Front Suspension Upper Ball Joint problems of the 1997 Chevrolet S10

The contact owns a 1997 Chevrolet S10. While driving 20 mph, the vehicle became difficult to steer. The dealer has not inspected the vehicle. The contact stated that the upper ball joint separated. The current and failure mileages were 150,000.

: the contact stated the passenger side front upper ball joint is loose and needs to be replaced. This was determined while replacing the driver side upper ball joint. There is a NHTSA recall, # 01v200000, regarding the upper ball joint. The VIN was not included in the recall.

1997 Chevrolet S10. The consumer stated the upper ball joint separated on the front of the vehicle. This happened while driving at 30 mph. The vehicle was taken to a service station, and they stated it was a common thing. They had a lot of vehicles with this problem. The consumer has not contacted Chevrolet. This happened on September 18, 2005. This happened late at night and no one was around, therefore, there was no accident.

Consumer states that while driving at any speed and no warning the front ball joint are worn and the consumer can hear a loud popping noise, the consumer is experiencing the symptoms of recalls 01i-018 and 01v-200 but was told by the manufacturer that the vehicle does not qualify due to VIN. The dealer has been notified.