Tie Rod question

[AznGA]

So after bumps, my front suspension sounds like it's loose. It's coming from where the struts are.

The shop told me I need new tie rods.

Is this something I can live with or will this make my suspension collapse one day?

[awfulwaffle]

If a tie rod fails, you are going to have no control at all over the wheel on the side that it fails at. This could lead to subsequent damage of the ball joint, lower control arm, cv joints and axle, and a whole bunch of other suspension components that I don't feel compelled to list (and I don't currently know half their proper names :D). I've seen this happen personally on a friend's Toyota Tacoma, and he ended up sitting in the middle of the road with one of his wheels turned out at a 90 degree angle. Needless to say, the simultaneous failure of both tie rods would be much worse, as you'd have absolutely NO directional control of the vehicle as you tried to bring it to a stop.

I suppose the danger of driving with them depends on how worn they are and how long you've been hearing the noise. The same thing happened on my GA, and i drove on them for 2 or 3 weeks before I brought the car to the dealer to have them both replaced under warranty.

I'd just play it safe and have them both done now, on your terms, rather than later when your car could potentially take a nosedive into the pavement.

Hope that helps,
and everyone feel free to correct me if I missed something or got something wrong
(although I hope I didn't, as I am in the process of studying for all of the ASE Automobile tests, and I just got done with A4 - Steering and Suspension)