Front Suspension Lower Ball Joint Problems of Lincoln LS - part 1

Both driver and passenger side lower ball joints have fractured, been replaced and have fractured again. The stud post itself continues to fracture above the control arm mounting hole, despite both ball joints being replaced and retorqued to manufacturer recommended tightness.

See all problems of the 2002 Lincoln LS 🔎.

The contact owns a 2000 Lincoln Ls. While driving approximately 5 mph, the contact felt a vibration from the floor of the vehicle and noticed an abnormal noise coming from the front end of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a mechanic who stated that the lower ball joint and lower control arm needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 157,000.

See all problems of the 2000 Lincoln LS 🔎.

Front lower ball joints after inspetion are cracked and lose.

See all problems of the 2001 Lincoln LS 🔎.

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 turning the corner of day avenue and 2nd street sw. As I turned the tire came all the way off. I looked online and researched and seen that this vehicle has been recalled due to the suspension:front:control arm:lower ball joint. I need to know what I need to do? NHTSA campaign #00v359001.

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.

I own a 2000 Lincoln Ls v8. I have noticed that there is popping at the ball joint on the front suspension of the car. . I took it to a mechanic shop and he told me that he didn't want to touch it because he had found out that those particular year model cars had a recall for the suspension ball joints. I went home and did some research and came to a site called NHTSA. I got on the NHTSA database and it clearly shows: NHTSA campaign id number: 00v359001 component: suspension:front:control arm:lower ball joint this is the only vehicle I have and it is now 2012. I have not had any notification that this particular car was being recalled. I don't have any money to fix this issue and wanted to see if the recall is honored currently. I have talked to many of people and they have told me that they can run the VIN number to see if any recall service work has been done to my car. . This car gets me to and from work and makes me a living. I have to drive this car because its my only means of transportation. I have also read on forums that the ball joint supports the entire weight of the car and if it would to snap, it will cause great harm or even death. I would like to know what can be done on this matter please, it scares me.

I have front ball joint and suspension issues. I looked on line and see there were a recall for my car. The NHTSA campaign id number is 00v359001. I spoke with my local Ford motor dealership and they stated there were no recall. I called the NHTSA #800-392-3673 and they could not assist. I have spent over 400. 00 already with more work needed for ball joint etc. Could someone see if the recall were true for this vehicle? if so, why wasn't my particular car was not included. Thanks.

The contact owns a 2000 Lincoln Ls. The contact was driving 5 mph when they heard a noise emitting from the fender. The contact noticed that the ball joint was disconnected. The vehicle was towed to his residence. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer, but the manufacturer was contact and confirmed that the VIN did not qualify for NHTSA campaign id number :00v359001(suspension:front:control arm:lower ball joint). The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 102,000.

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.

The contact owns a 2000 Lincoln Ls. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds he would hear a loud noise in the front of the vehicle. The vehicle was then inspected by an independent mechanic who advised him that the front lower ball joints needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 129,300. The VIN was unavailable.

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 2000 Lincoln Ls. While driving approximately 35 mph the front passenger side wheel came off. The contact stated that there were no warning lights on the dashboard. The vehicle stalled in the middle of an intersection. The bolts that were connected to the passenger side lower ball joint came off and damaged the inner fender wheel well. The vehicle was towed to his residence. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure and current mileages were 200,000.

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 2000 Lincoln Ls. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30mph the vehicle began to "wiggle" around on the highway. The owner stated that there is a bolt on the lower control arm that needs to be repaired. The contact referenced recall campaign 00v359001, suspension:front:control arm:lower ball joint. The owner contacted Ford and they stated that his VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle is currently at the dealer for repairs. The failure mileage was approximately 149,000. The current mileage is the same.

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 2000 Lincoln Ls. The contact stated the vehicle was previously repaired for NHTSA campaign id number 00v359001 (suspension front control arm, lower ball joint). While accelerating from a stop light the contact heard a loud popping noise. The vehicle was driven onto the emergency lane and the contact noticed the front driver's side lower ball joint was fractured. The vehicle was towed to an independent repair shop where it was repaired. Approximately one year later the same failure occurred on the front passenger side lower ball joint. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was not yet repaired. The failure mileage was 178,000 and the current mileage was 188,000.

The contact owns a 2002 Lincoln Ls. While driving at approximately 20 mph, the front driver's side lower ball joint fractured. The vehicle was towed to the contacts residence and was not taken to a dealer for further diagnosis. The failure and current mileages were 110,000.

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 2000 Lincoln Ls. The contact was driving approximately 55 mph. There was rattling noise coming from the front end of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for inspection. The technician recommended that the vehicle not be driven due to a potential safety hazard. There was a recall under NHTSA campaign id number 00v3590010 (suspension: front: control arm: lower ball joint). However, the VIN was excluded from the recall defect. The vehicle has not been repaired at this time. The failure mileage was 82,500.

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.

In February 2010, at speed of 25-35mph loud squeaking occurred. Took it to Ford dealership to be checked and discovered it was the lower ball joints,and control arm, I had read there had been a recall. Ford said my 2000 Lincoln was not part of the recall so I paid the outlandish price for repair. It is now October 2012 and, once again, I have the same problem. I am sure that if I contact Ford, they will say that my car was not part of the recall. It is hard to believe that the same problem could occur with only an additional 32000 miles on the car and in this short amount of time if there was not some underlying problem in the first place. Would you please check into this further for me? thank you.

The contact owns a 2000 Lincoln Ls. While driving at speeds of 50 mph, there was a loud, unusual rattling noise coming from under the vehicle. The dealer advised the steering and ball joints were defective and would need to be replaced. The manufacturer advised there were no recalls for the vehicle and would not provide any assistance. The contact was concerned that if the ball joints were to separate, the wheel would fracture from the vehicle and could potentially cause a crash. The failure and current mileages were 120,000.

The contact owns a 2000 Lincoln Ls. She received a recall letter for the suspension, NHTSA campaign id number: 00v359001; component: suspension front control arm, lower ball joint. The vehicle was taken into the dealer where the necessary recall repairs were performed. On a later date, while driving in very windy weather and at speeds of 55 mph, the vehicle felt as if there were "grooves in the road". The vehicle was taken to the dealer where they found that the front driver's side wheel was falling off of the vehicle and the bolts used to secure the wheel had come loose. The bolts were tightened and he advised installing a cotter pin to ensure the bolt would not come loose again. No further repairs were made to the vehicle. The failure and current mileages were under 71,000. The VIN was not available.

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.

The contact owns a 2000 Lincoln Ls. While driving approximately 40 mph the vehicle began to drift to the right and to the left without intention. She was able to continue operation with caution. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for inspection. The failure was contributed to both front lower ball joints. The parts were ordered for the repair. Since his vehicle identification number was excluded from recall NHTSA campaign id number 00v359001 (suspension:front:control arm:lower ball joint) she would have to pay $1300. 00 for the repair. The failure and current mileages were 117,000.

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 2002 Lincoln Ls. While driving approximately 65 mph on normal road conditions the vehicle accelerated without intention, and then down-shifted. The driver was able to gain control and continue operation with caution. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for inspection. The technician stated the failure was contributed to the lower control arms and ball joints. The vehicle was being repaired for the malfunction. The failure and current mileages were 90,000.

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.