Alex,

Just a few more things to think about, since your symptoms are nearly identical to what I experienced this summer. I also, in addition to my ball joint/tie rod problems, had a "rattling" or "thumping" noise in my front passenger suspension area. I could feel the "thump" or "pop" in the floor board under my feet on occassion when I heard the noises. The eventual diagnosis was a bad guide rod mount at the fire wall, as well as a bad bushing at the control arm end of the guide rod. The theory was my front end was way out of alignment as a result of these bushings going bad. Once the alignment was done, the bushings were basically useless (worn flat, torn, etc.) and the guide rod was "rattling" or "thumping".

Hopefully all you need is a good alignment (makes a world of difference!) but the rattling noise sounds oddly familiar.....