I would hope so, because lets say that they get paid for about 3/4 an hour per balljoint to replace them. At about $60 if the new ones fail and need to be replaced they are out another $45 on a $20 part. It would be cheaper to just throw them all into the garbage then it would be to push them through inventory.

K

_________________
'06 Midnight Blue CRD Sport
Born 5-06
Mopar Skids and Tow Hooks
Deer Killer Mod

My KJ is on its 3rd set and it only has 30K miles (50K km). It was recalled twice, and even though the first time was supposed to be to add that "heat shield" (which they did), they also swapped the b.j.'s and put in the same type, which were replaced with the 2nd recall. I haven't checked the condition of the new-new ones yet, but I'm not going to leave it long before I do.

There is a reson that so many older vehicles are still on the road. That reason is that those vehicles were designed for serviceability. They came with greasable b.j.s and bushings, oil and tranny dipsticks, and drain plugs on the axles. The car companies are now making cars that they only want to last for a few years so you will have to buy a new one. Just my 2 pennies.

_________________
'05 Liberty Sport
Bright Silver Metallic
Mastercraft Courser A/T tires
The trail always looks easier from the top of the hill.

While I see your point that people think they need a new car because of a hard to service part or frequent trips to the mechanic. I feel that most people are driven to purchase new vehicles, almost yearly now, because of the massive amounts of TV commericials and advertising that we are subjected to every day. Every single car company has billions invested in making the general public feel like their current car isn't good enough. A counter point to your thought is: Most American's don't even buy American cars anymore so the reliablilty factor or ease of service factor seems pretty minimal. However, I do understand how you feel because I sit here at work every day thinking about the valve springs in my Liberty

For the LBJ's: If these "better joint" units start to wear out, I'll probably make the switch over to the MOOG's. I fully intend to "keep on trucking" in the Liberty until the wheels fall off. (pun intended) Because I want to reach 200,000 miles or near there so I can beat my dads record of 189,xxx miles in his Chrysler Minivan so he will stop bragging.

_________________
02 Liberty Limited
Silver Outside & Taupe Inside
Heated Seats, Sunroof & Infinity speakers
USA Spec I-Pod adaptor, Mopar Sub, Garmin GPS
Tow Package, Select-Trac
Rock Rails, Tow Hooks

If it makes anyone feel better, I just got mine replaced under the reacall and they looked fine. They had 20k miles in stock height and 30k miles in lifted height on them and were still solid. I live in Houston and it rains here all the darn time too. Maybe I just got lucky. On the other hand, ball joints were the main reason why I did NOT do a clevas lift on top of my Rusty's coils. I guess it worked out.

_________________
2004 KJ Sport 4x4
L.O.S.T. #006901
Rusty's 2.5" Coil Lift & Diff Skid, 245/75-16 REVO's, K&N
****Grocery Rated****

Is this problem going to find it's way into the 07 4x4s

The 07 KJs should have the new type balljoints, which the rest of us are getting put in. A few of the new type balljoints that are being installed in pre-07s are already failing though, so what this means for the 07s remains to be seen. And welcome to the board! Where U at?

I'm goin to the dealership tomorrow to get mine changed. I have 67,000 miles on one of the ball joints.

_________________
'13 JK Unlimited
'07 Goat 4x4
Old School L.O.S.T. Member
L.O.S.T. #DA050656
Republica de Tejas

Thanks Snowsport. I am in Northeast Oklahoma just outside of Tulsa. I just bought my first Jeep. 07 KJ Sport 4x4.

Got my KJ's ball joints changed today. They let me have the old ones, and they were in pretty rough shape.

_________________
'13 JK Unlimited
'07 Goat 4x4
Old School L.O.S.T. Member
L.O.S.T. #DA050656
Republica de Tejas

i dont understand why everyone has such a problem with ball joints. i had my original ones in my 2002 til 49,000, negligible amount of play in either. that was when they did that last recall. maybe i just got some good ones? prior to the recall mine had white bushings, now they are black are these gunna last longer than my original ones?

_________________
Admin note:
This account has been deactivated.

It's the luck of the draw, or maybe Russian Roulette. Some KJs seem to go on with no problems from the lower ball joints, some have two or three sets put in them. Others seem fine and then fall apart at an inconvenient and/or dangerous time. Doesn't seem predictable, which is the whole point.

I bought my 02 with 24000 on it, I now have over 70000 and havn't had any problems with it. I need new tires and a front end alignment once those are done I will get the recall done.

_________________
I'm not lost.....I'm exploring...
L.O.S.T. #058282
92 Jeep Cherokee
3.5" lift (more mods to come)
2002 Sport 4x4 SOLD

new dent in drivers side passenger door from duranged tree
http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2062821

Hello all. My wife had the F23 recall done on her 05 KJ back in September of 06. I've been trying to figure out how the newer ball joints are different from the one's they replaced. To the naked eye, the old set had a yellow band and the new set has blue. I'm hoping they're sturdier or have more grease in them or something. Does anyone know if the replacement LBJs are significantly different in some way? Or is just another set of basically the same old things? Other than this issue, we've been very happy with the vehicle and the dealership has been great. We asked about the recall, they gave us an appointment, and it was over in no time. But in the end, I need to believe that the vehicle is safe for my wife to use daily on the Interstate and such. Does anyone know anything specific about the the latest BJs?

Hello Jefa,.....Yes this has probably been one of the most talked about topic on the forum.By the way...Welcome to L.O.S.T.
I don't think anyone has really decided wheather or not the new ball joints are any better.Myself I oppted to switch to the Moog brand as I have more trust in them.I am an ASE Tech. so it was'nt much of a problem for me.If you decide to do something like this,DC will reimburse you for parts and labor.If you do a search you'll most likely find alot of post of mine and others.Hope this helps,and good luck.

Ron

_________________
Ron
03 Red Libberty Sport
3.7 V6 Auto 4x4
Lifted
Cooper Discover ATRs 265/75/16
American Racing 16x8 Polished Baja Wheels
Moog Lower Ball Joints
Member#051397 L.O.S.T. Midwest

Thanks for the response Ron. I've read a lot on this site and others over the past few months. During that time, I came across a couple of statements that the LBJs were somehow redesigned and I was hoping that someone had some info on how. If I were a certified mechanic like yourself, I'd put on Moogs too then inspect and grease regularly, but my mechanical skills are limited. I'll just hang on for a while and see how everybody's newly installed ball joints (Moog or Mopar) hold up. There probably isn't enough mileage on most of them yet to know. I'm hoping this isn't an issue that's going to raise it's head every 15-20k miles, but I suspect it may be. Time will tell.

Welcome, Jefa! Where are you at? What do you drive? The balljoint issue is one that we are all keenly aware of, and definitely keep an eye on. I'm also interested in the Moog/new OEM balljoint comparison for a year or two down the line to see how they're holding up. My guess is that the Moogs will do better simply because they're greaseable, but time will tell.

I'm in Mississippi. The 05 Liberty is mostly used by my wife. I drive a Ram. We don't do any off-roading or anything like that. I know some L.O.S.T. folks are seriously into that kind of thing. Other than the ball joint recall, we've never had to do anything to it (beyond regularly scheduled maintenance I mean).

OK heres my story, Jan. 1, 2006 with 51000 on mine the right one was scary loose, tore it down and replaced it with a Moog, only replaced the right one that day for two reasons, heater broke down in the garage so it was really cold and the left one was tight. Today at 73000 miles plus the left one is still tight and the Moog replacement for there is still sitting on the work bench. I want to see just how long it will go now. And yes I know how to check them since I was a certified mechanic from way back in the day. Been working on own various junk for 40 years!

_________________
MUDD'S MOTORSPORT'S We do IFS lift installs ,
03 OVERLAND EDITION /Kilby-Skidrow-Mopar-4XGuard skids/ 2.5 inch TOTAL CONTROL JBA coilovers -JBA Arms/MOABS-31 FALKEN WILDPEAK AT3W / 4.10's etc, 04 Kilimanjaro Edition loaded, plus 05 KJ limited

Mine are tight after 31,000 miles. I am 62 people away from getting them replaced. My dealer only gets 3 a week from DC. I figure by then I will have a bunch more miles and they might need replacing.

_________________
Feb/2006 Silver Sport 4x4 CRD