5 SYMPTOMS OF A BAD BALL JOINT YOU'LL EASILY NOTICE -

As a driver, you should know some of the common symptoms of a bad ball joint.

The ball joint is a crucial part of your car’s suspension and when it’s worn out or damaged it endangers the car’s stability and handling.

Noticing these symptoms is therefore a matter of safety and means avoiding bigger problems.

This article should hopefully help with that.

Besides this website visit us on our YouTube channel where you can see various videos about car maintenance, car repairs, driving, and else.

SYMPTOMS OF A BAD BALL JOINT

1. THE CAR PULLS TO ONE SIDE

The first symptom you’ll probably notice is that the car pulls to one side.

When everything is OK, the car should drive in a straight line without any problems.

With a bad ball joint, the car will be going slightly left and right all the time and you’ll constantly have to adjust with the steering wheel.

At first, it will be barely noticeable, later the car will be all over the place.

2. CLICKING AND CLUNKING SOUND FROM THE SUSPENSION

As you drive with a bad ball joint, you’ll hear a distinct clicking sound from the suspension especially when going over speed bumps or potholes for instance.

It is often mistaken for other problems in this phase.

Nevertheless, the moment you notice this sound, whatever the cause may be you should make an inspection.

3. THE STEERING IS NOT PRECISE

The steering will also feel very imprecise and wobbly. It will have a reaction delay when you, for instance, change lanes.

You’ll easily notice this symptom because the normal sharp and instant reaction of the steering wheel will be missing.

Instead, it will be like steering in jelly, so to speak.

4. UNEVEN TIRE WEAR

An early sign of trouble with a bad ball joint is uneven tire wear.

A damaged ball joint causes an uneven tire angle and because of this, the tread does not evenly touch the ground.

If you see that one side of the tire tread is worn out much more than the other, it’s best to inspect the whole suspension system. It may be something else besides the ball joint.

5. A SHAKING STEERING WHEEL

The final symptom of a bad ball joint on this list that will certainly signal trouble is a shakey steering wheel.

At first, the shaking will be barely noticeable but can later become heavy shaking or even, when the ball joint is on its last legs, into strong jolts.

Again, it is best to inspect the car as soon as you notice mild shaking.

CONCLUSION

The moment you notice any of these symptoms of a bad ball joint, make an inspection of the front suspension or drive your car to the mechanics.

If you neglect these problems and the ball joint completely fails, the wheel may partially disconnect from the rest of the suspension and you’ll lose control of the car.

In most cases, it takes a lot of time to get to this dangerous phase so you should have more than enough time to react and fix the problem.

Once more, remember that noticing these symptoms is a major matter of safety. Also, making regular inspections of the suspension may well prevent this problem altogether.