# Broken Ball Joint Spotted **URL:** \ **Category:** General Discussion\ **Created:** [October 16, 2014, 5:47pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/broken-ball-joint-spotted/87689 "2014-10-16T17:47:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![PvtPublic](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/pvtpublic/32/13089_2.png) [@PvtPublic](https://community.cartalk.com/u/PvtPublic)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2014, 5:47pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/broken-ball-joint-spotted/87689/1 "2014-10-16T17:47:34Z")
Saw this on the road this morning. The car was only going about 20-25mph. Just imagine the possibilities at 65-70mph. ---
**Author:** ![Cavell](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/cavell/32/43396_2.png) [@Cavell](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Cavell)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2014, 6:24pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/broken-ball-joint-spotted/87689/2 "2014-10-16T18:24:59Z")
Spotted a Audi A8 on roadside yesterday. Swear it was laying frame. Had 3 guys walking around it. Thought it was @ssmonkey garage for a minute but am not in Texas. ---
**Author:** ![insightful](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/insightful/32/2732_2.png) [@insightful](https://community.cartalk.com/u/insightful)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2014, 9:51pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/broken-ball-joint-spotted/87689/3 "2014-10-16T21:51:27Z")
Hmmm…older Avalon? ---
**Author:** ![Mustangman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mustangman/32/44130_2.png) [@Mustangman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Mustangman)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2014, 10:15pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/broken-ball-joint-spotted/87689/4 "2014-10-16T22:15:30Z")
That is a “never-lube” ball joint for you! ---
**Author:** ![PvtPublic](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/pvtpublic/32/13089_2.png) [@PvtPublic](https://community.cartalk.com/u/PvtPublic)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2014, 1:56am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/broken-ball-joint-spotted/87689/5 "2014-10-17T01:56:22Z")
> Hmmm....older Avalon? It looked like an Acura badge on the trunk, but I didn’t have any time to really look as my light turned green. ---
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/30_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2014, 3:13am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/broken-ball-joint-spotted/87689/6 "2014-10-17T03:13:58Z")
**^** I agree that it looks like an Acura. ---
**Author:** ![Rod-Knox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a183cd/32.png) [@Rod-Knox](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Rod-Knox)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2014, 4:13am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/broken-ball-joint-spotted/87689/7 "2014-10-17T04:13:57Z")
There must have been some indication of failure prior to totally dropping out. And there is no stress from the weight of the car on the lower ball joint, only the lateral stress from acceleration and braking. But was there a recent thread on a ball joint failing by breaking the threaded stud? That’s a troubling picture. ---
**Author:** ![insightful](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/insightful/32/2732_2.png) [@insightful](https://community.cartalk.com/u/insightful)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2014, 6:45am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/broken-ball-joint-spotted/87689/8 "2014-10-17T06:45:10Z")
Yep, 2002 (or thereabouts) Acura RL: [![](https://d59g647ccmdae.cloudfront.net/media/vehicle/images/Gfj5uK1uSLS4jYSf7rd1ZQ.620x372.jpg) ](https://d59g647ccmdae.cloudfront.net/media/vehicle/images/Gfj5uK1uSLS4jYSf7rd1ZQ.620x372.jpg) _“And there is no stress from the weight of the car on the lower ball joint…”_ The front has a double-wishbone with the coil-over acting on the lower, so that ball joint does take the weight of the car. ---
**Author:** ![ok4450](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ok4450](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ok4450)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2014, 7:37am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/broken-ball-joint-spotted/87689/9 "2014-10-17T07:37:23Z")
That pretty much illustrates why a regular inspection of suspension components should be done. Hopefully the person who owns that car will consider replacing the other side at the same time as the repair is on the failed joint side. A ball joint snapped on a Dodge pickup in front of me a few years back. He was running about 65 MPH when it let go and luckily all that happened was that he gouged up a 100 feet or so of asphalt before sailing into the ditch in a cloud of dust and weeds. The entire right front suspension and wheel bounced into the barbed wire fence which then catapulted it into the ditch on the opposite side of the highway. ---
**Author:** ![Rod-Knox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a183cd/32.png) [@Rod-Knox](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Rod-Knox)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2014, 4:03pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/broken-ball-joint-spotted/87689/10 "2014-10-17T16:03:48Z")
With a McPherson strut and a minimal lower control arm I can’t picture how the lower control arm carries the cars weight. ---
**Author:** ![Mustangman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mustangman/32/44130_2.png) [@Mustangman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Mustangman)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2014, 4:35pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/broken-ball-joint-spotted/87689/11 "2014-10-17T16:35:29Z")
@Rod Knox, The Acura doesn’t have McPherson struts. I has a double A-arm suspension (or double wishbone - same thing) as @insightful posted. The coil-over damper applies support force on the lower arm transferred to the knuckle through the ball joint. The ball joint is a tension joint, not just a guiding joint. Basically, like most American car built from about 1960 through 1979 with the same type suspension. There were some that had the spring on the upper A-arm (early Mustangs).