One problem related to ball joint has been reported for the 1997 Chrysler Cirrus. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
At first I heard a squeaking noise that gradually turned into a grinding noise. After having my brake pads replaced and front driver side caliper replaced, the grinding noise turned into a metal on metal grind with a peculiar metal smell which resulted in something ceasing up (only way to describe how tight the tires were rolling and how tight the steering was). It was the lower arm and ball joint separating from each other, all of this was discovered while driving down a city street at a speed of 20 mph, we were able to access the problem better when we jacked up the front end and removed the tire and brakes on the driver front side.