Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting suspension part help

I need help identifying a rear suspension part. I have a 96 Contour SE. Looking from the rear, underneath are two arms about 3 ft long. One end of each arm is bolted in the center of the car. The other end is bolted closer to the wheel hub. These arms are made from ~1/8-in steel and formed into a "w shape on its side".

For someone who doesn't know any better, this might be a tempting place to jack when changing a tire. Jacking here will bend this arm causing a very noticeable pull and loose, squirrely feel when driving because the wheel is now obviously bent clear out of alignment! This is exactly what a local shop did to me when simply repairing a tire.

Question 1: What is this arm called?

Question 2: Can this part be heated and bent back into shape satisfactorily or does it need to be replaced with new to fix it right?

Question 3: Will I need an alignment done after repair or replacement? I appreciate any suggestions from someone with experience here. Thank you.

#1. It is called a control arm. It is usually referred to as the rear control arm. There's actually another control arm just a few inches in front of it, that's sometimes referred to as the forward control arm.

#2. I suppose the correct answer would be to replace it with a new one. However, I straightened mine without heating it. I had the same problem you are describing...both arms were bent like crazy. I removed the control arms, placed them on a metal vise, and beat and banged with large hammers until I finally got them into a nearly perfect condition.

#3. If you want the alignment to be correct, you'll probably need an alignment. I suppose that if the alignment was perfect before the control arms were bent, and if you restore the arms to their original condition, the alignment should also be correct. However, that's a lot of 'ifs'. The only thing we can adjust on these cars is the toe-in, which is a fairly straightforward adjustment.

Good luck.

Thanks for the quick reply. The thing is I picked up my car with a bill in it and no note or phone call about any problems.
I realized something was obviously wrong when I started driving. Either the manager didn't know about it or hoped I wouldn't notice. Anyway, it is going back to the shop first and I will insist on a new part and an alignment, which they don't do there. I just wanted to sound like I knew what I was talking about first. Thanks again!

Don't fix it yourself! That shop owes you a control arm, and should put it in for you.