Buick Suspension: Lower Ball Joint

Buick is recalling about 308 vehicles over a problem with the suspension. If the lower control arm ball joint loosens, fatigues and separates from the front suspension knuckle, it could cause loss of vehicle control.

Campaign
96V019000
Manufacturer
GENERAL MOTORS CORP.
Reported
30 January 1996
Vehicles
308
Built between
Mar 1993 – Dec 1994
Models
3
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
Manufacturer
Owners notified
23 February 1996
Repaired
Not reported
Unrepaired
Not reported

Does this affect my vehicle?

This recall covers vehicles built between March 1993 and December 1994. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.

  • 1994-1995 Buick RoadmasterBuilt March 1993 to December 1994
  • 1994-1995 Cadillac FleetwoodBuilt March 1993 to December 1994
  • 1994-1995 Chevrolet CapriceBuilt March 1993 to December 1994

What the defect is

Defective lower control arm ball joint attachment nuts were not properly torqued and can loosen.

What could happen

If the lower control arm ball joint loosens, fatigues and separates from the front suspension knuckle, it could cause loss of vehicle control.

What gets fixed

DEALERS WILL INSPECT BOTH FRONT LOWER CONTROL ARM BALL JOINT ATTACHMENT NUTS FOR PROPER TORQUE. IF THE BALL JOINT HAS LOOSENED FROM THE KNUCKLE, BOTH THE BALL JOINT AND THE KNUCKLE WILL BE REPLACED.

Timeline

  1. Vehicles builtMarch 1993 to December 1994
  2. Recall reported to NHTSA30 January 1996
  3. Owners notified23 February 1996

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 30 January 1996.

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: suspension; independent front control arm; lower; ball joint. Vehicle description: passenger vehicles exported to guam and puerto rico. Note: owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time, should contact chevrolet at 1-800-222-1022, buick at 1-800-521-7300, or cadillac at 1-800-458-8006. Also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-800-424-9393.

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