2 years ago, the front left, drivers side ball joint broke, I had to have the SUV towed and had the left ball joint repaired and also had the right ball joint also replaced. Exactly 2 years later, vehicle has been driven approx 20,000 miles. Now the left ball joint has broken again and had to be towed back to the garage for repair. Is this typical for the ball joint to break again after only 2 years?

Hello, 

Thank you for writing in, and great question. It is unusual for ball joints to fail that frequently, and there are several things that need to be considered. First, you will want to know what kind of warranty there was on the parts and labor. You may want to reach out to the repair shop who did the work, and ask them if you are covered. If not, you will have to pay for a second repair. 

If the replacements were low quality ball joints, or there was any type of damage done to the ball joints, this would be a better reason for them to fail in such a short amount of time. How the vehicle is driven and where the vehicle is driven may also need to be taken into account. Ball joints are subject to fail if they are constantly put under a lot of stress from potholes, bumpy roads, bumping into or rubbing up on curbs, and other similar conditions. However, quality replacement ball joints should last longer even under such conditions. You may want to consider a second opinion from a different technician, rather than going back to the same repair shop. Good luck!