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My mechanic says my car needs ball joints. Please
explain.

Ball joints are a part of your vehicle's suspension that connects
the steering knuckles to the control arms. A ball joint is
essentially a flexible ball and socket that allows the suspension to
move and at the same time the wheels to steer. Cars and trucks
without strut suspensions typically have four of them (one upper
and one lower on each side). Cars and minivans with strut
suspensions have only two (one lower ball joint on each side).
Some front-wheel drive cars also have ball joints on the rear
suspension.
Like any other suspension component, ball joints eventually wear
and become loose. Excessive play in the joint can affect wheel
alignment and tire wear. Loose joints can also cause suspension
noise (typically a "clunking" sound when hitting a bump).
WARNING: If a ball joint fails, the suspension can collapse
causing a loss of control. So don't put off having a bad set of
joints replaced.
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