Ball joint failure. My car was built in march of 2002 and they redesigned it in april to a larger ball joint which I learned by talking to a mechanic at the lincoln dealer. He said that he fixes a lot of them built march and before but had never had to fix a post march 2002 car. I asked if he had ever upgraded it to the new design he said no, I asked if it was possible he said probably. I took the control arm off the car paid a machine shop $25 to machine it out from 14mm the old original size to 16mm the new redesigned size that lincoln was putting in it after april and bought and installed a 16mm joint and that's all there was to it. All in all it only took a few hours (depending on the machine shop) and no special tools. If you have any mechanical ability you can do this job in your driveway, I did.
2002 Lincoln LS suspension complaints
Page 2 of 2: complaints 11 to 24 of 24, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Steering loss due to ball joint and control arm failure for the second time. Parts were repaired. Vin not included in recall for same problem.
My car has numerous parts that tear up repeatedly, within a 6 months time. Valve cover gasket had replaced twice within a 6 months time. The coil packs go up very often. I had panel buttons just tear up for no reason three times! Wheel caps replaced numerous times. Overheating issues, door locking issues, battery replaced twice within 2 years time. Ac issues, (I never used my AC..at all) . This car has a lot of problems on the t.s.bulletin. I contacted ford in reference to the multiple issues I was having with the car, the company representatives told me to take the complaint to the establishment of which I had been dealing with. Then they said lincoln is an independent owned establishment so I am totally confused by this whole ordeal, they know that they have had a lot of multiple problems out of that car. And they refuse to recall some of those (as I would say) hazardous issues. I was at the dealer 2 weeks ago, I was conversing with a rep. At the dealership and he was telling me how the lincoln ls was their most problem vehicle, and cash maker for repairs. (oh by the way.......I researched to find this site. To answer the question in the consumer section).
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 lincoln ls. While driving at approximately 20 MPH, the front driver's side lower ball joint fractured. The vehicle was towed to the contacts residence and was not taken to a dealer for further diagnosis. The failure and current mileages were 110,000.
While driving the lower ball joint fell apart. No injury resulted due to a low speed. After talking to a technician at the local lincoln dealer I found out that lincoln had changed the design a month after my car was built because they know they had underbuilt the car. I asked the technician if I could upgrade it to the part they used after march of 2002 and he said he didn't know he had never tried it but as far as he knew the parts would bolt up to the car the same, and the part they used on my car was failing on a regular basis and the part they used after march of 2002, as far as he knew never failed. I decided to take the lower control arm off my car and take it to a machine shop and have them machine it to fit the newer/larger stud in the ball joint used after march of 2002, everything worked out good and I have not had any problems. The original equipment on my car were 14 mm and after march they used 16 mm it's pretty simple to take it to a machine shop and upgrade your car. The cost of the work at the machine shop was only $25 and we did all the rest in the driveway in just a few hours. If you have any mechanical ability you can do this job, or you can pay about $1,500 to a shop to put the 14 mm back in and have it fail again.
While driving my 2002 lincoln ls 3.9v8 vehicle, I have been fighting my steering wheel to keep my car driving straight. I took the car to a local shop where I was told that ball joint bolt was lose, where he also pointed out the looseness.(bolt located behind the rotor right at the bottom of the control arm) today while driving, the steering took me into some grass but no damage was done to the vehicle. I have seen that this has been a problem in 2000 and 2001 so I wasn't sure if the same problem occurred in my 2002 but I feel very unsafe in the car especially commuting to work everyday on a busy freeway, fearful that the steering will give out at anytime and I would lose control of the vehicle.
I own a 2002 lincoln ls I begin to hear a load noise in the tire area on 12 13 2009 I took my care to goodyear auto and when they went to pull my car in the tire rolled. The suspension and ball and joints and lower arm control had broke it cost me 1026.00. And now the other side is making the same noise. I looked it up and saw that there was a recall for this on my make and model but I was told that my VIN number was not reported as having the problem which it clearly dose. What can I do about this matter I don't know why it is not listed on the recall list but this VIN number has the same problem that the others have.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 lincoln ls. While driving approximately 65 MPH on normal road conditions the vehicle accelerated without intention, and then down-shifted. The driver was able to gain control and continue operation with caution. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for inspection. The technician stated the failure was contributed to the lower control arms and ball joints. The vehicle was being repaired for the malfunction. The failure and current mileages were 90,000.
Failure of ball joints on 2002 lincoln ls loud squeaking sound and clunking sound from front passenger side of car, designated as the lower control arm of suspension system. The model years, 2000 and 2001 have been recalled but the identical equipment exists on the 2002 ls. I have not replaced the ball joint yet. Having done research this is a very common occurrence on the 2002 ls.
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 lincoln ls. While driving 10 MPH, the contact heard a clicking noise coming from the passenger side front wheel. The failure occurs during both low and high speeds. Firestone checked the tires and stated that the control arm ball joints needed to be replaced. Through research, the contact discovered the federal safety agency campaign id number 00v359001 (suspension:front:control arm:lower ball joint). The dealer stated that his VIN was not included in the recall, even though the failures were identical. The contact stated that the coil pack was also experiencing failure. Whenever he attempted to accelerate, the vehicle feels as if it will shut off. The failure also occurs while the vehicle is idling. He believes that both issues are manufacturer defects. The failure mileage was 150,000 and current mileage was 161,000.
This has been a continuing saga. Started approximately date below but ongoing and more being added. Have had to replace all window assemblies due to complete failure where glass fell without warning. Drivers front ball joint, clock spring ( no horn, radio, cruise control or air bag) problems with air conditioning. Trunk lining continually coming down, paint clear coat, splotches, looks terrible.
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 lincoln ls. While driving 60 MPH, the contacts wife heard a whining sound coming from the front of the vehicle. The mechanic stated that lower ball joint was not manufacturer with a safety pin in the lock nut. In addition, they felt this could have caused the tire to disengage. As of may 29, 2008, the mechanic had not repaired the vehicle. The current and failure mileages were 137,000
My 02 lincoln ls has had 2 new rear ends and now power steering pump and actuator is gone bad. I have a list of about 12 things that has happened to my car in last 12 months, and my car only has 27,000 miles on it. Not very happy at all.
Ltr re his defective 2002 lincoln ls, the axle broke and the wheel and the hub came off the car, would like someone to look into this defect.*mr while driving on the garden state parkway, the left front wheel came off and the consumer was pulled into the concrete median strip. Consumer had enough experience not to hit the brake, slight acceleration and he got control of the vehicle. It took a half of mile to get the vehicle across 3 lanes of busy traffic and onto the shoulder. A passerby checked to see if the consumer was o.k. He then informed the consumer the entire wheel fell off. Approx. 30 minutes later the state trooper arrived with the wheel still attached to the hub. It crossed over 4 lanes of traffic and didn't cause an accident. Consumer was told the lower ball joint came off, went into the inside of the wheel and the axle broke. He sustained bruises but no lasting injuries. Consumer had a hold put on the repair work until ford had a chance to look at the vehicle. The consumer service rep. Stated the consumer may want to have the dealer look at it. The consumer replied that since the dealer may be at fault, he didn't want them to look at the vehicle. Vehicle sustained damage in the amount of $8000. The wheel was being held for someone to inspect it. Someone did contact the consumer stating they were from ford and "there is no proof that the accident was caused by a defect." the caller would leave their name or number so the consumer could return the call. *ph
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