Lower ball joints

Hi all, took my 2001 Accord four cylinder in to have the transmission oil
changed at 96,000km as per drivers manual, dealer told me that I needed
lower ball joints replaced. I live in Winnipeg, Canada and it gets cold but
most of my driving is on decent roads and I have good tires. Should'nt they
last longer than that and has anyone heard of a recall for faulty ball
joints ?
Thanks for any info.

 

Do you hear an audible "groaning" sound when you go over uneven surfaces,
and especially when you steer? If not, get a second opinion. I think the
dealer is trying to screw you.

My '93 Accord had its front lower joints replaced last year (at about
200,000km). And yes, it was making that groaning sound. My mechanic
showed me that one joint had developed a lot of play in it.

 

It's more than play, they can seize, too. That's really, really bad, by the
way, and totally quiet.

Check out these images:
http://www.tegger.com/hondafaq/misc/balljoint/

That's my car, three years ago. The symptoms were that you'd step on the
brake and the car would veer to one side then straighten out again. I
thought it was the brakes, but had no success in curing it.

What happened was the right lower joint was sticking: As the suspension
compressed and decompressed, the stud was flexing more than the ball was
moving in its socket. Eventually the stud's metal had had enough and broke
off, resulting in the damage you see in the photos.

The failure itself was pretty scary. Big bang, corner dropped, very loud
screeching noise and some smoke. Wrecked the tire. I saved the lower
control arm by deciding to steer onto the gravel shoulder.

If the dealer tells you to change the lower balljoints, do it. It's a small
price to pay, believe me.