Sheared axle bolt - 3.73 locking rear end

[KevinW]

Hello,
I have fallen victim to the sheared axle bolt issue plaguing these locking rear ends. My 2021 PowerBoost is sitting inoperable at my dealer pending a back ordered axle shaft assembly. The fulfillment date I was given is September 16th. I‘ve done enough research to see this is a common problem but with a quick search did not see much posted on this forum. I am not satisfied with the level of support coming from Ford and plan on escalating consumer awareness to the issues surrounding the new F-150’s. I’m looking to gather information or hear from others experiencing the same or similar problems, rendering their trucks inoperable.
Thanks,
Kevin

Sponsored

 

[Zengineer]

Hello,
I have fallen victim to the sheared axle bolt issue plaguing these locking rear ends. My 2021 PowerBoost is sitting inoperable at my dealer pending a back ordered axle shaft assembly. The fulfillment date I was given is September 16th. I‘ve done enough research to see this is a common problem but with a quick search did not see much posted on this forum. I am not satisfied with the level of support coming from Ford and plan on escalating consumer awareness to the issues surrounding the new F-150’s. I’m looking to gather information or hear from others experiencing the same or similar problems, rendering their trucks inoperable.
Thanks,
Kevin

It's known here. It's specific to the unique 3/4 floating rear axle that comes with Max Tow which I'm assume you have, not the fact that it is the 3.73 locking per se.

https://www.f150gen14.com/forum/threads/can-anyone-tell-me-what-this-is-part-failure-on-axle.8963/

And here

https://www.f150gen14.com/forum/threads/f150-powerboost-axle-bolt-sheared-off.10392/

Have at it...but "fallen victim"?

 

[Pedaldude]

Have at it...but "fallen victim"?

While dramatic, the usage is idiomatically correct:

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fall victim to

Just like when a person says that the dealership fucked them; it’s not what really happened

That’s why people hate learning English as a second language. They learn the actual meanings to the words and then find out that nearly every conversation involves a euphemism, idiom or sarcasm.

]

 

[Zengineer]

While dramatic, the usage is idiomatically correct:

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fall victim to

Just like when a person says that the dealership fucked them; it’s not what really happened

That’s why people hate learning English as a second language. They learn the actual meanings to the words and then find out that nearly every conversation involves a euphemism, idiom or sarcasm.

]

Yes, but based on the fact that a search for "axle bolt" turns up the info already here I sensed alone and done drive-by drama post.

 

[Vin]

That’s why people hate learning English as a second language. They learn the actual meanings to the words and then find out that nearly every conversation involves a euphemism, idiom or sarcasm.

I'm not an idiom. You're an idiom.

 

[Pedaldude]

I'm not an idiom. You're an idiom.

Zip your lips, I’m cool as a cucumber

Idioms these days aren’t what they’re cracked up to be.

What do you get when you cross an idiom with a Freudian slip?
Six of one and a half dozen of your mother.

Yes, but based on the fact that a search for "axle bolt" turns up the info already here I sensed alone and done drive-by drama post.

Still no need to make a straw man of his choice of phrase and clutch one’s pearls

At least it was a few pages back on the subforum, I ‘member during the heyday of the rusty axle thread where it was the number one topic; yet still there were random people who looked under their trucks and rushed to post a new thread. Fun times! I miss those innocent days when we only worried about Ford being cheap and not properly painting their axle housings; rather than snapped bolts, unrealized wiper motor recalls and forced deletion of popular options.

Also, the guy invoked the plague in the same sentence but you took exception to ‘fallen victim to?’

I should be out having a beer but I’m here trying to make bad jokes on a truck forum.

 

[Vin]

I should be out having a beer but I’m here trying to make bad jokes on a truck forum.

Agreed. All so, they're are defiantly two many idioms a round hear.

 

[RyanStroeder]

Looks like same issue on Mach E and they're getting a recall :https://fordauthority.com/2022/09/2022-ford-mustang-mach-e-recalled-over-rear-axle-half-shaft-issue/

 

[Buyer2021]

Looks like same issue on Mach E and they're getting a recall :https://fordauthority.com/2022/09/2022-ford-mustang-mach-e-recalled-over-rear-axle-half-shaft-issue/

The referenced Mach E recall / failure is not at all similar to the F150 3/4 floater 'broken bolt' issue (the failure is of a totally different nature, read the linked documents).

rmisc-22v646-2999-pdf.78035

rcak-22v646-4102-pdf.78033

rclrpt-22v646-5647-pdf.78034

 

[thebigdu]

2022 Job 1 PB Max Tow here. Would I hear an obvious grinding noise if this happens on my truck, or are there other symptoms to look out for? I suspect I have a rear wheel out-of-balance, but I'm assuming a sheared axle bolt would be a bit more obvious.

 

[Buyer2021]

2022 Job 1 PB Max Tow here....

IMO the most definitive and relatively easy check of your truck's 'bolt status' is to remove the wheels and apply direct observation. If you need an excuse to develop the good habit of regular tire rotation, this could be it.

A failed bolt will be immediatly obvious, there are numerous forum posts with pics of what you are looking for, this is one of many examples (pic linked from a different forum):

There's no guarantee of an immediate 'audible' or other 'obvious' indicator, some folks have reported being unaware of the failure until a wheel was removed for other reasons, revealing the discovery.

 

[cptn12]

The real question is, are all of you that this has happened to reporting it to http://nhtsa.gov/ as a safety issue? I have reported mine and encourage others to do the same.

 

[Mosey]

Me too

 

[Porpoise Hork]

2022 Job 1 PB Max Tow here. Would I hear an obvious grinding noise if this happens on my truck, or are there other symptoms to look out for? I suspect I have a rear wheel out-of-balance, but I'm assuming a sheared axle bolt would be a bit more obvious.

Most likely the only indication is a metallic rattle coming from the rear. In a couple cases the rear axle seals also started to leak, but it is not known if the bolt failure led to the seal leak.

 

[GripworksCo]

Well I have now also had the failure! 2021 Powerboost 25k miles. Dealership replacing both sides under warranty.

Sponsored