At 37,741 miles, my 2001 Ford vehicle had to have its lower right and left ball joints replaced because they were in dangerous condition according to the Ford repair shop. It seems to me they had to be defective from day one in order to both fail at this low mileage. Jeep Liberty also Dodge durango vehicles had similar failures. Ford told me they are backing up their product as normal failure while the garage foreman has said he has had many similar cases.

- Auburn, NY, USA

: the contact stated since ownership, the lower ball joints have been replaced three times. The vehicle was purchased at 44,159 miles and has been driven 22,530 miles since purchase. The breakdown on the repairs are; on 12/13/03 at 28,676 miles both lower ball joints were replaced, on 08/05/04 at 35,260 miles-the left lower ball joint and spindle arm were replaced, this was only 6,584 miles since the previous ball joint replacement, and on 12/26/05 at 44,159 miles-both lower ball joints and the right upper control arm were replaced at only 9,331 miles from previous replacement. The contact expressed concerns regarding the continuous repairs to the service manager at the dealership who determined the niagara falls area has the highest rate of failure for ball joints in the country. There were no additional explanations for the extreme rate of failure. Most of the miles on the truck are thruway miles. This vehicle has never been in an accident or driven in a manner to cause or aggravate this type of problem.

- Niagara Falls, NY, USA

Vehicle: Ford Explorer XLS, my 2001. Problem: Front suspension lower ball joint failure at low mileage (50000km and 63000 km, or aprox 31000miles and 39000miles). The failure was detected early and didnot have dramatic consequences. One part has been changed. The other will be dealt with soon.

- Burnaby - Bc - Canada, 00, USA

40,500 miles, Ford Explorer V8. Vehicle would sway and pull side to side from front end, mostly unsafe at higher speeds on highway. Dealer (miller Ford, mrt. 38, mount holly, NJ)said it needed both front ball joints replaced. I had them replaced for $700 vehicle has never driven the same and does not "feel" safe on the road at high speeds. Feels like front end driver side has a major problem waiting to happen and dealer says it is fine. Any bumps or potholes make it sound like the front driver wheel from the joint is going to come loose sometime.

- Mount Holly, NJ, USA

While trveling at 20 mph vehicle loss control and struck a phone pole. Vehicle towed to dealer shop. Dealer informed consumer that loss of control was due to failure of the tie rod and lower control arm. Parts are available for inspection if needed. Feel free to provide further details.

- Ware Shoal, SC, USA