I have asked this question under Honda maintenance tips thread but did not get a resounding answer.

I have heard even on this forum and from some Honda owners about a problem of faulty ball joints and/or upper arm peculiar with Honda products that results in the front tyre pulling out. If this happens, the vehicle cannot move. That could be very dangerous on a highway or on a very lonely and dangerous road.

Please experienced Honda experts and users, is there a way to prevent this ball joint issue and the tyre pulling out on a high speed? Some say it will give the driver signs but if is ignored then the worst will happen. But the question is, what if it gives the sign on a highway or a very lonely road, benin by-pass for example? I guess thats why Honda vehicles are not used for commercial transportation.

Does it make Honda vehicles useful only for driving within a city?

A friend bought a Honda CRV 1998 before learning about the problem. He has been afraid of traveling from Lagos to Benin.

All suggestions will be appreciated.

Bless you. I've been dying to ask the same question.

Planning to get a Toyota inside

Buy OEM replacement parts for your Honda and you won't have a problem.

If you buy chinese look-alikes which have flooded the Nigerian market, because Honda is extremely popular, then that is when you have that problem.


The difference in price between an original and a look-alike can be pretty large but the price is peace of mind which money cannot buy

Problem not peculiar to Honda but honestly, I would not bet my life on chinese axles or ball joints or upper arms.

And personally I intend to replaced all my axles and arms and shafts at somewhere between 100,000 miles and 150,000 miles with new OEM specs parts for the sake of my peace of mind

I'm no expert but experienced the same ....axle giving way! I was told the problem stems from the lower control arm and that should always be checked out during maintenance. Don't wait for signs...it would most likely be too late. This happened with genuine parts...let alone knock offs. I guess Honda corrected that problem quite a few years ago.

The attached picture is exactly what i'm saying. I got this picture from this thread:

https://www.nairaland.com/1267719/honda-cars-front-wheel-issue

Honda experts and owners please comment.

me don promise my self say i no go buy any honda again my crv gave me hell of a balljoint problem - but the benz never did soo

well Sell it and buy toyota for all i care big error for honda on legs

Usually it does not pull out on high speed or on a smooth road, but on a rough road at slow movement. But always buy OEM parts and forget about cheap parts. I own an accord and always travel with it across the country, no issues at all. Have gone from PH to Kebbi with my accord.

Toyota comes with it's own issues.

No model of car is superior over another, it depends on your maintenance culture.

I have a solution. Cut out ur ballz and replace with your honda ball joint for more lubrication

I like this topic! Have always wondered why honda wont make corrections to this problem. Even in the latest model of honda cars the problem is still there.

That problem is more frequent on CRV (i don't know abt the latest versions). @op, the sign preceeding the pull proper does not happen in a split second, you start by hearing some noise when steer almost full, when you're negotiating from one street to another, then after sometime, the front wheels will start wobbling little by little till it pulls.

The ways to avoid this is to ensure that you check your car out once you start noticing something strange or hear any unusual noise. Don't let it detoriate before fixing it.
Learn to drive your car yourself for you to notice any changes on time, if you're fond of giving everyone your car, this might happen.
Always do your alignment and ensure that they help you check those parts when your car is on the pit.
Most importantly, drive carefully!!!

Contrary to what some people are saying on this thread and recommending OEM parts as solution, the problem is actually a design flaw in honda and is still present in their recent models. The reason being that their major markets in europe and america have good roads and the ball joint problem rarely occurs there and as such the problem is not being taken note of by the manufacturers thus no solution from their end.

As an automobile professional, to avoid such a problem my advice to all honda users is to ensure they change their car ball joints at least once in two years (with original parts) whether the ball joint gives a problem or not especially if your regular route passes through rough roads on a consistent basis. This is because bad roads weakens the ball joints overtime.

colombiana: I have a solution. Cut out ur ballz and replace with your honda ball joint for more lubrication

Captain Dummy....the only cool tin abt u is ur user name.

i used to say i would never buy an accord because of this, i saw a situation on lagos-ibadan highway some months ago...it wasnt nice. imagine getting stranded in the middle of no where, but other than this, i think honda is a very reliable car. i saw the suspension parts of my 07 accord when the vulcanizer was rotating the tires and they looked decent enough. i hope that is sufficient assessment

If there is a problem with the ball joint take it to a doctor not a mechanic or spare parts dealer for treatment. Waiting to hear from you.

Pastor Kun: Contrary to what some people are saying on this thread and recommending OEM parts as solution, the problem is actually a design flaw in honda and is still present in their recent models. The reason being that their major markets in europe and america have good roads and the ball joint problem rarely occurs there and as such the problem is not being taken note of by the manufacturers thus no solution from their end.

As an automobile professional, to avoid such a problem my advice to all honda users is to ensure they change their car ball joints at least once in two years (with original parts) whether the ball joint gives a problem or not especially if your regular route passes through roads on a consistent basis. This is because bad roads weakens the ball joints overtime.

please, can you attach pictures of the problematic parts for some of us to have a better insight or understanding

ping2ping: I have asked this question under Honda maintenance tips thread but did not get a resounding answer.

I have heard even on this forum and from some Honda owners about a problem of faulty ball joints and/or upper arm peculiar with Honda products that results in the front tyre pulling out. If this happens, the vehicle cannot move. That could be very dangerous on a highway or on a very lonely and dangerous road.

Please experienced Honda experts and users, is there a way to prevent this ball joint issue and the tyre pulling out on a high speed? Some say it will give the driver signs but if is ignored then the worst will happen. But the question is, what if it gives the sign on a highway or a very lonely road, benin by-pass for example? I guess thats why Honda vehicles are not used for commercial transportation.

Does it make Honda vehicles useful only for driving within a city?

A friend bought a Honda CRV 1998 before learning about the problem. He has been afraid of traveling from Lagos to Benin.

All suggestions will be appreciated.

You are very correct.About a month back I was on a road in Lekki and I saw two broken down Honda cars within a distance of 5meters and they both had the same ball joint issue.Honda seems to have that factory error.

jmslimx: me don promise my self say i no go buy any honda again my crv gave me hell of a balljoint problem - but the benz never did soo

well Sell it and buy toyota for all i care big error for honda on legs

saw shege wit my crv..4-6 pulls without warnings sef. really embarrasing n distressful as well as dangerous.
Eventually dumped it n got an xterra..interior sucks but a beautiful car nonetheless.
My advice.. dump d car n get something else

U hav heard dem

ping2ping: Honda experts and owners please comment.

I have been a Honda products user. In fact, the ball joints and/or upper arm problem of Honda products issue,I have been a victim for about 4 times and I thank God that all happened while I just made an exit from the highway to a service lane or to my street. One happened on a Sunday and other ones on a week day.
Having experienced this nasty developments of which I had to thank my God because it never happened while on top speed, I took my time to discuss this issue with my mechanic and he advised me that I should always try to change the ball joints before rainy seasons and after rainy if I used the car to enter flooded areas.
Since I adhered to this plan, I have never experienced it for yrs now.
My advise for Honda users is for them to change at least the ball joints once every year and that of the upper arm, the problems experienced are not much as it will give you sign for you to change it. That of the ball joints, it does not give any sign as it can pull of at any time without giving the user any sign.

This is my own personal suggestion as I am not a Honda expert or manufacturer. Just what I experienced because I have most models of Honda products.

Can the vehicle be towed away when this happens? because, i usually see the mechanics repairing the fault on the spot, so the vehicle can be driven away from the area on its own

i have a civic. to avert this problem check the ball joint and upper arms every three months that's if you cant figure the signs out. Don't know about other honda cars, mine makes noise when i drive over little gallops. Its supposed to go through those gallops without noise. Just pay attention to any unusual sound your car makes. I Have been driving mine for over a year now never had the problem i pray i don't. if you travel with your car always check it at least a day before traveling, not to beat down the importance of original replacement parts, if you have a good mechanic he'd tell you how long the parts installed would last based on how and where you drive.

gmyguy: Can the vehicle be towed away when this happens? because, i usually see the mechanics repairing the fault on the spot, so the vehicle can be driven away from the area on its own

sure it can but its usually cheaper to fix it there as the parts are no expensive a ball joint can't be more than NGN2,500.00 upper hand NGN3,000( thats how much i bought mine for my civic)

aku626:
sure it can but its usually cheaper to fix it there as the parts are no expensive a ball joint can't be more than NGN2,500.00 upper hand NGN3,000( thats how much i bought mine for my civic)

Whao I was jst about to get honda civic 2003. I guess have to check toyota camry then.

Am a car dealer, who has Honda cars in stock.........abeg, make una no spoil market ooo

Honda has got cool interior designs and Gadgets while Toyota could be for rigidity......the question is, what is the purpose of owning a car in the first place!!!

IdaraCHODB: Buy OEM replacement parts for your Honda and you won't have a problem.

If you buy chinese look-alikes which have flooded the Nigerian market, because Honda is extremely popular, then that is when you have that problem.


The difference in price between an original and a look-alike can be pretty large but the price is peace of mind which money cannot buy

Problem not peculiar to Honda but honestly, I would not bet my life on chinese axles or ball joints or upper arms.

And personally I intend to replaced all my axles and arms and shafts at somewhere between 100,000 miles and 150,000 miles with new OEM specs parts for the sake of my peace of mind

i dont agree with you because it doesnt happen to toyota cars so why only honda and again toyota is very popular which make chinese part very popular too so why dont we get d same issues with then. honda front tyres keep pulling off you see them on d highway, i guess its only the Pilot that isnt affected

lonelydora: Usually it does not pull out on high speed or on a smooth road, but on a rough road at slow movement. But always buy OEM parts and forget about cheap parts. I own an accord and always travel with it across the country, no issues at all. Have gone from PH to Kebbi with my accord.

Toyota comes with it's own issues.

No model of car is superior over another, it depends on your maintenance culture.

Toyota Production System (TPS) is a management model adopted for teaching management students in advanced countries, and the reason being that they are very meticulous in their manufacturing process. Therefore, the comparison between Toyota and Honda in terms of performance is miles apart. Toyota doesn't hesitate to recall a faulty product from the market; for instance they recalled Toyota camry 2008 (muscle) from the market when there were complaints of cruise control error (the only instance of recall; and was even discovered to be a footmat causing the problem). So when going for reliability; Toyota is the car. I stand to be corrected!

Wow. This thread is so timely. Don't know much abt cars and never been to this section. But my car has been making DS particular sound when I turn d steering fully on reverse. Tot it was shaft prob and went to see DS high flying, highly educated, on air personality mechanic in his glass partitioned office (the first of his kind in the [/s] bush [s] city where I stay). Ironically, the sound disappeared on getting to d mech, which was quite embarrassing but he had d car checked out and well, a whole lotta things I didn't bargain for or complain abt came up as they took a look at d entire car. This included d ball joint, upper and lower arms, tie rod, stabilizer linkage etc apart 4m engine probs. Being a woman and a proper ijebu, decided I'd only fixed the engine issues and ignore d so called ball joints and so. I guess this was d wake up call I needed. Imagine, having ur tire give way in d middle of the road. Odikwa risky. Going to have them fixed.
[b][/b][color=#990000][/color]

Abi NA my mechanic put up this post?

I love honda car I been using mine for 2years now no problem the secret my mechanic told me is to avoid bad road, don't hit pot holes and most of all avoid too many T turns in towns

i got second Honda accord product 2 months back,i love the stability,compactness and its interiors.i used my baby boy for 4yrs now without changing shafts,change ball joint once when i noticed sign on my steering /gallops.i covers about 400Klm every 11 days from PH to enugu.i cant consider any product now bc im comfortable with my accords. [color=#006600][/color]

No wonder my hubby's 2006 CRV is always making noises on the font wheels as i drive it and also when i climb a gallop. Must tell him to replace the ball joints and upper arms. Thanks OP for the tips.