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.

- Lakewood, CO, USA

The contact owns a 2001 Lincoln Ls. The contact stated that while driving 20 mph, the front passenger tire suddenly separated from the vehicle. He managed to get the vehicle off the roadway in which the vehicle was then towed to his home. The vehicle has yet to be inspected or diagnosed. The manufacturer was contacted and offered no assistance. The failure and current mileage was approximately 170,000.

- Pamona, CA, USA

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.

- Copperton, UT, USA

2001 Lincoln Ls--front passenger wheel- there was alot of squeaking noises coming from the wheel before incident occurred. Yesterday, going through a drive-thru, I heard a pop. I got out and inspected the vehicle. The fender was resting on the tire. I called a tow truck and as he was trying to put the car on the tow truck, he showed me the damage. The bolt that holds the ball joint and control arm to the wheel came off. Please investigate this for me, and contact me when you find something out! thx

- Canton , GA, USA

1.spouse complained of significant controllability (loss of steering) 2. car examined by frame shop to find lower passenger ball joint loose (securing nut) 3. nut tightened by shop and controllability restored 4. spouse starts on trip and significant loss of steering returns within 30 miles 5. gave VIN to woody anderson Ford approx may/Jul of 2009 and again Mar 2010; no outstanding campaigns noted. 6. research reflects safety campaign for ball joints but my vehicle not included via Ford.

- Huntsville, AL, USA

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

- Columbus, OH, USA

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.

- Evansville, IN, USA

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.

- Iowa City, IA, USA

The contact owns a 2001 Lincoln Ls. While driving 65 mph uphill, the front passenger side tire detached from the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to a repair shop and the lower control arm on the passenger side was repaired. Six months later, while making a left turn, the front end of the vehicle dropped to the ground on the driver's side. The vehicle was towed to a repair shop and the knuckle on the driver side was replaced. The contact was advised to have the bushes on the lower control arm replaced as well. The VIN was not included in any recalls. The current mileage was 141,600 and failure mileage was 141,560.

- Dallas, TX, USA

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.

- Seminole, FL, USA

The contact owns a 2001 Lincoln Ls. On March 31, 2009, while driving approximately 25 mph, the contact noticed that the steering and alignment were faulty. She then heard a noise on the driver's side of the vehicle and it appeared to be fish-tailing while the front end remained steady. When driving over bumps, the vehicle felt as if it were uncontrollable. Goodyear stated that the ball joint was extremely loose and the lower driver's side control arm needed to be replaced. In addition, the sway bars were bent on both sides of the vehicle, which caused the faulty alignment. The tie rod also needed to be replaced. The current and failure mileages were 79,000.

- Philadelphia, PA, USA

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.

- Naneut, NY, USA

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.

- Jackson, SC, USA

The contact owns a 2001 Lincoln Ls. The contact stated that her vehicle was experiencing the same failure as related to NHTSA campaign id number 00V359001 (suspension:front:control arm:lower ball joint). The dealer stated that they would not repair the vehicle since it was not included in the recall. The failure and current mileages were 100,000.

- Clarksville, TN, USA

When I was aware of the recall on my car I took it to the dealer in 2006 for repair I was told that the ball joint was previously inspected and that was all that would be done. Since the inspection both ball joints failed and almost cause a accident. My complaint is that Ford Motor Co. Should be responsible for replacing the ball joints.

- Gardena, CA, USA

Air bag light on won't go off/front suspension making noise (ball joints) horn won't work and window motor broke in 2007 we replaced front driver now we have to replace front passenger.

- Largo, FL, USA

The contact owns a 2001 Lincoln Ls. While driving 30 mph or greater, the vehicle would pull to the right hard when going on a bump. As a result, the failure has caused damage to the tread on the two front tires. The current and failure mileages were 79,200. The purchase date was 05/20/2008.

- Cambridge City, IN, USA

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.

- Plantsville, CT, USA

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.

- Gilroy, CA, USA

While driving at highway speed consumer noticed steering wheel shaking and vibrating. Consumer has contacted dealer.

- Brick, NJ, USA