Frame started showing signs of rusted out frame in 2003 when the transmission skid weld nuts in the bottom of the frame rusted out as well as the body side step weld nuts in the frame. In 2010, 3 or the 4 rear axle control arms broke free from the frame causing brake lines to fail while driving. I was able to use parking brake and downshifting manual transmission to get home. I was lucky that the rear axle didn't completely separate or the failed brake cause a serious accident. The TJ frames are poorly designed with no drainage causing them to rust from the inside out.
1998 Jeep Wrangler: ball joint or control arm failure
11 of the 265 complaints about the 1998 Jeep Wrangler describe ball joint or control arm failure.
- owner complaints
- 11
- of this car's complaints
- 4%
- typical mileage
- 107,000
- 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
"tj wrangler frame rust" - severe rust occurred in the frame of my 1998 jeep wrangler. Vehicle would no longer pass pa state inspection. Rust was due to no drainage hole and frame rusted from inside out. Rust occurred on both driver and passenger sides just in front of the rear control arms and extended front to the transfer case mounting points. I have researched this issue and it is very common and many poor jeep owners are parting out perfectly good jeeps due to them not being able to pass state inspections - luckily no one has been harmed due to this frame damage that I am aware of - some videos on the internet show the entire frame rusted away! This needs to be brought to the attention of jeep as this is obvious a design flaw and owners should be compensated. If there is any doubt of how severe this is simple do a google search! Toyota took care of their customers!!!
Due to excessive rot that is common on this vehicle, while traveling I hit a bump and snapped my driver side control arm. This consequently made for a dangerous ride. While attempting to repair it I noticed how bad the frame was rotted, but unlike normal circumstances where the outside and inside would have equal corrosion. The inside was rotted much worse, and parts of the frame easily crumbled.
The frame around the control arms are rusting, this could be a serious problem that needs addressed and there are more 97-06 wranglers with rusted frames than not.
Noticed a noise while driving home the other day thought it may have been my exhaust rattling around, so I got under vehicle to inspect the noise, and what I found was that the rear part of the frame has rusted away and the brackets for the rear trailing arms had detached from the frame allowing the arms to drop, and on this particular side the brake lines are attached to this control arm. I know that toyota had a similar recall on the truck frames for rust perforation, and that jeep had one on the liberty for the rear lower control arms rusting and breaking. I am an automotive technician and my personal jeep is not the first one I have seen with this potentially dangerous condition. I also googled this problem and found that its very common in these vehicles as well.
The frame is rotten out, and this is a common problem with the jeep tj's. I have a hole on my tail section of frame and on the rear control arm area.
Purchased replacement front ball joints for jeep wrangler(1985-1998) from autozone. Noticed that the two parts were different, but the box had the same part number. One fit perfectly, but the other could only be installed in a way that could cause future suspension failure. I went to another autozone store and found the same two different parts marked with the same part number, so it was not an isolated problem. The part number is fa1633.
While applying the brake, vehicle will lose control due to a faulty sway bar holder or the tie rod. Dealer has been notified. Please provide further information. Ph
We have had numerous problems with this vehicle all pretaining to the front end, the steering wheel will start shaking really bad at between 40-50 MPH and we have had loud banking noice come from the front end and when shifting. The tires have had to be replaced 4 times before they even had 9,000 miles on them. The vehicle is a real lemon. There has been many problems with the paint peeling as well as problems with the ball joints. They are now refusing to fix the front end again that we have had problems with since we bought it.
Control arm bracket snapped. *ak consumer stated that the right control arm bracket snapped off and left control arm bracket twisted causing the vehicle to swerve and ran off of the road.
Tire rubs on lower control arm on front passenager's side. *ak( dot number: tire size: 30x9.5 )( dot number: tire size: 30x9.5 )( dot number: tire size: 30x9.5 )( dot number: tire size: 30x9.5 )
Service bulletins that may apply
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 1998 Jeep Wrangler ball joint
Is ball joint or control arm failure a common problem on the 1998 Jeep Wrangler?
11 of 265 owner complaints about the 1998 Jeep Wrangler (4%) mention ball joint or control arm failure. The model year with the most reports is 2018.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 1998 Jeep Wrangler?
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 1998 Jeep Wrangler
Airbag light 41Water leak 10Seat belt 9No deployment 7Fire or smoke 7Grinding brakes 5Fuel gauge 5
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