Just had my emissions/safety inspection done. Mechanic told me the ball joint on the pass. side was a little loose and should be replaced soon. Does this sound resonable? My truck is an 08 xlt, 4wd, 4.0 with only 31000 miles on it! Seems they should last longer than that!
I plan on replacing with greasable ones if necessary, but don't want the mechanic to be pulling a fast one on me!

 

Well its fairly easy to tell if the ball joint is actually bad or not. Easiest way to go out and pull on the tire back and forth. If it 'pops' or makes any noise then it prolly needs replacing.

 

It's definitely possible to be worn out... I had to do an upper in my truck with just a little more mileage than that.

 

Balljoints on a ranger 1998+ cannot be checked by moving the tire at 12 and 6. If they are loose enough to have play at that point, they are about ready to fall off.

Raise and support the vehicle with jackstands by the lower control arm, so the suspension is loaded. Pry down on the upper ball joint and look for play in either ball joint. If you have more than 1/8-14" play up and down in either ball joint, they need to be replaced.