2019 GMC Sierra 1500: ball joint or control arm failure

Filed Aug 21, 2026 · Suspension · MD

Several months ago while having my truck serviced, I asked the repair shop to inspect the ball joints on the passenger side because they would make a popping noise when turning the wheel. The shop inspected them and said that was a normal sound due tot he factory lift. Recently I was driving home and about to turn into my lane when the front passenger wheel assembly collapsed under the truck due to the a upper ball joint failure separating the brake line and loss of steering. At the time, I was only going about 25mph and the truck slid to a stop on its own. The truck has 65,000 miles on it and if this had happen at highway speeds personal injury to myself and others would have been likely. The repair cost were $7,500. Fortunately I purchased an extended warranty which covered all but $1,700 of the repair.

Filed Feb 17, 2026 · Steering, Suspension · UT

While driving 13-15mph down the road the front right upper control arm ball bearing sheared off causing the tire to lean in rubbing the wheel well, forcing my truck to veer to the left across the other lane of traffic. Luckily there wasn't any car next to me.

Filed Dec 27, 2024 · Suspension · 71,000 miles · KS

The contact owns a 2019 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated while driving at 10 MPH, the upper control arm and ball joint on the passenger’s side fractured, and the wheel partially detached from the vehicle and was sticking out. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and the failure was confirmed; additionally, the driver’s side upper control arm and ball joint were also fractured. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mile was approximately 71,000.

Filed Aug 21, 2024 · Steering, Suspension · 70,000 miles · MN

The contact owns a 2019 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while his wife was driving 25 MPH, the vehicle made an abnormally loud sound and the front driver's side wheel detached. The vehicle came to a complete stop. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the upper control arm had disconnected from the steering wheel ball joint, and it was determined that the upper control joint, steering wheel column, and front driver's and passenger's side wheel needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the vehicle had received an alignment twenty days prior to the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

Filed Apr 23, 2024 · Steering, Wheels · FL · crash

While making a righthand turn at approximately 10-15 mph, my passenger side front wheel failed at the ball joint and collapsed. Reviewing the carfax, this is the 2nd time this has happened to this vehicle (the first was on the driver side wheel). I noticed Safety Recall Report 21V‑718 seems to describe the issue I'm facing with the "front upper control arm experiencing accelerated wear... leading to ball joint separation", but according to GM, since no unsatisfied recalls are shown on my VIN report, there's nothing they're willing to do. I believe the failed part number is 573. This failure left my truck sitting in the middle of the road obviously with no way to move it other than a tow truck dragging it onto his bed.

Filed Oct 11, 2023 · Transmission · WV

I have had frint driver and passenger ball joints go out 3 times all together.

Filed May 17, 2023 · Suspension · NJ

I was driving the vehicle heard a loud thumping sound got out to look and the driver side tire was nearly off the vehicle! Had I been driving on the highway I could've been killed/seriously injured by loss of control by way of steering. It looks like the upper control arm completely seperated from the tire at the ball joint causing the tire to fall away from the vehicle. There is a current recall out there for this make, year, and model. The vehicle has been inspected by the manufacturer. No warning lamps or messages have appeared.

Filed May 8, 2023 · Suspension · MA

Driver's side front wheel assembly separated from the vehicle. It was hard to tell exactl what happened but I am told that it may have been a ball joint failure. I was driving in the middle lane on the highway with cruise control set to 70MPH. All of a sudden, my truck jumped up and my truck starting pushing towards the left median. I thought I had a tire blow out. Luckily there wasn't anyone in the left lane at the time and I was able to get to the grassy left median. If there was another vehicle in the left lane and or if the left median wasn't grass, this would have caused a major accident as I has no control over where the truck was going. When I got out I saw that my entire wheel had separated from the vehicle and it was on its face under the truck. I did not hit a pothole. There was no prior indication that anything was wrong with the assembly. A tow truck was called and brought the truck back to their shop. The assembly had to be replaced, (ball joint, axel, steering control arms etc.). I called my local GMC dealer and they have nothing being reported of this issue but when I looked online I've seen multiple reports of premature failures of ball joints. Total repairs so far have been $3,400.00 and I still need to replace a cracked rim. Repairs will be over $4,000 when all said and done.

Filed Apr 18, 2023 · Suspension · MI

At 50,000 miles the upper control arm/ball joint on the driver side came apart with no warning causing considerable damage to the suspension, tires, wheel, and front bumper. About two months before at approximately 48,000 miles the passenger side control arm/ball joint came apart again with no warning. Warranty has just elapse and GM has denied any responsibility and will not cover any of the repairs. This could have easily been catastrophic if we would have been on the freeway. This is a Safety issue! This truck has the aluminum upper control arms which my opinion for what its worth is the problem. I have no clue at this time how we are going to be able to fix this. Even when it is fixed we will never trust it.

Filed Jul 18, 2022 · Electrical · 51,799 miles · MA

The contact owns a 2019 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated while at a traffic signal, the vehicle stalled while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that he shifted the vehicle into park(P) and needed four attempts to restart the vehicle. The contact stated there was no warning light illuminated. The contact proceeded a few miles on the road and the vehicle stalled. The contact was unable to restart the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to a dealer who diagnosed that the vehicle needed a new battery. The battery was replaced. The contact stated that the failure recurred. The vehicle was towed to the same dealer who informed the contact that the wiring harness nearby the front suspension control arm was chafed. The contact was informed that a short circuit had caused the vehicle to stall. The dealer stated that the failure was related to Technical Service Bulletin: 21-NA-149 (Engine Wire Harness Chafing). The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 51,799.

Filed Jul 10, 2022 · Suspension · MI

Ball joint separated from control arm while driving. Vehicle was undrivable had to be towed.

Filed Apr 18, 2022 · Suspension · 43,000 miles · SC

The contact owns a 2019 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the front driver’s side tire detached from the vehicle. The contact stated there was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to park on the side of the road and noticed that the ball joint had separated from the A-arm. The vehicle was not drivable. The contact towed the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the front driver’s side tire, ball joint, and the upper A-arm to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired but was pending repairs. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 43,000.