While driving 65 MPH the front passenger side of vehicle dropped, causing driver to loose control of vehicle. Vehicle bounced across 3 lanes of traffic, child hit his head on side of vehicle. Dealer determined the tie rod broke on passenger side.
1996 Chevrolet Astro: ball joint or control arm failure
9 of the 263 complaints about the 1996 Chevrolet Astro describe ball joint or control arm failure.
- owner complaints
- 9
- of this car's complaints
- 3%
- recalls
- 0
Is there a fix? 2 service bulletins cover this area of the car. See below
Ball joint or control arm failure by model year
What owners say
A metallic noise was heard from front of vehicle. Steering would not function properly. Consumer found the steering mechanism had come undone, that the bolt and nut had come unscrewed and the steering arm unconnected from the steering mechanism. Dealer however, found broken idler steering arm and loose upper ball joints, dealer also stated that a front end alignment was needed. Manufacturer notified.
During normal operation of vehicle, it sounds as if an explosion occurs in the front end of vehicle. This has occurred four times, and dealership replaced both front brake calipers twice. Also, found a short in the fuel pump. Has not examined vehicle for the last incident. *ak consumer states brake pedal is very soft and sometimes goes to the floor, the calipers break and cause a loud noise, consumer states braking power has been lost on three occasions. Vehicle stalled on one occasion. Consumer no longer drives this vehicle. Left side door lock inoperative, dealer replaced the actuator. Right side upper control arm bolts loose causing noise, left rear leaf spring u bolt mispositioned hitting axle tube, causing knocking noise.
The oil cooler lines leaked oil onto the engine which caused it to smoke. The oil cooler lines have been replaced three times within the last 30,000 miles. *nm there was noise in the front end due to a worn right front outer tie rod and when damp or cold out, a hard shift would be present when making turns.
Battery to starter cable shorted to tie rod due to poor cable routing, potential fire hazard.
Lower ball joints are prematurely wearing out. Replaced at 33,000 miles. Cause unknown. Please give any further details.
Upper and lower control arms failed causing front end of vehicle to collapse. Nlm
Control arm broke, causing the front end to drop which may cause a loss of vehicle control. Also, idler arm broke 5 times. Dealer could not determine the cause of the problem. *ak
While making a right turn the tie rod bolt that connects to the u-joint slipped out, causing loss of steering, wheel was just spinning freely. Dealer and manufacturer have been contacted.
Service bulletins that may apply
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 1996 Chevrolet Astro ball joint
Is ball joint or control arm failure a common problem on the 1996 Chevrolet Astro?
9 of 263 owner complaints about the 1996 Chevrolet Astro (3%) mention ball joint or control arm failure. The model year with the most reports is 1996.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 1996 Chevrolet Astro?
There are 0 recalls and 2 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 1996 Chevrolet Astro
Wipers 52Brake failure 14No deployment 8Fuel pump 8ABS 7Power steering loss 7
VIN decoder
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