A method for producing a vehicle component (10), in which a joint housing (1) is inserted in a predetermined insertion direction (13) into a through-hole (12) of a structural component (11). The insertion of the joint housing (1) into the through-hole (12) in the insertion direction (13) terminates when an stop element (6) of the joint housing (1) abuts against the structural component (11). After the insertion, the joint housing (1) is connected to the structural component (11) in a materially-merged manner. To reduce the complexity and/or the production costs, the method includes the joint housing (1) being inserted into the through-hole (12) with its housing bottom (4) first.

A sealing bellows includes a casing. The casing includes a rubber-elastic material, which includes an edge region at the front side on both sides. A clamping ring for fastening the sealing bellows to a machine element is arranged in at least one of the edge regions. The clamping ring is formed by an annular disk which, viewed in the circumferential direction, has a meander-like configuration.

A ball joint includes: a ball stud including a stud portion having one end portion connected to a structural member and another end portion, to which a ball portion is integrally joined; a housing made of metal and configured to support the ball portion to allow swinging and rotating movement of the ball portion; and a ball seat made of plastic and interposed between the housing and the ball portion. The ball seat includes a plurality of protrusions jutting out from the ball seat and inserted into a plurality of through holes formed in a bottom portion of the housing. The protrusions having pierced through the through holes are staked at their distal portions. The protrusion of the ball seat has a large diameter portion, whose diameter is larger than an inner diameter of the through hole, at its proximal portion proximal from the distal portion thereof.

A tie rod boot includes a minimally thick accordion shaped bellows section. One terminal end of the boot is secured to a steering mechanism and the other is secured to a tie rod. Protuberances are provided and are strategically located on the bellows walls for resisting impacts from rocks and other debris and minimizing holes through the tie rod. When the bellows is retracted and pairs of opposing bellows walls collapse towards each other, the protuberances of adjacent opposing walls nest with each other and contact the opposing wall. The protuberances can be step shaped rings or a ring of discrete protuberances which are step shaped or both. The step shaped protuberances are defined by a riser surface extending along a plane which is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the boot and a tread annular surface which is substantially parallel with the longitudinal axis.

A floating joint includes a driving side coupling portion and a driven side coupling portion serving as first and second connections. A pressure adjusting structure in the floating joint is provided between the bottom surface exposed region of the spherical portion for contact and the bottom surface facing region of a fixing ring without a gap, and has elasticity. Therefore, the floating joint relatively firmly maintains the one-side spherical contact relationship, in which the top region of the spherical portion for contact contacts a part of the bottom surface portion of the frame body by the elastic force of the pressure adjusting structure.

A sealing element for a ball joint has a sealing area on the housing side and a sealing area a distance away therefrom in an axial direction of the sealing element on the stud side. Arranged between the housing-side sealing area and the stud-side sealing area is an outlet opening which extends through the sealing element to allow the passage of spent lubricant. The outlet opening extends in the axial direction of the sealing element, passing all the way through the sealing element in the axial direction. Further, the sealing element is incorporated in a ball joint which is incorporated in a two-point control arm.

A dust cover for a ball joint includes a seal structure on a small-diameter opening section that prevents dust lip lift off during compression. The seal structure includes a seal lip and a dust lip that elastically abut against a seal surface located between a knuckle and a stud of the ball joint. The dust lip has an axial length in contact with a sloping part of the seal surface of 0.5 mm to 1.0 mm. Further, a tip of the dust lip is axially spaced apart from a tip of the seal lip by 0.5 mm to 1.2 mm.

A joint has a housing with journal openings, an inner joint portion with a bearing area, which is fitted into the housing and extends axially out of the housing through the openings. A bearing body is arranged in and firmly connected to the housing which encloses the bearing body and comprises plastic. The inner joint portion is fitted and able to move within the body. Sealing bellows surround the inner joint portion and extend from a bearing-body-side bellows contact area, provided on the body or the housing, to an inner-joint-portion-side bellows contact area, provided on the inner joint portion. A sleeve is provided, on at least one of the bellows contact areas, that surrounds the inner joint portion and extends axially. The sleeve surrounds the bellows or is surrounded by the bellows, and has, at an axial end, a radial limb against which the bellows is axially supported.

A steering assembly of a vehicle, including a connecting rod, one end of which includes a steering ball joint, a hub element of a wheel of the vehicle, and a sealing bellows which is positioned between the steering ball joint and the hub element, wherein the steering assembly further includes at least one sealing element which has an insulation face in contact with the hub element and a sliding face in contact with the sealing bellows.

A ball joint has a ball stud, a housing and a ball seat. The seat is an elastic body in a tubular shape with the top and the bottom being open, and has a spherical space to accommodate a ball portion. The housing has a spherical inner face that is close to an outer periphery of the ball portion, to accommodate the ball portion in the inner face via the seat so as to support the ball stud. A clamped portion arranged at a peripheral end of the housing is clamped to press the seat so that the ball stud can be swung and rotated.