Three problems related to front suspension lower ball joint have been reported for the 1999 Ford Explorer. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
The contact owns a 1999 Ford Explorer. While driving 20 mph or greater, the contact heard a rattling noise when driving over bumps in the road. He took the vehicle to the Ford dealer and was informed that his ball joints needed to be replaced. The failure caused the front tires on the vehicle to begin cupping. The contact was advised by the dealer not to drive the vehicle until the ball joints were replaced. The current and failure mileages were 114,000.
Dealership informed the consumer of the worn out lower front ball joint on the driver/passenger sides. Dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem.
I was told by alderman Ford that the ball joints on my Ford Explorer were in a failure condition at 53000 miles--"unsafe to drive". This car has had normal driving use. I was told that Ford's choice of "sealed ball joints" was the reason for the failure-prone ball joints, and that this is "normal". Are all Explorere users in this endangered position? if so, is a recall necessary? is there a way you can check how many owners have had to replace these bad joints? my 91 Explorer went 135000 miles without ball joint problems. Ball joint failure at speed is dangerous. Thank you for your help.