Buick Suspension: Lower Ball Joint

Buick is recalling about 3,221 vehicles over a problem with the suspension. Continued operation of car with either condition couldresult in separation of that joint and possible loss of steering control and anaccident.

Campaign
88V066000
Manufacturer
GENERAL MOTORS CORP.
Reported
18 April 1988
Vehicles
3,221
Built between
Jun 1987 – Sep 1987
Models
1
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
Manufacturer
Owners notified
29 April 1988
Repaired
Not reported
Unrepaired
Not reported

Does this affect my vehicle?

This recall covers vehicles built between June 1987 and September 1987. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.

  • 1988 Buick RegalBuilt June 1987 to September 1987

What the defect is

Lower control arm to ball joint attachment can become loose. Also, certain cars could have tie rod ball stud nuts that were not properly torqued and could loosen.

What could happen

Continued operation of car with either condition couldresult in separation of that joint and possible loss of steering control and anaccident.

What gets fixed

REPLACE BOTH LOWER CONTROL ARMS; ALSO, CHECK TIE ROD BALL STUD NUT TORQUE.

Timeline

  1. Vehicles builtJune 1987 to September 1987
  2. Recall reported to NHTSA18 April 1988
  3. Owners notified29 April 1988

Your rights

A safety recall repair is free. Under US federal law the manufacturer must fix a safety defect at no cost to you — no charge for parts, labor or diagnosis — whether or not you are the original owner. A dealer cannot charge you for recall work, and cannot require you to have bought the vehicle from them.

That entitlement is not unlimited. It applies where the vehicle was first sold less than 15 years before the recall was announced — 5 years for tires. Past that a manufacturer may still do the repair free of charge, and many do, but they are no longer obliged to. This recall was reported on 18 April 1988.

To arrange the repair, contact any franchised dealer for the brand. If a dealer refuses the work or tries to charge for it, you can report that to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/recalls or on 1-888-327-4236.

Official source

Recalling manufacturer
GENERAL MOTORS CORP.
Recall initiated by
MFR

Everything on this page — the models listed, the build dates and the repair figures — comes from the manufacturer's filing to NHTSA and describes the vehicle line as a whole, not any individual car. Only the manufacturer can confirm whether a specific vehicle is affected, and whether its recall work has already been carried out. Check yours by VIN and read the official notice at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

Additional notes

System: steering/suspension.vehicle description: passenger cars.

Check your own vehicle

This page describes the recall, not any one car. To see which recalls cover a specific vehicle, search by make, model and year.

A VIN lookup here identifies your vehicle and shows recalls issued for that make, model and year. It cannot tell you what is still open on your individual car - only the manufacturer knows that. Search by VIN instead, or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov for whether a recall is still open on your individual car.

Same component

Same brand