While having my tires balanced, the mechanic mentioned that my right/front sway bar link is broken. I see it's a common problem reported here, and that there's a TSB about it.

The TSB says that even with a broken link, "Steering and/or handling is not effected under normal driving conditions."

So what conditions ARE affected by a broken link then? Do you generally only notice some sort of difference when cornering really hard or something?

And does anyone have a ballpark idea of the dealer cost to repair with the upgraded part?

 

under normal driving correct, no significant effect. You may feel some more body roll, but nothing too serious. You will however get degraded handling if doing any fast turns or in some cases inclement weather. I suggest getting the broken one replaced.

It is a very easy part to replace, literally 2 nuts to remove on the endlink. Check the used parts section here to see if anyone is selling some OEM endlinks, they can be had for cheap.