How To Tell If Your Vehicle Has Ball Joints That Need Replacement
Your vehicle's ball joints are an important component of its suspension. They are used to help front wheels move back and forth and turn your vehicle, acting as a pivot point for your wheels. This part is affordable to repair and provides you with a safer driving experience, but you need to know the signs of what to look for.
Clunking Sound
Do you hear a weird clunking sound coming from the front of your vehicle? This could be due to the ball joints that have metal rubbing against metal and not pivoting correctly. If you ignore this clunking sound, it will eventually cause additional damage to your vehicle. That's why it is worth looking into this clunking sound as soon as possible to avoid paying more to fix your car.
Excessive Wheel Vibration
Another sign that your ball joints are going bad is when you feel excessive vibrations from the wheels on the front of your car. This often comes through the steering wheel and causes it to vibrate as well. However, if the vibration only happens when braking, it could be due to an unrelated problem with the brakes or rotors. Be concerned if that vibration is happening all the time because it is likely a ball joint issue.
Drifting Steering
Have you noticed that your car is drifting to one side of the road when you take your hands off the wheel? This is an indication that your vehicle may need a wheel alignment, but it also can be a problem related to the ball joints. It's possible that they have already broken or are close to breaking fairly soon. What you want to look out for is if the drifting is not consistent. Some days it may be to the left side of the road, and other days it may be to the right side.
Uneven Tire Wear
While there are a lot of things that can cause uneven tire wear, it's possible that it is related to the ball joints. What you want to pay attention to is if uneven tire wear is one of multiple symptoms that you are experiencing at the same time. That's because uneven tire wear can be caused by simply making too many right turns and is not a reason alone to suspect that your ball joints are failing.
Reach out to an auto repair service if you have questions about the condition of your vehicle's ball joints.