Upper Control Arms - OEM ball joints are worn out at 116,000 miles

[21st Century Truck]

Truck is in the shop for a new front motor unit (failed motor bearings - separate thread).

Tech checked the upper control arms' ball joints while truck is up on lift. Ball joints on the upper control arms are worn out at 116,000 miles. As heavy as these trucks are (mine is ER), it's not really a surprise.

See the attached video.

I'm posting this as an FYI for owners whose Lightnings are high-mileage like mine.

Thanks.

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[fhteagle]

Good to know. Thanks for the report and video about what to look for. Were there any other signs like play in the steering, different suspension feel that you noticed, etc?

 

[21st Century Truck]

Good to know. Thanks for the report and video about what to look for. Were there any other signs like play in the steering, different suspension feel that you noticed, etc?

Actually, I haven't noticed any differences in steering or suspension.

Then again, after we returned from our Frozen Arctic trip to Newfoundland Canada in early January and after our February three-week long frozen ice season here in Northern Virginia I have only driven on cleared solid-pavement roads. I switched out the Winter tires in March. Since I put the all season tires (+ wheels) back on four months ago, no difference in handling at all that I could feel.

That's another reason I'm posting the video in the original post above... evidently this degradation can sneak up on our trucks.

Of note, when I switched out the completely worn-out OEM shocks in Fall 2025 I did test the upper control arm ball joints for play. I already had new SPC upper control arms ready, but there was no play in there so I kept the OEM ones in place.

 

[CrisB02]

I installed the Eibach leveling kit at just under 8k miles and the uca ball joints were already toast. Ended up replacing uca with icon with the delta joint. You can grease and rebuild.

 

[Muerg]

All. My ICE 2017 F150 is only 500# lighter than my 23 lariat Lightning and the 2012 F150 I got rid of years ago was 500# heavier than the Lightning

Reason for my comment is that the Lightning isn’t really heavy by comparison to the Ford fleet

 

[CrisB02]

All. My ICE 2017 F150 is only 500# lighter than my 23 lariat Lightning and the 2012 F150 I got rid of years ago was 500# heavier than the Lightning

Reason for my comment is that the Lightning isn’t really heavy by comparison to the Ford fleet

Doesn’t mean they didn’t cheap out on them ball joints. Save a dollar here and make a few dollars there…..

 

[Joe Dablock]

Wow, I hope you are the exception rather than the rule. I’m going to check my upper ball joints tomorrow at 62k. But I see upper control arms for less than $70 on the internet and I expect less than an hour labor (only 2 bolts).

 

[21st Century Truck]

Wow, I hope you are the exception rather than the rule. I’m going to check my upper ball joints tomorrow at 62k. But I see upper control arms for less than $70 on the internet and I expect less than an hour labor (only 2 bolts).

Yup. The UCA ball joints are easy to check.

I'm surprised that mine were O.K. last Fall and now they have so much play in them. I even pushed one of my UCA ball joint pressed fittings up out of the UCA wheel knuckle back when I was changing out the front shocks, just to be more certain... of course I torqued that one back in to specs afterward.

I'm wondering as well about the other two UCA joints per side, one at each end of the upper control arm's wishbone and mounted on the sides of the shock mount.

 

[Effonefiddy Lightning]

Wow, I'm at 119K, I better check.

 

[Drayday55]

I just replaced mine with billet upper controll arms today and I check the old uppers and they have some play in them as well. Not quite as much as the OP. I also had a spacer lift on it for about 50k miles.

Agree on checking your UCA's

 

[Ejunge]

I used to have a Jeep Jk and the Ball joints were so cheap. the Bushings were plastic, I think. Mine were worn out at 70,00 miles. At one point I was looking at re-buildable Ball joints but the Jeep Ball joints were so hard to change, that it wasnt really an economical fix..

 

[Heliian]

I ride some rough roads year round and never noticed anything until I went in for an alignment after I installed new tires. They couldn't do it because of the uca ball joints, they replaced them and alignment went fine. That was after 90k km's.

You probably won't notice anything until other parts start wearing.

less than an hour labor (only 2 bolts)

That's overly optimistic, it's never that easy with used vehicles. I would say at least 1hr per side.

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