Anyone have experience with a broken tie rod ?? I had this exact problem ('97 ext. cab 2wd) while simply backing out of a parking lot, and after 30 seconds of analysis, I feel extremely fortunate that it did not happen on the highway, at any kind of speed.

I feel like it is a very dangerous failure, and my truck is exceptionally well maintained, 53k miles, NO ABUSE ! There is no way I ever did anything to damage or weaken the suspension. I also do not have any extended warranty, so I asked the dealer about factory "participation" in the repair, because it had to be a defective part, and was a serious problem, and I got all kinds of resistance, but the one that really torqued me off is that since I do not go to the dealer for my oil changes, they (the dealership)cannot provide any kind of financial support for this problem. Essentially the same line from the factory rep. The cost is NOT the issue, it is my life (and my family), and they have seem to have no conscience with this.

So, I thought I would do some net research and see if there are any other failures in the community, and see what resolution was provided in those cases. Thanks for your time.

 

You got a 6 + year old truck with over 50k miles and you want relief for a tie rod end ? Good luck. These are basically wear items. It's one of those things you check...like shocks, brakes, tires, etc. With over 50k, and more importantly 6 years....things like this go bad. No matter what make of vehicle.

-jeff b.

 

I had one go bad at at about 112,000 miles. Looking back on it, I should have caught it and paid attention to the symptoms before it happened. Loose, wandery steering, etc... I've heard of several of them letting go now, and I still haven't heard of one letting go at speed on the board - only in low speed situations. NHTSA has reports of ones coming aprt at higher speeds. Moral of the story is they are detectable before they fail. While Ford may claim they are permanently greased, I grease em now with every oil change.

As far as not getting any help from the dealer, you shouldn't be surprised. If you don't go see them and keep a good relationship with them, what do they really have to gain by losing money on you?

Resolution for me was paying to have all four replaced, and greasing them now with every oil change. No problems since.

If you feel this is a dangerous item, report it to NHTSA. www.nhtsa.gov A search of their web site turns up about 20 complaints on '97s with this situation. Not a big number for how many '97's are on the road.

 

thanks for the insight fellas... I know that they are wear items, but in all my years of running trucks, and of my family members years of running trucks, I have NEVER come across a tie rod failure at all, so it still strikes me as very peculiar. There was no vibration or sloppy steering, the knuckle bolt just sheared right off. There are too many unknowns for you to render a mechanical opinion (I recognize that), you just have to take my word about well maintained, etc. No way anyone can convince me that it should fail completely after 53K miles, that is just too critical of a component in the saftey area. Many tires (when properly maintained), and most shocks, last longer than that. I did get new tires last year, at ~45K, just because I did not want to go through another midwest winter on marginal tread.

As for the dealership, what they have to gain by participating financially is a repeat sale. To be clear, I did not ask them to pick up the entire bill, I recognize that I have extracted some normal wear out of the item. But it is also true (IMO) that the part should have lasted well into the 100K areana, because I know what kind of care I give the thing. Sure, my warranty is out, but just because that is true does not mean we should expect this kind of failure. Ford likes to make a huge deal of out "Built Ford Tough..." and on and on. They flatly refused ANY kind of participation, not even a token offering. The out of pocket cost is not the issue for me, it is the philosophy I encountered. I have always gone back to the purchasing dealer for repair work. As for simple tasks like oil changes, wiper blades, tire rotation, I do that myself, just as I suspect many of those who read this forum will be doing. The dealership basically implied that I have to pay my taxes (in the form of exclusive use of the service department) if I expect them to do anything for me in the way of customer satisfaction.

That is just not logical, if you want to build a long term relationship with anyone. It's not the case that I took business elsewhere, I simply do most of it myself, and so I get penalized for that ?? I will be buying another truck in the next year (I get a new truck ~ every 6 years), I would think they would like me to stay with them. But I already have the solution, and it comes in the form of a $30,000 purchase that will be made somewhere else.

 

To be brutally honest, a $30,000 dollar sale is peanuts to them and big stuff to you. They'd rather nickel and dime you to death on the service stuff because in all likelyhood, they make a bigger margin there than they do selling you a new vehicle.

I understand the part about being well taken care of also. So is mine - I'm selling it now with a 150,000 miles on it and I still get compliments on this thing everyday. Full maintinence to boot! Still - only 20 compaints in the NHTSA database with how many trucks on the road?

 

well, how does the NHSTA get it's data ... do I have to complain to have it count, or do dealers report repairs ??

I suspect that only those who take the time and go to the site and log the experience actually get tracked ...

do you know where the data comes from ??

I hear you on the 30,000=peanuts, but the total expense
on the repair was $250.

Let's just say that they made a good faith offer to pay for parts, and I pay for labor. They are out roughly $75, and they make
a significant difference in my willingness to contine to do business there, and recommend others to do business there.

seems like a no-brainer to me, but I am not in that business, so I don't really know .....