UBJ Failure, with no warning signs

TargetPractice · **Posted:** Wed Jan 06, 2010 7:02 pm

Looks like the "Mall Rated" badge has to come off.

Sunday I got a call from my wife saying "something happened to the Jeep".

The UBJ failed on her while pulling out of a parking lot.

It is a 2002, but Jeep is refusing to cover the work as part of the recall. According to them the VIN number does not match any of the vehicles in the UBJ recall, and they also cite the oversized tires as a reason not to cover the costs.

While I had not checked the joints recently ( about a year ), there were no sounds, wobbles or vibrations that would make me suspect the joint was loose.

Currently I do not know what my options are. We could not find the ball to determine if corrosion was involved, but given that it separated I think this is related.

Any ideas?

Some old video of my poor broken beast.
http://vimeo.com/2234359

-John

Diggerfreek · **Posted:** Wed Jan 06, 2010 7:22 pm

Thank G* she wasn't driving on the highway!

TargetPractice · **Posted:** Wed Jan 06, 2010 7:26 pm

How do people like the J.B.A. A-arms?

I was considering this would be a good chance to upgrade.

Thanks,
-John

tommudd · **Posted:** Wed Jan 06, 2010 7:36 pm

JBAs are great best part is you can grease them and also replace them if they ever need to be. I think its time for you. Marlin can fix you up pretty quick.
And no most times you will not get any type of warning .
I check everything underneath every oil change just in case !

Diggerfreek · **Posted:** Wed Jan 06, 2010 8:01 pm

tommudd wrote:

JBAs are great best part is you can grease them and also replace them if they ever need to be. I think its time for you. Marlin can fix you up pretty quick.
And no most times you will not get any type of warning .
I check everything underneath every oil change just in case !

Marlin is one of the fastest shippers in regards to aftermarket suppliers!

He will take care of you :mrgreen:

valvestem · **Joined:** Thu Jul 07, 2005 7:01 pm **Posts:** 222

I thought it was the LBJ's that were recalled, not the UBJ's ?

tjkj2002 · **Posted:** Wed Jan 06, 2010 9:10 pm

Yeah being lifted kinda voids all suspension warranty,it can even void a recall.

That UCA recall was only for some early years in the salt belt only.

ryanee182 · **Posted:** Wed Jan 06, 2010 11:52 pm

I didn't notice any warning signs either while driving. If I would have inspected my UBJ's, I probably would have noticed! :shock:

I highly recommend getting the JBA A-arms, and I agree that Marlin has great customer service!

FreedomKJ · **Posted:** Thu Jan 07, 2010 2:39 am

Perhaps now would be a good time for a recap on what everyone should check for to see if their ball joints (upper or lower) are going bad.

I'd write it up, but I've been away from here for long enough that I honestly don't remember anymore...

Diggerfreek · **Posted:** Thu Jan 07, 2010 2:46 am

Pictures like this send a shiver down my spine.............. :5SHOTS:

valvestem · **Joined:** Thu Jul 07, 2005 7:01 pm **Posts:** 222

You folks with the UBJ failure need to file a report on the incident on the government's website here:

http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/index.cfm

Jeepjeepster · **Posted:** Thu Jan 07, 2010 12:11 pm

As long as it didnt damage anything else its not a very bad or expensive repair.

Gotta check those things every oil change! Im amazed that joint rusted that bad and didnt make any noises when turning or anything. The ball should be on the knuckle unless it just rusted totally off.

tjkj2002 · **Posted:** Thu Jan 07, 2010 1:13 pm

valvestem wrote:

You folks with the UBJ failure need to file a report on the incident on the government's website here:

http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/index.cfm

Only if totally stock,if you are lifted or otherwise modify your vehicle you should not.If you do report it and you are lifted make sure you include that you are lifted,otherwise it is fraud.

JL Rockies · **Posted:** Thu Jan 07, 2010 2:28 pm

Let's be honest though, replacing the stock ones with JBA is not going to make the situation any safer. Grease zerks are not going to prevent the welds from breaking. I'd be interested to count the cases of catastrophic failure of OEM like this vs JBA among members of this forum.

TargetPractice · **Posted:** Thu Jan 07, 2010 3:06 pm

I made an order for the JBA A-Arms and decided to buy/install the disconnects while I'm down there.

While the arms may not improve the situation, I can't imagine the part being worse than the Jeep OEM piece.

At least these arms and joints were designed to be servicable. It also prevents Jeep from profiting off a poor design.

-John

tommudd · **Posted:** Thu Jan 07, 2010 3:09 pm

I'll take my chances with a JBA with a ball joint I can grease over a stock one

JL Rockies · **Posted:** Thu Jan 07, 2010 3:26 pm

You're pretty much going to hate the disconnects, everyone else seems to have. Remember that LLC = You can sue me if a loved one gets killed due to failure of my product.

JL Rockies · **Posted:** Thu Jan 07, 2010 3:29 pm

You're pretty much going to hate the disconnects, everyone else seems to have. Remember that LLC = You can't sue me if a loved one gets killed due to failure of my product.

TargetPractice · **Posted:** Thu Jan 07, 2010 3:39 pm

JL Rockies wrote:

You're pretty much going to hate the disconnects, everyone else seems to have. Remember that LLC = You can't sue me if a loved one gets killed due to failure of my product.

What is wrong with the disconnects? ( I've been away from the forums for a while )

Do they wiggle out or fail? Are they hard to reconnect? Hard to install?

Thanks,
-John

ryanee182 · **Posted:** Thu Jan 07, 2010 10:34 pm

JL Rockies wrote:

Let's be honest though, replacing the stock ones with JBA is not going to make the situation any safer. Grease zerks are not going to prevent the welds from breaking. I'd be interested to count the cases of catastrophic failure of OEM like this vs JBA among members of this forum.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the gen 4.5 a-arms haven't had any problems with the welds breaking. Also, from what I've read, the extreme angle of the stock ball joints is what causes the failures. The JBA arms are bent to lessen the angle of the ball joint on lifted libbys.

UBJ Failure, with no warning signs

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