Ball Joints And Your Car Safety

Ball joints are integral parts of a car's suspension system that are never really to be toyed with because of their utmost importance and overall usefulness in ensuring that the car remains firm and well-suspended on the road. have you ever been caught up with a ball joint problem on the road or have you been opportune to see a car with ball joint mishap laying helplessly in the middle of nowhere?




Say something Like this


     photo credit: Toyota-4runner.org


                OR THIS



      photo credit: nairaland.com

             OR EVEN THIS


    photo credit:  thechronicleherald.ca


These are what I call the end-stage results of worn out or bad ball joints, but before it gets to this point these ball joints must have certainly shown signs of eventual pullouts for weeks or even months, maybe the car owners did not just take heed of the impending signs and noise indicated by these ball joints before eventually giving in. this articles would explain some of those likely symptoms that would easily tell if your ball joints are actually going bad and possibly avoid the sort of scenarios on the images above.

Ball joints are actually fitted as part of a car's suspension for two reasons
Help maintain Stability and  Enhanced steering Experience. these ball joints are built to last for a good number of times but because of the bizarre state of some of our roads and sometimes our driving pattern ball joints do not last for as long as expected.

Ball joints usually exhibit tale signs of an eventual pullout before they finally give in .are you an everyday driver with little or no practical knowledge as to how your car functions? then these tale signs are clear indications that you need to do a check on your ball joints.


Also Read: Three Signs That tells you Have A Steering Problem

1. I Hear Clunking Noise On Bumpy Roads And When Turning My Steering.

Do you experience Clunking sound when turning your steering or on bumpy and rough roads?  if that is the case it could be a sign that your ball joints need to be replaced as quickly as possible. this sort of sign simply indicates that your car ball joints are wearing out fast and would require an immediate replacement in order to save you from any form of mishap in unexpected places.

2. My Car Vibrates More Than Usual.

Because your car ball joints are an important part of this suspension with specific functions of ensuring stability there is every tendency that when these ball joints go bad they can as well cause your car to vibrate quite excessively especially when riding through bumpy roads.

Simply put that excessive vibration is a clear indication that your car ball joints are worn out and should indeed be replaced as soon as possible.

3.  I Experience Some Level Of Difficulty While Steering.

Experiencing some level of difficulty while steering could also be an indication that your ball joints are going bad. considering the fact that your lower ball joints form part of the steering system through their connection with the tie rod, you could experience some level of difficulty and stiff sensation while steering your car due to the worn-out state of the ball joints.

4. I NOTICE UNUSUAL MOVEMENT FROM MY FRONT WHEEL

One very noticeable symptom of bad or failing ball joints is the unusual or wobbling movement of your front wheels while driving this is more evident in cars with much stronger ball joints that don't exactly pull out easily (some Toyota brands like the Camry, corolla, yaris) this wobbling movement is occasioned with gradual tire wear and difficulty in keeping your car on the road, this is a sign that the ball joints are almost gone, for the aforementioned cars it might not necessarily pull out as immediately but just serves as a precaution for quick replacement.


Whatever the case might be it's always advisable to have a suspension system ( especially your ball joints) inspected regularly even if you do not get any of the above symptoms they will keep your car on the road much longer and save you a few hundred bucks.