2022 Ram 1500: ball joint or control arm failure

Filed Aug 24, 2026 · Suspension, Wheels · 29,000 miles · FL

The contact owns a 2022 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving 45 MPH, there was a shimmy coming from the vehicle. The contact pulled into a parking lot, and the front passenger’s side tire, rim, brake assembly, and ball joint suddenly detached from the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, and it was confirmed that there was no warranty coverage on the vehicle for the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was approximately 29,000.

Filed Jul 25, 2026 · Brakes, Steering · NY

While driving, the front passenger side ball joint failed catastrophically. The wheel completely separated from the control arm and folded under the truck, causing the vehicle to drop hard onto the suspension and nearly lose control. I was extremely fortunate not to be involved in a crash or killed. Photos taken immediately after the failure show the wheel collapsed under the truck and the damaged suspension components (upper/lower control arm and ball joint area). This is a sudden, total failure of a critical steering/suspension part with no prior warning symptoms that I noticed.

Filed Mar 30, 2026 · Steering, Suspension · 45,000 miles · WI

The contact owns a 2022 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while making a left turn out of the driveway, there was a clunking sound coming from the front passenger’s side of the vehicle, and the vehicle failed to steer or turn properly. The vehicle was towed to a dealer but was not yet diagnosed; however, the tow truck driver stated that the ball joint of the upper control arm on the passenger’s side had fractured completely. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 45,000.

Filed Mar 11, 2026 · Suspension · 54,000 miles · MD

The contact owns a 2022 Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving approximately 15 MPH and approaching a speed hump, the driver's side front wheel detached at the ball joint, disabling the vehicle. The vehicle was towed by AAA to a certified mechanic. The mechanic determined that the driver's side ball joint cotter pin was either fractured or missing. The mechanic became aware of a failure with the passenger’s side wheel, also. The vehicle was repaired. The contact attempted to contact the manufacturer, but the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 54,000.

Filed Jun 22, 2025 · Suspension · TX · crash

On Sunday [XXX] my family and I were driving home from Fort Smith Arkansas and the truck lost the entire front right suspension. When I purchased the truck ([XXX]) from Meador Dodge I purchased the truck with the lift, tires and wheels that were installed by Meador dodge. In July of 2023 I took the truck to Alliance Dodge for an oil change and alignment. The Alliance dealership informed me at that time that the factory control arms were still on the truck and with the lift that Meador Dodge installed they should have installed the correct control arms for the lift. Due to availability based on Meadors schedule i was not able to get the truck repaired by Meador until December of 2023. Date of purchase : [XXX] Date found that the wrong control arms on the truck: [XXX] - Truck had 20,088 Miles Date when correct control arms were installed: December 20,2023 - Truck had 26105 Miles Date of Accident: [XXX] - Truck had 46,186 Miles on it In short due to Meador not installing the correct control arms and I drove the truck for over 26,000 miles which is more than 1/2 of the miles driven on the truck that the incorrect control arms caused the other parts to fail and caused the accident. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Nov 29, 2023 · Suspension · OK · crash · 1 injury

On the morning of 10/31/2023 I was on my way to work. I had the cruise set at 75 MPH, and I heard what sounded like an explosion/ loud bang. The truck immediately veered off to the left, hit a drainage culvert, and went airborne. With the front tire folded in, no steering was available to use. Upon inspection, while at the tow yard, the lower control arm snapped in half, as well as the CV joint (half shaft), so this was obviously the cause of the loud explosion/ bang sound that I heard. This lower control arm is made of aluminum, not steel. I could have been killed if I would have hit the culvert more square, as the truck missed the steel barrier cable posts by only a few feet, which was evident upon re-visiting the accident site two days later... the truck narrowly avoided being impaled by the barrier posts. It us unknown weather the police or insurance company inspected the vehicle when the body shop performed the repair assessment. There was no warning, just a catastrophic failure of the lower control arm.

Filed Oct 24, 2023 · Steering, Wheels · NY

While driving down a straight road going approximately 20 mph my truck pulled me hard to the left and I was unable to control it. The assembly for my front left wheel completely came apart, and my truck was stranded in the middle of the road, without me being able to move it forward or backwards. The dealer stated that the ball joints to the upper and lower control arms both popped out at the same time. The dealer stated that they were unsure why this happened, and that there was no damage or wear to the ball joints. Upon doing my own research, I was able to find an online thread with many other consumers who had the same exact problem as me. Many people stated that it is an issue with the stock upper and lower control arms, and that because of how the truck sits, it puts the ball joints at their limits Increasing the chances of them popping out. Now, my truck is sitting at the dealership with no estimated time of repair due to them being unable to get any parts. My fear is that my safety would have been impacted if this happened at a higher rate of speed on a busier road, such as a highway. There were no warnings or indications that anything was wrong with my truck, and it was driving completely normal up until the incident. I also fear of this happening again since they are replacing the damage parts with stock parts, as well as me being unsure, if this will happen to the other side of my vehicle as well.