I was driving, and all of a sudden my steering wheel starting wobbling like crazy could not control car. pulled over and saw tire was falt, and then noticed this part became seperated. what is this part? and how much would this cost to repair
Upper ball joint.
make/model/year?
It is your upper ball joint but the cost cannot be determined from here. If one ball joint is bad then the possibility that the others are bad is very high. All (1 more upper and 2 lowers) will have to be inspected and replaced if they are worn out. I always replace ball joints in pairs because it just makes sense to me.
2003 Trailblazer
That’s your upper ball joint. The car needs to get towed to a competent shop familiar with suspension and alignment work and get a complete inspection. If that ball joint failed other components are not far behind.
This was a long time coming. That ball joint should have been noted as ready to fail at the last (or the last 2 or 3) oil change services or scheduled maintenances. Who takes care of your car?
I have been taking to a local shop. the owner was great explained every think walk me thru all repairs that were need. but company was sold year and a half ago. have not been pleased with new owner. I just had sway bars replaced, he should have notice this then.
Ball joints should be inspected regularly as that is the one suspension item that can leave the vehicle occupants dead in a heartbeat. You were lucky.
With tongue in cheek, I might ask if the drag slick in the picture is street legal…
“With tongue in cheek, I might ask if the drag slick in the picture is street legal.”
+1
I don’t want to defend a mechanic who failed to inspect the ball joints and see that they were very badly worn, but I will play Devil’s Advocate for a moment:
Perhaps the mechanic’s reasoning was that somebody who is driving around on bald tires doesn’t want to hear anything regarding potentially costly repairs.
Hopefully you mean sway bar links, replacing a sway bar would a rare necessity. After shopping for a new car the salesman was talking obout my 03 trailblazer. was surprised at 167k never needed ball joints or fuel pump, though doing filter every 20 to 30 k might make a difference for the fuel pump. So anyone know what the signs of a failing ball joint the mechanic missed? Olden days it was any side to side play pushing and pulling on a wheel.
Generally speaking, push/pulling or prying to check for movement will work for a ball joint inspection but that’s not applicable all the time. Some joints may feel tight but will make noise under a load, cause the car to wander, or develop a catch in the steering due to flat spots on the ball stud.
Based on the pics that ball joint has been bad for a long time. Dry rotted dust boot, bone dry ball stud, and severely pitted metal means this did not occur over the past few weeks.
My assumption, right or wrong, is that the failed ball joint is only the tip of the iceberg on this vehicle. How much to fix it all? A bunch no doubt but still far cheaper than funeral services.