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Front Diff Pinion Bearing Failure

Acob720

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20k miles. Front differential bearing failure…

Truck has had a 1.5inch motofab leveling kit on it for 3 months and 2K miles. And slightly larger tires than stock (tremor size, 275/70 R18). All installed at a Ford dealer.

Repaired after 10 days at a different dealer.

With all of the level kits that have been installed on trucks on this forum, is this a common issue?

I have a hard time believing it is, but according to the service advisor, that is likely the cause.

Interestingly, it was repaired under warranty with a ?.

Seriously questioning if I should restore back to stock to avoid future issues. I know… CRAZY TALK. ?

Ford F-150 Front Diff Pinion Bearing Failure C27FCF4B-564A-4BB7-B81D-5C05FAAF9FE2
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Bluesman

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Could just be a material failure that was waiting to happen or the factory setup of the gear set was incorrect. Always a good idea to change the axle fluids after the break in period too...
 

Gros Ventre

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Ahy leveling or raising kit installed may change the angle of the shaft from the transfer case to the differential. That runs a risk of loading the pinion bearing in a way it was not designed for. That may be the cause. Go look at this angle and see if it changed after the install.
 

JTyler22

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I have the same problem. 2022 with 20k miles. Noticed a slight vibration/buzzing in the pedals and a noise similar to a wheel bearing. Checked the front diff fluid and it looked like glitter. Dealer said the pinion bearing in the front diff went bad. 2” leveling kit and 295/70/18’s. I’m hoping it’s a defect from the factory
 

krazyankee321

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Any update on this? I have a 2” level and have constant grinding feeling/ low pitch growling at highway speeds.
 

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TexasTruck

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My 2018 and 2020 both had their front pinion bearing replaced. Both trucks were factory configuration. I don’t know if miles plays a part, but 2018=13,300 and 2020=6700 miles.

The noise was rotational in nature. Meaning it could be heard/sensed coming to a stop, in gear or neutral, didn’t matter. At highway speed, my trucks had so much wind and road noise I couldn’t tell, I’m sure it was though. After one trip home from work (36 mi. commute) I crawled under the front and grabbed a hold of the front pinion/yoke and boy was it hotter it should have been.

Regarding leveling kits, some trims lock the front hubs all time (maybe just 4A equipped). If that includes the front axle, then I suppose the increase angle from the lift changes the pinion to front drive shaft angle. On my 2.0”Ford Performance/Bilstein kit, mine increased 2.1 degrees. I don’t believe that increase would cause a pinion bearing issue. There are so many trucks running around with leveling kits on them we hear the pinion failures happening all the time.

I think it’s more of a defect than anything. In my 2018 and 2020 case, just my luck more that anything.
 

HammaMan

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A leveling kit has nothing to do with the angle of the propeller shaft / pinion angle. It does change the angle of CV joints on the half shafts, which this situation has nothing to do with. Given the front diff grenading we've see, it's likely a result of the diff housing itself.
 

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Hello,

I do not own an F150, but a 2023 Navigator with just 20,000 miles on it and it is used for livery work thus the amount of miles. I did a Google search and found this thread so I just wanted to add more information.

The Navigator developed a whirring sound almost as if I had placed off-road tires on it, however, the tires were all-season and had come with the truck. The tires were in good condition. At first I thought and hoped it was a hub and bearing. The service at all of the various dealerships is horrible and they just would not schedule me in. So I brought it to a local independent mechanic who took the time to test drive it, put a stethoscope on it and examined the front differential fluid. The fluid was glittering with metal. Now the vehicle is at the dealership and I was told it could be 2 weeks or more to fix!!!

Keep in mind I do not have a leveling kit or any modifications on this SUV. It does use the same front differential as the F150.

I did different Google searches and found this condition is happening on 2021, 2022 and now 2023 F150 trucks as well as Expeditions and Navigators.

My feelings on this issue cant be any more negative and so I will leave it at that. Im feeling burned by the entire situation. Im kind of wondering if they will replace the differential with a modified revised unit or will it be a similar unit where 20,000 miles from now there is another problem.

I will monitor this thread. Please feel free to ask any questions. I can tell you it seems like all the transmission and engine issues have been resolved in this model year. I NEVER had any bearing issues of any kind in previous vehicles. Im disappointed that this has been happening since year 2021 and here we are 2 years later and its still happening.

In fact when this is resolved I will post up the paperwork from the dealership as well as a summary of the dealership experience and I can tell you so far any time I have dealt with a dealership its been a problem. I will warn you that most likely my summary will not be a positive one, but more like a 1 star type of deal.
 
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fordtruckman2003

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Had front pinion seal leak and found numerous threads with that issue often on Lariat trim. To my knowledge the bearing is okay but I'll be looking at oil soon to see if it's "glitter." Mainly just want to ensure dealer filled it correctly. I don't think there is a reason to be concerned as seals and bearings fail all the time. Sucks when it happens to your ride though.
 

Navigator

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The Lincoln Navigator, Ford F150, Ford Expedition and Ford Raptor share the same front differential. At 20,000 miles I started hearing a humming noise which I thought was front wheel bearing or the tires. It was the front differential.

I have the Navigator.

The dealership took 1 month to fix it blaming it on parts issues. However I know they took a week to look at it and learned through Lincoln they had all the parts on August 6th. Had the dealership service department been on the ball this would have been a two week job at most. They turned it into a month.

Here is the writeup from the dealer...

Ford F-150 Front Diff Pinion Bearing Failure 20230822_141327
 

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fordtruckman2003

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The Lincoln Navigator, Ford F150, Ford Expedition and Ford Raptor share the same front differential. At 20,000 miles I started hearing a humming noise which I thought was front wheel bearing or the tires. It was the front differential.

I have the Navigator.

The dealership took 1 month to fix it blaming it on parts issues. However I know they took a week to look at it and learned through Lincoln they had all the parts on August 6th. Had the dealership service department been on the ball this would have been a two week job at most. They turned it into a month.

Here is the writeup from the dealer...

20230822_141327.jpg
Seems it would have been easier to swap the differential. How did bolts get cross threaded was there prior work done?
 

Snakebitten

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Pretty sure there's enough evidence at this point to assume there's something inferior about the front differential compared to previous years. Especially considering the "batch" of trucks that had cases literally busting into pieces.

No way were all those fellas boost launching and denying it.

I'm not trying to bust mine. But I have decided to use it in all 3 4WD modes weekly on my dirt road just to give it an opportunity to reveal if I have a fragile one.
 

fordtruckman2003

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Pretty sure there's enough evidence at this point to assume there's something inferior about the front differential compared to previous years. Especially considering the "batch" of trucks that had cases literally busting into pieces.

No way were all those fellas boost launching and denying it.

I'm not trying to bust mine. But I have decided to use it in all 3 4WD modes weekly on my dirt road just to give it an opportunity to reveal if I have a fragile one.
Apparently from what I read in another thread you just need to be in 4H and back into a driveway to grenade the front differential. Something I've done in winter for years in my old 2011 because I never shovel the driveway.
 

Snakebitten

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I have backed UP into the barn in 4A multiple times. And I can see the torque being sent to the front clearly.

It's a steep climb too. (image makes it look tamer. But RWD will just spin backing up)

So far, so good. 17,000 miles.

Ford F-150 Front Diff Pinion Bearing Failure 20230712_194235
 
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HammaMan

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Pretty sure there's enough evidence at this point to assume there's something inferior about the front differential compared to previous years. Especially considering the "batch" of trucks that had cases literally busting into pieces.

No way were all those fellas boost launching and denying it.
Honestly that's about one of the easiest things for the front end to survive. The aluminum diff housing isn't up to the job. It'd be one thing if off road built trucks were grenading them, but they're just randomly being destroyed as well as failing under load.
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