Reference

• General vehicles, 9-1 Steering and suspension systems
• Motorcycles, 9-1 Steering and suspension systems
• General trailers, 6-1 Steering and suspension systems.

Safety concern

Excessive wear in suspension ball joints can seriously affect the safe handling of the vehicle – if left unchecked, subsequent failure could cause a crash. Modern suspension systems employ multiple control arms, ball joints and compliance bushings, so it's important to check them all carefully during an inspection.

Inspection

To help ensure ball joint wear is correctly detected, the images below show the jacking points for some common suspension types. They do not cover all suspension types or versions.

It's vital that the vehicle is jacked up correctly to avoid any damage. Depending on the type of suspension fitted to the vehicle, you may need to seek the manufacturer's guidance.