I've read a lot about the lower ball joint recall and wondered if anyone else has had it done twice for free?

The ball joints are certainly bad on the Talon I just got it and not knowing the history of the car I had the dealer run the VIN to see if the ball joints had ever been replaced under the safety recall program.

They show the ball joints were replaced 5 years ago. The dealer said if they are bad again they will replace them for free again.

I'll be taking it in for the repair later in the week. Anyone else had them done twice? Just curious...

Quick video.
Here's what to look for when they go bad. Raise the car up so the weight is off the wheel. Lift up on the tire or hub. You'll see and feel the movement as the ball in the socket is completely loose. The weatherboot looks great but the ball joint is toasted.

Right click "Save as" please.

http://www.rcaz.com/movieclips/ball_joint.mpg

yes many have had it done twice...Sometimes it takes a little complaining/talking to the manager,etc... but the recall is open for the life of the vehical..

When I called Mitsubishi to ask about getting them replaced a second time I was told that only one set is covered by the recall, and that any future ball joint replacements would have to be payed for by me.

This would be interesting to know because I had one go out completely on my auto talon and I called them up to ask if I could replace them and they said it was already done and could only be done twice. And who do you guys call Chrysler or Dodge? (assuming you have separate dealers near you)

Originally posted by Talsition
And who do you guys call Chrysler or Dodge? (assuming you have separate dealers near you)

Chrysler and Dodge are one in the same, so it would be Chrysler and Mitsu.

I've had 2 Mitsu and 1 Dodge dealership decline me on the second ball joint recall replacement. The first Mitsu dealer even declined me while the car was still under the original warranty.

Edit- I think it has a lot to do with whether you're a nice guy like AZDave or an asshole like me.

Originally posted by thedawg
I think it has a lot to do with whether you're a nice guy like AZDave or an asshole like me.

Well I didn't want to bring that up but...



I called the dealer today to make an appointment for replacing them and they confirmed it would be covered but the parts required were not in stock. I'll post my final results back here once the job is done (or not).

well i am a nice guy but still only got it done once but they gave me a discount on the second time cause i did complain a little bit

Final update:

The Talon went in to the Jeep/Eagle dealer today and they replaced the lower ball joints again as promised. The first replacement was done in Las Vegas in 2001 before I owned the car.

No charge for any items.

Here's the receipt if this helps someone else argue the point with their local dealer.

http://www.rcaz.com/images/eclipse/recall_receipt.pdf

So my question would be, can I get some money from a dealer if I did the ball joints myself? They were done before I owned the car, and I was under the impression that it could only be done once. So if I can scrape up the receipts, will they reimburse me for the parts?

EDIT: Or do you think it will vary dealer by dealer?

Originally posted by cc8balla
So my question would be, can I get some money from a dealer if I did the ball joints myself? They were done before I owned the car, and I was under the impression that it could only be done once. So if I can scrape up the receipts, will they reimburse me for the parts? EDIT: Or do you think it will vary dealer by dealer?

The recall has to be performed by the dealer to be valid.