Why are control arms, bushings, and ball joints important?
Control arms, bushings, and ball joints may not be common household terms for many vehicle owners. You may have never even heard of them, but they are critical components of your vehicle’s suspension system that allow your tires to smoothly go up and down in a controlled fashion. Without them, your ride probably wouldn’t be very enjoyable.
Where are the bushings and ball joints on a car?
They are typically equipped with bushings on the frame side of the vehicle and a ball joint on the wheel side of the vehicle that allow flex and controlled movement according to road conditions and steering input from the driver. Control arms allow wheels to move up and down while preventing forward and rearward movement.
Can a worn ball joint cause steering alignment to shift?
Excessively worn ball joints, bushings, or a combination of these can cause the vehicle’s steering alignment to shift, which may cause the steering to pull to the left or right when traveling down the road. This will require constant driver correction to steer the vehicle straight.
How are ball and socket joints related to suspension?
Like the ball and socket joint that connects and holds your leg bone to your hip bone, a ball joint connects and holds the front suspension of your vehicle together. In the same way your leg can move up and down, and side to side, a ball joint enables the wheel and suspension to move together in the same manner.
What does control arm and ball joint assembly do?
Filter your results by entering your Year, Make, Model to ensure you find the parts that fit your vehicle. A control arm and ball joint assembly contains a control arm, ball joint, and bushings and are essential components for suspension and steering. Control arms allow wheels to move up and down while preventing forward and rearward movement.
They are typically equipped with bushings on the frame side of the vehicle and a ball joint on the wheel side of the vehicle that allow flex and controlled movement according to road conditions and steering input from the driver. Control arms allow wheels to move up and down while preventing forward and rearward movement.
Excessively worn ball joints, bushings, or a combination of these can cause the vehicle’s steering alignment to shift, which may cause the steering to pull to the left or right when traveling down the road. This will require constant driver correction to steer the vehicle straight.
How are control arms used in a car?
Control arms allow wheels to move up and down while preventing forward and rearward movement. Other vehicles include control arms with built-in ball joints that must be replaced as a unit if they begin to fail. If any of these parts fail, they may compromise handling, comfort, and may result in serious separation…