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Can anyone tell me what this is (part failure on axle)......?

Louis

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Hi All

Have had some issues with the electrics relating to the screen, door handles not unlocking etc so asked the dealer to look at it whilst in for a service.

I also told them about a rattle coming from my passenger side rear wheel that had been getting louder.

So I went in to pick up the truck at the end of the day after it being serviced and the rattle was a bigger issue than thought. The associate showed me a part from my axle that had clearly failed/sheared off and was floating around/rattling. By the rounding of the end of the bolt it had been like that for a while.

2022-02-16 17.01.51.jpg
2022-02-16 17.01.56.jpg


They wouldn't give me back the truck as it was deemed unsafe to drive and told me that they would investigate a replacement part and look into it further....

Today I'm told a case has been raised with Ford as it's a design issue and alternative solutions are being investigated rather than putting the same part back in again..... along with replacing the axle....

As they aren't telling me very much, does anyone know what this actually bolts to/does on the hub/axle?

Thanks
I have a 2021 max tow. It was built in October 2020 in Dearborn Michigan.
May I ask your build date and where it was built? Also what has been resolved with your truck?
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Mhubbardva1

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My 2021 Lariat Powerboost is now impounded at the dealer. The axle bolt head sheared off and was rattling around in the passenger side rear wheel. Part on back order until mid to late June. Ford will not even diagnose all the other problems including the transmission until the axle is replaced. Claim it is unsafe to drive. Max Tow seems to be the common denominator.
 

discothan

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Called the rep today.... not getting much info but apparently confirmed axle/hub being replaced.... the question now everyone is asking is with WHAT? Might be a while until they figure it out...

Got a 2020 STX loaner from the dealer today with a lift kit and knobbly tires.... while they sort it out


:rolleyes:
need some pics!
 

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LosingFaith

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Same stuff all around. 2021 lariat max tow power boost. Passenger rear bolt sheared off. Axel makes a terrible noise. Service manager said it was no big deal. Asked to talk to a tech, then they impounded the truck until they get a back ordered axle. Now I’m driving my 94 land cruiser with 317000 miles on it that has never had a single problem.
 

Pedaldude

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What mileage are people having this failure at?

Looks like Ford either went with the lowest bidder on this bolt, or they’re torquing the bolt wrong.

You would think that it would be easier to swap out the bolt before it breaks.

I already need to wait for Ford to come up with new windshield wiper motors for that recall. It would be nice if there were a TSB addressing this by then.
 

{tpc}

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I just had my 2022 in for first oil change and tire rotation at 4500 miles. It is a max tow unit. Luckily I didn't have this failure. Either that or they missed it, but I don't believe they would. Guess I'll find out in a couple weeks when I tow my trailer. But I haven't head any odd sounds or anything, so maybe I'm just in the lucky group..for now anyway.
 

My 2ND Ford

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What mileage are people having this failure at?

Looks like Ford either went with the lowest bidder on this bolt, or they’re torquing the bolt wrong.

You would think that it would be easier to swap out the bolt before it breaks.

I already need to wait for Ford to come up with new windshield wiper motors for that recall. It would be nice if there were a TSB addressing this by then.
I wonder if the bolt itself is at fault or is there stress inside the axle that causes the bolt to fail. If I remember from all the posts, the passenger side seems to be a common denominator . Also, why replace the entire axle assembly when it should be possible to just replace the bolt. There seems to be more to this than just a failing bolt.
 

{tpc}

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I wonder if the bolt itself is at fault or is there stress inside the axle that causes the bolt to fail. If I remember from all the posts, the passenger side seems to be a common denominator . Also, why replace the entire axle assembly when it should be possible to just replace the bolt. There seems to be more to this than just a failing bolt.
I think it would have to do with the way things are "recalled". I am sure they don't want a recall situation, but if a bolt is stress fracturing, they would have to go to the manufacturer of said bolt and go through the testing info, spot check current ones, check ones on the line, determine a clean build date and all of that. Likely to happen anyway, as people posting here are just a small subset of what could be happening real world.

Then, lets say there are 2500 bolts that are suspect, they might just wait it out rather than issue the recall. I'm sure issuing a recall is probably the last thing they ever want to do, so there is bound to be politics involved.

Has anyone had anything bad happen as a result of this bolt breaking? Is it possible the rear end can hold everything together even if the bolt breaks?

Edit: I would also add that even if the rear end can keep it all together, the bolt breaking could induce extra wear on the internals, which may be why they replace the whole thing. And the bolt breaking might not be a bolt issue, it could be a over torque issue.
 

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Bryan Simon

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So, after seeing the picture, what exactly is holding that hub in place?
Is it mounted similar to my old Crown Vic front bearings and the bearing/hub all retained within a housing?
 

Pedaldude

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Ford F-150 Can anyone tell me what this is (part failure on axle)......? 96C45FA1-68DB-4E71-88C7-077A9098D2D2
Ford F-150 Can anyone tell me what this is (part failure on axle)......? 33C76243-805D-41D0-BD53-748B9B0FE911
Ford F-150 Can anyone tell me what this is (part failure on axle)......? 05C7B6CC-4D1C-4F0D-A823-6275FFFF7A1A
Ford F-150 Can anyone tell me what this is (part failure on axle)......? 93D18FC2-3E21-4870-B935-56AAA0C3F579
Ford F-150 Can anyone tell me what this is (part failure on axle)......? 807B0BFF-B508-4A0D-8A93-2B5BDEA5AD68
Ford F-150 Can anyone tell me what this is (part failure on axle)......? 6254E0D7-6BF2-4685-A5A7-3B8B140E7D4B


On the left is a full floating axle, the right is a 3/4 floating similar to the Max tow axle.

If you break an axle on the 3/4 floating, your vertical loads are still held by the spindle and wheel bearing but the axial loads are now just held by the friction of the splines as well as the brake caliper mount bolts.

On a semi-floating axle, the radial and axial load is all on the axle shaft, so if it breaks; it’s bad news. Sometimes the axle will even walk out of the housing, snap and the whole wheel and brake assembly is ripped from the axle.

With this issue, it looks like it’s just the bolt shearing off for some reason.
 

Pedaldude

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If the backordered RH axles are any indication, it could be that only the RH bolts are breaking.

However, in a live rear axle, the passenger side wheel lives a harder life; it loses traction before the left rear wheel because of axle hop caused by driveshaft rotation in addition to the tighter right hand turns that happen in countries that drive on the right hand side of the road. Stress reversals from quickly gaining and losing traction are much worse for metal fatigue than a constant torque load.

My guess is that they are changing the axle only because they aren’t capable of properly extracting the bolt and the fact that not only are they not paying for the repair but they are being paid flat rate for a job that a decent mechanic can rush through in half the book time.

Ford F-150 Can anyone tell me what this is (part failure on axle)......? 9D63BABA-7707-49C6-94C8-3041F1AA2398
Ford F-150 Can anyone tell me what this is (part failure on axle)......? B609E486-1123-419B-8A94-FB77DE0E994E
 

SpicySwan

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Is this issue on certain build dates? I have a 21 maxtow PB 2wd with the 3.55 rear locker the sticker shows 10/4/21
 

notabot

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Anyone know if this is a torque to yield bolt or can it be loosened and then torqued to spec?
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