!990’s Pathfinder has ball joint play and we haev been told these shoud be replaced along with the inner tie rods ends. This is an expensive repair on an old vehicle, how dangerous is this situation?
The ball joints are major suspension links, and tie rod ends are an important part of the steering system. Both of these are safety concerns, not monetary concerns. Fix the truck. If the ball joints fail the suspension will collapse, and if the tie rod ends fail you will lose the ability to steer.
Fix or trade, but don’t ignore this.
Thanks…I thought this was probably one of those instances but wanted some more opinions on the matter. Much appreciate your input
Tie rod ends and ball joints are also fuel economy issues. You will get better mileage if the front wheels don’t try to point away from each other when you accelerate in rear wheel drive. Tire wear is worse also. On front wheel drive cars, the tires would point toward each other when you step on the gas. It’s dangerous if a tie rod end pulls out of the socket and the car goes into a guardrail or ditch.