There will be many types of noises when a ball joint starts failing and these can gradually aggravate and be more pronounced to the ears. If at first, there is a clanging or knocking sound from the car, it perhaps shows that the ball joints have started failing. Slowly, there can also be vibrations on the left, right or either sides of the car due to the ball becoming lose in its socket. As time passes, it can also lead to wandering steering symptoms. All of these signs point to a failing ball joint that must be addressed at the earliest.