Ball joint for Volvo 700, 900, and V90 tailgate dampers
17.07.2026
The Volvo station wagons in the 700 and 900 series are, as is well known, true cargo champions and are still valued by many today as practical and comfortable everyday cars. The large tailgate and the highly usable cargo area make them something of a “Swiss Army knife” among station wagons.
If the tailgate won’t stay open, the gas springs can be replaced quickly—something that’s much more complicated on many newer vehicles. What’s often overlooked, however, is the small ball joint on the D-pillar, onto which the ball socket of the gas spring is mounted. Yet this component doesn’t have it all that easy. It has to absorb considerable forces and is often neglected. Hardly anyone thinks to lubricate the ball joint or check that the bolt is tight.
Admittedly, broken bolts are rare. But if the bolts loosen unnoticed, it’s only a matter of time before the thread in the D-pillar or on the bolt itself is stripped. The force exerted by the gas spring is not insignificant. Occasionally, the cage nut in the D-pillar also gets shaken loose and simply disappears into the depths of the pillar. Replacing the nut in this location requires a great deal of patience and skill. The author of this article has had to do this before…
If the bolt is loose or needs to be replaced, it is essential to apply threadlocker to the threads. Otherwise, the ball-end bolt tends to come loose again quite quickly. And a little silicone grease on the ball makes life much easier for the bolt.
We had the ball stud remanufactured based on the original design, as it is no longer available from the vehicle manufacturer. The ball stud is now available in our shop under the part number 1002683.
Compatible with the following vehicles:
- Volvo 740, 760 5-door: all models
- Volvo 940, 960 5-door: all models
- Volvo V90 (pre-1998): all models
