ball Joints Prematurely??? Ball Joint Poll for those that have had problems...you should be checking yours. __________________ Sahara Edition KJ Limited ( StoneWhite/Camel ) 2.4" lift ( Rustys OTT spacer-front and pucs rear ) 265/75/16 Maxxis Buckshot Mudders Flowmaster 50 Series SUV muffler PowerTrax No Slip Locker

06-07-2003, 09:18 PM	#2
cagemaker Registered User Join Date: Oct 2001 Posts: 1	Catastrophic ball joint failure The lower ball joint on our 2002 Liberty Limited with a little over 30,000 miles catastrophically failed this past week as my wife backed into our driveway. I was away on business so I haven't seen the parts up close yet but she did take some video under the vehicle to show what happened. As far as I could see on the video the ball portion of the ball joint broke completely off. This allowed the lower control arm to drop and the vehicle also dropped and sat on the wheel damaging the fender. Our driveway is dirt and has a very minor "lip" on the end. I'm talking 2" tops in height and spans about 2 feet. So basically a very short wide bump NOT an off road obstacle. Also this Liberty hasn't seen much more than a rutty dirt road so it was by no means beaten off-road. This would have been VERY BAD if my wife and son were going off a highway ramp and it let go. I've had ball joint s go before in my 87 full size blazer before but never reached a complete failure as this did. The ones in the Blazer had many more miles and gave me plenty of notice so I was able to change them before it ever reached a dangerous condition. Has anyone else had their lower ball joint(s) catastrophically fail as this did without banging it on a rock?

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06-10-2003, 09:24 AM	#3
Chris S Moderator Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Vernon, BC, Canada Posts: 1,709	No problems here, but I'll take an extra look at them.

06-18-2003, 10:31 AM	#4
Liberty-4-All Registered User Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: San Antonio, Tx Posts: 20	There have been more than a few I have heard about...many of the L.O.S.T. Members have been checking thiers and finding that they are all worn out...upper, lower, tie rod ends and even a-arm bushings...seems to happen after 24,000 miles or so that you start to notice. We have also had a couple people that have had the Rack&Pinion steering rack get very sloppy. Just be careful...I think the manual calls for inspections every 6,000 miles.

07-28-2003, 11:52 AM	#5
mikeylusa Registered User Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Portsmouth, NH Posts: 1	I had been loving my Jeep Liberty, until this past Sunday when I was making a left turn at 5-10 MPH and it felt like I had lost the right front wheel. I clanged along to the curb, got out and looked under the vehicle only to see that the ball joint was completely broken away from the lower control arm, and the lower control arm had snapped. Granted I have 58,000 miles on the Liberty, but it is all highway and some in-town driving. I was shocked to have this happen. The service manager said he had never heard of this happening before, but I have seen several postings online about this same event.