GMC Control Arm

• If your vehicle ‘wanders’ while braking and makes popping noises during acceleration, there’s a possibility that your vehicle needs a GMC control arm replacement.
• General Motors Co. manufactures parts under its own brands, GM Genuine Parts and ACDelco.
• Aside from its own manufacturing brands, GM also works with a network of third-party manufacturers called OEMs.
• OE replacement parts are produced by any other company that is not affiliated with the automaker.
• OE replacement control arms are functionally equivalent to their OEM counterparts. They are more widely available and generally cost less to purchase, as well.
• The cost of a replacement control arm will vary depending on your vehicle’s specific model year and generation. In general, an OE replacement control arm may cost you $100 for an individual upper or lower control arm and up to $500 for a complete kit.

General Motors Co. (GM) is one of the largest and most successful automakers in the world. The company manufactures vehicles under 10 different brands, helping it become one of the leaders in worldwide vehicle sales for almost 80 years. One of its most successful brands is GMC, which specializes in manufacturing SUVs, vans, crossovers, and trucks.

GMC vehicles have a reputation as heavy-duty vehicles and workhorses. This is why most drivers don’t think much about the kind of abuse that driving over potholes and rough terrain can do⁠—at least, until they feel their vehicles ‘wander’ while braking and make popping noises during acceleration. If your vehicle experiences these symptoms, there’s a possibility that your vehicle needs a GMC control arm replacement.

General Motors Co. manufactures parts under its own brands, GM Genuine Parts and ACDelco. These companies produce the parts that are used during vehicle assembly, as well as the genuine parts sold at GMC dealerships and authorized retailers.

Aside from its own manufacturing brands, GM also works with a network of third-party manufacturers for components that they don’t produce in-house. These companies are referred to as Original Equipment Manufacturers or OEMs. Companies like Compuware, Laird Group PLC, and Bose Corp. are some of GM’s top suppliers.

You may have heard of OEM and OE replacement parts during your search for a GMC control arm. While these two are quite similar, they have a few differences that may help you choose one over the other.
OEM and OE replacement parts are functionally equivalent. This means that OE replacement parts are designed to fit and work just like the parts that came with your vehicle when it rolled off the assembly line. So why are OEM parts more expensive than OE replacement parts?

The answer lies in who manufactured the parts. As discussed previously, OEM parts are manufactured by either GM or any of its licensed suppliers. On the other hand, OE replacement parts are produced by any other company that is not affiliated with the automaker.

The price of an OE replacement control arm can be lower than its OEM counterpart because more than one manufacturer can produce the same part. Competition not only drives prices down, but it also offers wider availability for parts that usually take several days or weeks to order at a dealership.  

The cost of a replacement control arm will vary depending on your vehicle’s specific model year and generation. In general, an individual upper or lower OE replacement control arm may cost you $100, while a complete kit can set you back up to $500. Most control arm kits include both upper and lower control arms, ball joints, sway bar links, and tie rod ends.

Get your vehicle back on the road faster by getting your parts from CarParts.com. Our catalog has a wide selection of control arms for different GMC models. Let’s say you’re looking for a 2007 GMC Sierra 1500 upper control arm—all you need to do is plug this information into our website’s vehicle selector to narrow down the results to all compatible parts.