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Home Blog What Are Ball Joints And Why Are They Important?

What Are Ball Joints And Why Are They Important?

Ball joints are a simple, yet crucial, component of your vehicle's suspension and steering system. Like all moving parts, ball joints will fail. Generally, they can fail between 70,000 and 150,000 miles but they can fail at any time due to damage from rough roads.

What Is A Ball Joint?

Your vehicle's suspension allows the tires to maximize their contact with the road for optimal vehicle control. Ball joints are a critical component of the suspension system. A ball joint is a spherical bearing with a ball and socket design. The ball joint connects your vehicle's control arms to the steering knuckles. Ball joints allow your wheels to turn left and right while the control arms are stationary or moving up and down. Ball joints are typically only found on the front suspension.

What Are The Components Of A Ball Joint?

Ball joints are made up of a metal housing and a ball with a stud attached. The ball and stud can swing freely within the housing. The grease in the socket is the lubricant. It keeps water and debris out of the socket. A rubber boot surrounding keeps the lubricant in. The bearings inside the housing are made of either plastic or metal.

Like many rubber components, the rubber boot will fail over time due to age and wear. If the rubber boot fails, debris will get into the ball joint causing excessive wear to the main components. This will eventually cause ball joint failure.

As mentioned before, the ball joint connects the control arms to the steering knuckles. Some ball joints are integrated into the control arm itself. This means the ball joint can not be individually replaced and the entire arm must be replaced. Other ball joints are an independent component of the control arm, and can be easily replaced.

What Happens When Your Ball Joint Fails?

Failing ball joint

Image Credit: YourMechanic

Ball joints generally last for several years before failing. However, when they are close to failing, there are some signs:

  • Car drifting left or right
  • Unusual Noises from your front suspension(clunking, creaking, squeaking)
  • Not maintaining alignment
  • Uneven tire wear

It is important to stay ahead of a potential ball joint failure. When your ball joints completely fail, the ball and socket become detached. This lets the steering knuckle, hub, brake and wheel detach from your vehicle. This could be especially dangerous if it were to occur on the highway. Once your ball joint fails, your vehicle will not be drivable. To find the right ball joint for your car, use our parts catalog.

GM Parts Center is a US-based company and ships products from the US. We sell genuine GM Accessories and parts for your Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, Cadillac, Pontiac, Saturn, Hummer, or Oldsmobile, and all parts are backed by GM's replacement parts warranty. Contact us with any questions.