This week-end I helped a friend of mine check his alignment. We noticed his front driver's-side upper control arm was loose, and after taking it off, we could see that one side of the joint had collapsed.

Two days later, I'm at the garage to have some brackets welded, and notice the same arm on my JK looks a little odd. So we take it off, and my joint had collapsed too! I can tell you that all my control arms have always been torqued properly, and never by air gun. So I'm thinking this must be some kind of defect, and others must have the same problem... Here's what the failed joint looks like - note the mushrooming:



js.

 

well i can say i have never heard of that happening. unless they are over tightened. but nothing would pass me with it being a jeep and the word defect. time for some upgrades

 

It's a FT thing. Mine looked like that six months after I installed it. I found it when I was replacing my first set of bushings. FT sent me some new washers, so I just replaced them, packed the joint full of grease and haven't checked them since.
Contact Jeremiah at Hanson Offroad. They are a sponsor here and are reps for FT. I talk ed to them about replacing my fourth set of bushings (did you check the bushings?) and he said he would help. Seems like a good guy.

 

where exactly is the mushrooming? im not too familiar with the joints yet....

 

Also looks like a cut/crack/grove by the clip on the joint.

 

I too have had bushings on rear right control arms literally split in half! I gotta go check my joints too now!

 

False alert guys, sorry. I later realized that BOTH ends of the front upper control arm should be torques to 75 ft/lbs. I was tightening the joint end to 125 lbs. With all the mods I've done, I guess an error like this was bound to happen. :-) Sorry for the false alarm.

js.