Gs300 Ball Joint Recall

[BlackGS4me]

I had an accident as a result of a faulty lower ball joint on my 98 GS300. The ball joint broke and caused the wheel to turn 90 degrees blowing out my tire and causing 7k in suspension and body work damage. I have found a recall on the 97 GS300 for the same problem. Was wondering if anyone has experienced this with their 97 or 98 and have gotten it fixed with Lexus thru their recall.

Any help?

[Jim L]

97 and 98's were completely diffeent cars, different chassis

[BlackGS4me]

97 and 98's were completely diffeent cars, different chassis

Well when searching for ball joints online, I found that some manufacturers listed 97's and 98's as the same replacement ball joint! Can it be possible that the early production 98 models still used the same ball joint? How can I tell when my 98 was made.

Im sure the recall didnt come out until well after the 98's were being produced. They would have need time for this parts to fail!

[GuyTelefunken]

The recall potentially affected approx. 2700 GS300's made between 07-24-95 and 04-15-97. The recall was published 05-19-99.

The part numbers and price of the front lower ball joints are definately different from MY1997 to MY1998.

[BlackGS4me]

The recall potentially affected approx. 2700 GS300's made between 07-24-95 and 04-15-97. The recall was published 05-19-99.

The part numbers and price of the front lower ball joints are definately different from MY1997 to MY1998.

Thanks Guy,

I wouldnt be so skeptical if I hadnt had the same problem as the 97 recall described. I am surprised Lexus wont replace my right Ball joint knowing what happened to the left one and the possibility of a serious accident!

I will purchase the part and have my local mechanic install it.

[anthonyiez]

do you have annual vehicle state inspections in ny? if so this should of been caught long before it got bad enough to break. if you do have a state mandated inspection program, i'd go back to the last place that inspected it and ask them about it.

[BlackGS4me]

do you have annual vehicle state inspections in ny? if so this should of been caught long before it got bad enough to break. if you do have a state mandated inspection program, i'd go back to the last place that inspected it and ask them about it.

We do have a NY state inspection, in fact mine is up next month, but since the recall is for a different year GS300, they wouldnt have any need to check for a bad ball joint. Infact the mechanics missed diagnosed the problem last year. Fortunately my insurance covered the repairs, but they didnt replace the right ball joint. Since I had vibrations on the right side now, I brought it to Lexus, told them about the recall. They said my tires were bad, I had them replaced, improved the vibration, but the tires were less than a year old. I feel that the ball joint made the tires go bad. I wanted Lexus to replace the other ball joint, they said it wasnt bad. I dont feel confident driving the vehicle anymore, thats why I am looking for someone else who might have had this happen to a 98 GS300.

[anthonyiez]

i'm not familiar with ny's inspection process, but in pa all suspension items need to be checked as part of the yearly inspection. for a garage to miss something as important as a ball joint is unreal imo.