Front Suspension Lower Ball Joint problems of the 2001 Lincoln LS - part 1

Front lower ball joints after inspetion are cracked and lose.

I was told today while I was getting the oil changed on my vehicle that the front lower ball joints were very loose, and that I was lucky that my front tired hadn't fallen off yet. After speaking with the manager he referred me to Ford because of the recall on the suspension that he knew about. He though that my car should qualify considering the severity of the condition that they were in. After speaking with several people at Ford I was informed that even though I was having the same problem as described in the recall that my car 's VIN number did not qualify. I don't understand that at all. Imy car is the same year, make , and model, with the same dangerous situation.

I was driving my car, after driving home from work (approx. 70 miles round-trip). While turning I heard a loud crunch and then felt a hard thud, my vehicle was difficult to steer, felt another crunch. I pulled into a parking stall, after parking my vehicle, another loud crunch, the driver's side wheel had fallen off and was wedged into the wheel well. On March 12th, 2012 my repair facility informed me about the items that need replaced: upper and lower left front ball joints, front outer tier rod ends, new fuel filter- damaged in the incident, two new tires & an alignment. I realized how lucky I was that this did not occur while driving down the road. I conducted google search on 2001 Lincoln Ls suspension problems, I was stunned on the amount of safety related hits out there (suspension related), I realized that this was not isolated to just my vehicle, there were pages-of-pages of people that experienced similar suspension problems with their 2001 Lincolns. There was a suspension related recall: Lincoln / Ls 2000-2001, Ford motor company, date: Nov 01, 2000 NHTSA campaign id number: 00v359001 n/a NHTSA action number: n/a component: suspension: front: control arm: lower ball joint, number of affected: 82,300 summary: vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The front suspension lower ball joints were not tightened to specifications when they were attached to the lower control arms. Consequence: if the ball joint attaching nuts are not adequately tightened, they can loosen and, ultimately, result in fracture of the ball joint stud. If the ball joint fractures, control of the vehicle could be affected, increasing the risk of a crash. Remedy: dealers will inspect the torque on the two ball joint attaching nuts. Vehicles with loose ball joint attaching nuts will either have the fasteners tightened to specification, or if necessary, the ball joints will be replaced.

The contact owns a 2001 Lincoln Ls. The contact stated that he took his vehicle into the dealer who diagnosed that the lower ball joints were loose and needed to be tightened. The contact referenced nhsta campaign id number 00v359001 (suspension:front:control arm:lower ball joint), but the VIN was not a part of the recall. The failure mileage was 103,244 and the current mileage was 103,376.

Tl-the contact owns a 2001 Lincoln Ls. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45 mph over a manhole cover, he heard a loud screeching noise coming from the outside of the vehicle. There was a slight loss of steering control and the vehicle was cautiously maneuvered to the side of the road. The contact noticed that the front drivers side lower control arm completely fractured, which caused the tire to turn in on a 90 degree angle. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic and repaired. Most recently, the identical failure occurred with the front passenger side lower control arm. There was a recall associated with the failure under NHTSA campaign id number 00v359001 (suspension: front: control arm: lower ball joint). The VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 99,000. The VIN was unavailable. Sm.

The contact owns a 2001 Lincoln Ls. While traveling 45 mph the contact noticed a clunking noise coming from the front end driver side of the vehicle and that when traveling over a bump the vehicle will begin to sway left and right. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic where the contact was informed that the lower ball joints needed to be replaced. There were no prior warnings and the vehicle had not been repaired. The current and failure mileages were 104000.

The contact owns a 2001 Lincoln Ls. While driving in reverse 1 mph, the front control arm and lower ball joint suddenly fell off the vehicle. The failure caused the rim to crack. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The contact called the dealer and was told that the vehicle was not included in recall 00v359001 (suspension: front: control arm: lower ball joint). The vehicle had not been repaired. The current and failure mileages were approximately 130,000.

2001 Lincoln Ls, lower ball joint failure while driving!!!, there is a recall related to this issue 00s39, but my vehicle according to Ford, by VIN did not fall under the current recall? my real question is why? some back ground on my incident I was driving on the freeway at 65 mph, heard and felt a change in the steering, pulled over and as I was coming to a stop the right lower ball joint stud broke in half, if this would have happened 30 seconds sooner (going 65 mph) I could have easily lost control of the vehicle at freeway speeds, I had the vehicle towed to my shop, I am a owner of a repair facility for the last 10 years, and am a ase certified master technician, with over 23yrs of experience working on vehicles. I inspected the vehicle and found the holes (both right and left sides) in the aluminum lower control arms over sized from the ball joint stud being loose and moving inside the lower control arm. This is an obviously dangerous engineering/manufacturing error, steel ball joint studs passing through a aluminum control arm without a steel reinforced sleeve in the control arm? with the constant movement and dissimilar metals, keeping a proper torque on the ball joint stud is almost impossible. They have a nylock/self locking nut on the ball joint stud so it won't back off all the way, but coming loose/losing torque and moving inside the lower control arm until it snaps off is inevitable. My professional opinion from my years of experience is the current recall needs to be expanded before someone gets killed or seriously injured. To repeat after performing my own inspection and as a professional in the automotive industry, this is a serious safety defect that needs to be recalled and repaired by Ford. Please take this report seriously as I feel my life was in real danger and I know others are in danger as well. . . Jim oldham, owner automotive solutions, ase master technician.

The contact owns a 2001 Lincoln Ls. While driving 45 mph, there was a loud, abnormal noise coming from the front end. Within seconds, the entire front end dropped to the ground and the contact was unable to maintain control of the vehicle. The contact crashed into a row of bushes. He was not injured. The contact discovered that the front ball lower joints were fractured. The vehicle was towed to a local repair facility. The mechanic confirmed that the ball lower joints were fractured and had also damaged the radiator. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and the current mileage was 112,000.

The contact owns a 2001 Lincoln Ls. The contact stated that the vehicle began to squeak at any speed. The contact looked under the vehicle and noticed that the lower ball joints in the front were defective. The contact referenced recall NHTSA campaign id number: 00v359001, component: suspension:front:control arm:lower ball joint. He checked with the dealer and they stated that his VIN was not included in the recall. The failure and current mileage is approximately 90,000. The VIN was unavailable at the time of the complaint.

The contact owns a 2001 Lincoln Ls. The contact stated when attempting a turn in either direction, there was an unusual squeaking coming from under the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a local repair facility where the mechanic advised that the drivers side ball joints would need to be replaced. The manufacturer informed the contact that the vehicle was not included in recall: 00v359001 (suspension: front: control arm: lower ball joint) and would not provide any assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 99,000 and the current mileage was 101,000.

The contact owns a 2001 Lincoln Ls. The contact stated while driving at approximately 3 mph and approaching a driveway, the lower ball joints fractured from the vehicle causing the front passengers side tire to collapse outward. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where repairs were made accordingly. The manufacturer advised there were no recalls or complaints pertaining to this issue. The failure mileage was 89,300 and the current mileage was 89,400.

The contact owns a 2001 Lincoln Ls. While driving approximately 35 mph making a turn, she heard a loud noise coming from the front end of the vehicle which made the steering wheel non responsive. She had to turn the steering wheel continuously in order to keep the vehicle centered. She has had to make adjustments in order to steer the vehicle because of the failure. The vehicle was taken to dealer. The dealer repaired the vehicle but the contact was not sure what was done. Whatever the dealer repaired caused the vehicle to function normally for a limited time. She stated that the failure with the steering had recurred. She referenced recall 00v359001, suspension:front:control arm:lower ball joint and was advised by the manufacturer that her vehicle was not a part of the recall. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000 and the current mileage was 102,000.

The contact owns a 2001 Lincoln Ls. While driving 35 mph, the drivers side lower ball joint broke while making a turn and the vehicle began making a squeaking noise. The contact spoke with Ford and was advised that his vehicle was not a part any related recalls. The contact stated that his vehicle demonstrated the same traits listed in another recall. The VIN was not available. The failure and current mileages were not available.

Lincoln Ls 2001 lower ball joint were not tightened to specifications.

Ford issued a recall on the front suspension (recall id # 00v359001 - suspension:front:control arm:lower ball joint) on the 2001 Lincoln Ls. However, Ford recall web site and dealers do not acknowledge the recall. Ford is not honoring recalls for all vins even though its the identical vehicle--2001 Lincoln Ls. Our Lincoln Ls has the same problem described.

The contact owns a 2001 Lincoln Ls. While driving approximately 5 mph on normal road conditions proceeding to make a left turn. There was a loud sound outside of the vehicle. Suddenly the front end of the vehicle collapse and fell to the ground. The front driver side tire turned in at a 78 degree angle. Roadside assistance was called to the scene. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic for inspection. The technician stated the failure was contributed to a fracture in the ball joint stud. There was a recall under NHTSA campaign id number 00v359001 (suspension;front,control arm; lower ball joint). The contact experienced the identical failure as mentioned in the recall. However, the VIN number was excluded from the recall defect. The vehicle was repaired for the failure. The failure and current mileages were 130686 bl updated 09/23/09 upated 09/30/09.

The contact owns a 2001 Lincoln Ls. After making a left turn from a stop sign. The vehicle started to shake and wobble. He pulled the vehicle over and he noticed that the front passenger side wheel was turned in the opposite direction that it should have been. He also noticed that the bolt joints have completely sheered off. He left the vehicle on the side of the road. He found a recall for the same defect ( manufacturer: Ford motor company mfr's report date: Nov 01, 2000 NHTSA campaign id number: 00v359001 n/a NHTSA action number: n/a component: suspension:front:control arm:lower ball joint ) he contacted the manufacture and they stated that the failure on his vehicle had been repaired bythe previous owner. He states that the failure was not repaired correctly and should be repaired under the recall again. The vehicle is still in the location in which it failed. The current and failure mileage was 140,000. Bl.

The contact owns a 2001 Lincoln Ls. While driving 45 mph, the vehicle began to smoke, a loud noise was heard, and the front passenger side of the vehicle fell to the ground. The vehicle was towed to a repair shop and the mechanic stated that the front lower control arm bolt failed. The manufacturer stated that the VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign id number 00v359001 (suspension:front:control arm:lower ball joint); therefore, they would not assist. The contact will have the vehicle repaired. The current and failure mileages were 66,700. Updated 08/28/09 updated 08/31/09.

The contact owns a 2001 Lincoln Ls. While making a turn at approximately 5 mph, there was an unexpected loss of power steering ability. The driver experienced extreme difficulty maneuvering the vehicle. The vehicle was pulled over to the side of the road with caution. Roadside assistance was called to the scene and the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic for inspection. The technician stated that the failure was contributed to the lower ball joint. The VIN was excluded from NHTSA campaign id number 00v359001 (suspension: front:control arm:lower ball joint), although the failures were identical. The vehicle has not been repaired. The failure and current mileages were 100,000.

1. Driving down the highway. 2. Nut attached to lower front left ball joint became loose causing a fracture in ball joint stud. Left front tire came completely detached from vehicle causing extreme high danger while trying to maneuver the vehicle off the highway and avoiding other vehicles. 3. This happened once on left front side, was repaired and now joint on right front is coming loose. Recall 00v359001: ball joint stud fractures was put in effect to rectify this issue and was referencing specific vehicles based on VIN numbers. Our VIN number is not included in this recall and should be. This is exactly the issue that we are having.

The contact owns a 2001 Lincoln Ls. The vehicle was taken in for a wheel alignment and the mechanic stated that the lower ball joints were faulty. The contact discovered a recall online and took the vehicle to the dealer. He was informed that the VIN was not included in the recall. The contact feels that the vehicle is not safe to drive because the wheels are not balanced. The vehicle has not been repaired. The current mileage was 64,000 and failure mileage was 63,860.

The contact owns a 2001 Lincoln Ls. While the vehicle was at the dealer for regular maintenance, it was discovered that the ball joints needed to be replaced. The VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign id number 00v359001 (suspension:front:control arm:lower ball joint), although the failures were identical. The failure and current mileages were less than 120,000.

The contact owns a 2001 Lincoln Ls. The contact took the vehicle to the repair shop to have the front passenger side lower ball joint replaced. The mechanic informed him of NHTSA campaign id number 00v359001 (suspension:front:control arm:lower ball joint); however, the manufacturer stated that the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was 73,400. Updated 12/15/08. Updated 12/15/08.

The contact owns a 2001 Lincoln Ls. While the vehicle was undergoing an oil change, the mechanic stated that the front passenger side ball joints needed to be replaced. The contact discovered NHTSA campaign id number 00v359001 (suspension:front:control arm:lower ball joint) online, but was informed by the manufacturer that his VIN was excluded from the recall. The contact would be responsible for the repairs. He believes that the vehicle should be included in the recall. There had been no failure to date. The current mileage was 69,000. Updated 03/18/09. Updated 03/19/09.

The contact owns a 2001 Lincoln Ls. While driving approximately 40 mph on normal road conditions, the contact experienced difficulty steering and used great effort to turn the steering wheel. Unexpectedly, the vehicle pulled to the left without assistance. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing and the technician stated that the failure was related to the lower ball joint. The vehicle was repaired. The VIN was excluded from NHTSA campaign id number 00v359001 (suspension,front,control arm,lower ball joint), although the failures were identical. The failure mileage was 65,000 and current mileage was 78,000. Updated 3/19/09 updated 03/25/09.

The contact owns a 2001 Lincoln Ls. While driving 25 mph, the driver side wheel disengaged. The contact had the vehicle towed to the dealer and there were unable to determine the cause of the failure. They recommended that driver and passenger side lower ball joints be replaced. As of April 29, 2008, the dealer had not repaired the vehicle. There is a recall for the suspension: front: control arm: lower ball joint (NHTSA campaign id 00v359001) however, the dealer and the manufacturer stated that his VIN was not included. The failure and current mileages were 146,000.

Ball joints on both sides are defective and need to be replaced. Car vibrates at speeds over 50mph, and clunks at lower speeds. Entire spindles need to be replaced as ball joint is part of integrated unit. Recall 00s39 , 00v359 was issued for this model manufactured in wixom plant from 8/18/1998 through 9/29/2000. This car was manufactured on 11/21/2000 prior to the recall report date of 11/1/2000. The recall should be extended to cover units manufactured after 11/1/2000.

2001 Lincoln Ls has a recall notice #00v359001 for front ball joints not being tightened to spec causing failure. My vehicle VIN number does not appear to be listed, however the ball joints failed causing $1800 worth of damage. I know that manufacturers can not determine exactly what cars were effected and what cars were not, so to exclude my vehicle from the repair does not make sense. With just 100,000 miles on a car that has been driven by a couple in the mid 50's the ball joints should not have failed to the point where the sway bar was also damaged. My wife and I could have been seriously injured if I did not fix the rattling noise coming from the front end of the vehicle.

The contact owns a 2001 Lincoln Ls. While parking, the vehicle stopped moving completely without warning. Upon further inspection, the contact noticed that the control arm fractured. The manufacturer stated that the VIN was excluded from NHTSA campaign id number 00v359001 (suspension:front:control arm:lower ball joint); therefore, they would not assume responsibility for any repairs. The vehicle has not been repaired. The failure and current mileages were 95,000.

The lower ball joints separated from the controller on the left side of the vehicle. Please note the recall was submitted in 2000; during the time frame of when I purchased the vehicle the recall had expired. I have been informed by aaa that, there has been 3 vehicles with the same type of problem. I was fortunate that I was alone and not with my three sons and my new born child, and I was not on the freeway when this accident/incident occur.

The contact owns a 2001 Lincoln Ls. While driving 45 mph, the bolt that holds the tire in place detached. The contact heard a loud screeching noise that alerted her to stop the vehicle. When she inspected the vehicle, she noticed that the tire appeared to be improperly attached. The vehicle was towed to a mechanic and he advised her to contact the manufacturer to check for any recalls. The manufacturer stated that her VIN was not included. The current mileage was 130,000 and failure mileage was 129,899. Updated 04/25/08. Recall# 00v359001 the consumer stated the lower ball joint separated from the vehicle. Updated.

Was driving down the highway, thought I had a blowout on a tire, slowed down and then the lower ball joint separated from the suspension. The car was not able to be driven. And stuck on the highway. A city crew was able to jack up the car, they found that the nut on the ball joint was still on the suspension. They reconnected the ball joint and I was able to drive away. Have since replaced the ball joint. It was now bad . You can pull up and down on it. The ball joint separated because the nut back off, there was no damage to any threads and the crew was able to reuse the same nut.

The contact owns a 2001 Lincoln Ls. While driving at any speed over uneven pavement, the steering would jerk, vibrate, and become difficult to control. The vehicle made a popping sound when turning in either direction. When backing up, the vehicle made sounds as if something was rotating. The noises increased during acceleration. When the contact would drive over a bump or on rough terrain, the vibrating, rattling, shaking, and noises would intensify. The vehicle has not been inspected by the dealer, but it has been inspected by a mechanic. The mechanic stated that the lower ball joint failed. Nhtsa recall number 00v359001 (suspension:front:control arm:lower ball joint) was referenced. The purchase date was unknown. The current mileage was 112,000 and failure mileage was 111,000.

The contact owns a 2001 Lincoln Ls. The contact stated that the lower ball joints on the vehicle were faulty. The vehicle was driven to a tire store and the mechanic looked up a recall for the vehicle. The contact then called Ford motor company to see if the VIN was included in the recall, but it was not. The recall stated that the dealer would inspect the vehicle, but that has yet to happen. An employee at Ford motor company stated that the reason the contact has not received a recall notice could possibly be because the recall repair was previously performed on the vehicle. Ford motor company was unable to check if the repair had already been performed. The NHTSA campaign id number was unknown. The failure mileage was 65,000.