The wife, kids, and I had left my in-laws house (we had a late thanksgiving with them over the weekend) Saturday night. We were getting on the interstate in a fairly large town about 35 miles away. As soon as we got on the ramp I heard a loud BOOM, then the right front side felt like it was on the ground. My first thought was "the front tire popped". We weren't going maybe 35-45mph, so there was no loss of control, just a harsh ride and grinding noise. I immediately pulled off the ramp onto the grass.
At this point I'm ok. Tire popped, no big deal. Being on the front is a bit of a plus, since I can put my under-sized spare on without swapping any of the full-size tires around (which I would have to do if a rear tire popped). I get out, walk around to the other side, and I almost cry.
The top of the front tire is leaning into the truck. After the initial shock subsides, I call the in-laws, who get on their way to come swap vehicles with us, then I get my flashlight (streamlight PolyStinger btw), and look under the front of the truck.The upper balljoint separated. As far as I could tell, there was no other damage. The CV, lower balljoint, and steering linkage were all still attached, and the CV boots looked to be in good condition. Of course there's no telling what else is really damaged until a mechanic gets into it. If I'm remembering correctly, I had both front upper balljoints replaced less than a year ago with Moog parts, but I'll have to verify it.
Warranty should cover the balljoint and labor, and I'm looking into my auto insurance for covering the $160-$200 towing charge.
Now for one small question: Is there anything specific that I could've done or not done to cause this? My thinking is that the part was either defective, or worn out, but I'm not sure.
, but at least you and your family are safe which is all that really matters here even if you are pissed and your wallet is a little lighter.
But not the $190 tow bill. Gonna run that one by my insurance company.
