I just wanted to know if this has happened to anyone else, and if not maybe you should check this out.

Friday night my passenger side tie-rod end broke at the ball joint where it connects to the steering rod. It then fell down, pierced my cv boot and wedged itself right into my cv joint, stopping that tire dead in it's tracks. FORTUNATELY I was only backing out of my drive-way at the time and not going down they highway as I would have been in about another 5 minutes. So what I'd like to know is, has anyone else's tie-rod broken like this before? Is there a TSB or recall on this part?

Thanks,

Doug Greig
97 Expedition 4X4 XLT
South Burlington, VT

 

Along with repairing the truck, I would file a report with the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration. (NHTSA).
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/proble...n/compmmy1.cfm

 

Yup, Driver side inner let loose backing into a spot in a parking lot last weekend.
Luckily my buddies brother lived close by and came to the rescue and we had a new one swapped in about a half hour.

Couldn't imagine what might have happened on the freeway...with pregnant wife and 3YO daughter in truck. Not good.

The joint looked pretty good too. My truck isn't rusty, the joint isn't rusty either....it just popped right off!

scary...I'm replacing the rest of them this weekend.

 

You know, after I repaired the passenger side I checked out the driver's side tie-rod ends. And guess what. I was able to pull the upper off by hand and and could feel the outer getting ready to go. So needless to say they ALL were replaced. Now the front end of the truck feels as tight as she did 40k miles ago. I have 78k on the Expedition and I have to decide if I'm going to trade it (for an '04, 300hp, F-150) of run it all the way to 200k. What do you all think?

Doug Greig
97 Expedition XLT 4x4
South Burlington, VT

 

I think... I'll replace my RH tie rod joint that connects to the steering rod, (that also popped off while backing up) with a quality joint, that has a grease zert. Then go to the parts store and buy 3 more joints and replace the rest of them! If we can't have stock zerts, which would encourage inspections for looseness. Then these joints need to be fitted with a safety strap of some kind, to prevent the joint from coming apart. Something simple, like the strap on the front axle of bicycles. I'm grateful it happened to me in a parking lot.

 

Well I wasnt so lucky this morning I had a tie rod failure

put me into the ditch thank god i didnt go the other way into oncomming traffic...............


the f150 is completely unsafe.............what a great Idea ford had on this one

 

I finally bought an online subscription from www.alldata.com for access to all recalls, TSBs, and other information for my specific model. I have a 1999 F150 4x2. I can not figureout how to link the TSB here. However, there is a TSB "Article No. 3-15-03 Steering - Tie Rod End Inspection Procedures" It details an updated process of inspecting for tie rod end wear. It is suppose to be a supplemental to the WorkShop Manual. It affects, Ford 97-02 Expedition, 97-03 F150, 2001-2004 Escape, Lincoln 98-2002 Navigator, 2002-2003 Blackwood. The Article also states that it supersedes 03-9-9.

The article discusses the process as the inspection for/of 1. Free Play, 2. Stud lash - Free Play, 3. Seal Inspection 4. Stud Corrosion as well as addtional procedures for specific models. In a nutshell the Article states that if there is ANY freeplay in the inner or outer tie rod ends, or if the seals are torn, worn or perforated or water leaks out of seals when moved, or if stud corrosion exists, especially around the interface and the knuckle, that particular tie rod end should be REPLACED.

Does not specify the maintenance interval for inspection.

 

With no qualifications or details given, you sound like Ralph Nader whining away about something/anything/everything.

Wow! Your first post! What a treasure!

Steve

 

My driver side went over 2 years ago and my passenger side has been checked out and is fine.

Please keep in mind that this is something that will fail under stress, as in at low speeds like in a parking lot, not while on the highway when the joint is not under high amounts of stress.

Also I don't know about anyone else's but when mine was about to go there were indications. I could hear poping sounds occasionally when turning. Finally the noise had become consistant with turning and I was going to have it looked at when it failed in the dealers parking lot pulling into the parking spot.

As for the declaration that the F150 is completely unsafe, you don't watch the news much do you? It's been a known fact for years from the IIHS tests that these trucks have problems with safety.

 

Hey! Mine does this as well. When making very sharp turns in parking lots, sometimes I hear a popping sound. Since, I have lowered it, installed bigger swaybars with polyurethane bushings, cut my front coil springs to make them shorter and much stiffer, and added much stiffer shocks, I thought the popping sound was due to a very tight suspension. Or there may be a need for the infamous control arm washer replacement

I have had my suspension checked many times (I bought it used with 40K miles and it wandered then, and still does at 109,000 miles. Two shops found nothing loose. The third found my inner tie rods and my idler arm loose. I replaced those (reduced wandering steering), but did NOT replace the outer tie rods. Maybe, I should replace the outer tie rods as well When making very sharp turns in parking lots, I still hear a popping noise

 

I think you should replace them now. If they go out on you you will be stranded. The dealer had to have mine towed into the service bay to be worked on.

Good luck!

 

Thanks. I think that at the same time I install an 03' salvaged low mile lower half-shaft/coupler/steering gear box/pitman arm, that I just bought, I will also install the outer tie rods ends.

 

My driver's side inner rod end came apart ( stud fell out of housing ) while parking my 97 Expy 4x4 at work. I had no signs of a problem before that. The ball stud is pressed into the housing with a very thin tin-type shim wrapped around the ball. When that shim wears the ball can fall out of the housing.
Grease your replacement ends frequently (every 1,000 miles) to keep the grease soft inside. If you grease them every 3,000-5,000 miles the grease gets hard inside and the new grease just pumps out around it.

 

Very good info here that helps explain the funny sounds I get out of my front end when pulling into a driveway sharply.

All these ends inner and outer will be replaced when I do brakes in a couple of weeks. I can only imagine what the big tires and all the offroading does to them!

Where are you guys buying the replacments at (WITH THE GREASE FITTINGS) and what brand are they.
How much are they runnning; so I know how much I need to ****er with my local guy here!

Thanks, Gordon

 

Several weeks ago, a shop replaced my idler arm and INNER tierods, in my pursuit of eliminating my wandering. That work with more caster in my alignment helped. However, I still had a popping sound from the front end when I made sharp, low speed turns (as in parking lots).

Last weekend, I, myself, replaced the OUTER tierods, centerlink, pitman arm, steering gear box, coupler, and lower half shaft. No more popping noise. Based on the T.S.B. on inner and outer tierods (should be checked for ANY play and replaced if ANY play at any mileage), I think the popping noise was from my outer tierods.

I used MOOG steering linkage parts. They come with grease certs and are considered some of the best. My tierods were about $34 each and I think the idler arm was about the same. The center link was aroundt weekend, I, myself, replaced the OUTER tierods, centerlink, pitman arm, steering gear box, coupler, and lower half shaft. No more popping noise. Based on the T.S.B. on inner and outer tierods (should be checked for ANY play and replaced if ANY play at any mileage), I think the popping noise was from my outer tierods.

I used MOOG steering linkage parts. They come with grease certs and are considered some of the best. My tierods were about $34 each and I think the idler arm was about the same. The center link was around $65. My pitman/steering gear/lower half shaft was off a salvaged 03' for about $135.

Steering is very sensitive and no longer feels "jerky". I think a lot of my steering problem was worn outer tie rods, idler arm, and play at the coupler to steering gear connection. I need another alignment after doing all that work with ........max. caster!