i've noticed some clunkin going on under my frontend, at low speed, and going over bumps. think it has anything to do with the ford recall for the ball joints? i learned about the recall here. www.internetautoguide.com thanks...PB

haha the stick huh... funny. It is possible that it is related but in order to have ford handle is to take it in. Other components could have failed. I think the worst think to come of taking it in is that you might have to pay a diag fee which would identify the problem. If it isnt the recall then you can decide to fix or let them fix.

there are some recent posts on front end problems which discuss how they identified the problem so you might be able to figure it out yourself.

welcom to LvC.

I tried this with mine... they claim on the Oasis lookup, that my car is exempt from the recall. There were apparently two stlyes in the early models... a 14 mm and 16 mm stud, I have the 16, which I guess doesn't break off, it just craps out at 50k miles... I still think that's pretty s h i t t y for a $40K car.

yep. with my luck, no dout mine doesn't qualify either. i guess i'll call the dealership to find out though. thanks for the input guys...pb

I tried this with mine... they claim on the Oasis lookup, that my car is exempt from the recall. There were apparently two stlyes in the early models... a 14 mm and 16 mm stud, I have the 16, which I guess doesn't break off, it just craps out at 50k miles... I still think that's pretty s h i t t y for a $40K car.

Mine were 14mm and cost $80 more than the 16mm. I figured to upgrade, I would have to replace the lower control arm too. Mine was a late build '00 too. The parts guy at the dealer said they have no dates assigned to either style. Not sure what this has to do with the recall...:) I just think the whole thing is kinda strange.

the ball joint is pressed in to the steering knuckle,nobody offers just the ball joint that i am aware of .if you jack the front of the vehicle grab the tire and lift it up and down.you should feal the movement if the joint is bad.also pay close attention to the swaybar links and bushings. thay seem to go hand and hand with the worn lower ball joints, harsh roads and pot holes really beat on them. all of these parts can be replaced with simple hand tools a jack and some stands.

I had the same problem. The Sway bar bushings were culprit and under my extended warranty they replaced the whole bar w/ bushings. I just had gotten it back on Monday and it feels like a new car. :steering

I had the same problem. The Sway bar bushings were culprit and under my extended warranty they replaced the whole bar w/ bushings. I just had gotten it back on Monday and it feels like a new car. :steering

That's strange too as those sway bar bushings are big and look like they would last forever. I am not talking about the end links.