While rotating the almost bald grapplers before I get a new set of rubber, the outer tie rod falls off as soon as the tire is dropped. The actual shank that goes into the steering knuckle cracked and broke and probably was for some time, leaving a small portion of the shank hanging onto the knuckle with no nut to hold it on there. The steering is one of the most important functions to have, if that would have fallen out while travelling down the road I would have lost the truck without question. A new one cost about $85, just count the number of times you twisted the old one off to remain close to your previous alignment.

This could be the result of the constant CLANK while turning many of us hear, steering bind. Just check those out next time you change your tires or even go outside and pull up on the outer tie rods with a little force, that's all it will take.

YIKES

 

Nice catch... God must have been with you.

 

Thanks for the heads up....good find.

 

damn!! thank God for you wanting to rotate tires(me personally I wouldn't have be rotating if I'm buying new soon). That bad boy could have sent you rollin down the hwy.

Seems that 2 posts the same day about tie rod ends going bad. Guess I'm going have to start checking these when I cahnge the oil.

 

Hmm lots of tie rod failures lately...

Josiah's outer tie rods and jrbhc8 inner tie rods... in one day... coincidence?! Are MY tie rods going to fly off? lol

https://www.f150online.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=311116

 

Think this might be a design flaw? Sorta makes me wonder, of all things you don't want to fail this would be number 1 followed up very closely by brakes.

 

I think I should just sit in a corner for the rest of my life, and no do a blessed thing. This way I can't get hurt.

 

this is not exactly a new phenonema with Ford trucks.
There were problems with tie rod ends pulling out of the couplers in Rangers, 250, 350, SD, 150.. I believe there were tsb on them in the late 80s and 90s.
I used my in laws 85 150 to pull a pontiac from Fayattville NC to Augusta Ga with a tow bar. I thought it was in bad need of a stabilizer. The very next day the tie rod pulled out on my Maw in law , good thing she was not going fast, dang good thing it didnt come out on me pulling a 4000 pound General Junk motors car at 70 mph.

 

the funny thing is it looked like a dirt clod...almost no attention was paid to it!

If I didn't make it clear, a little more than half of the shank was broken off, leaving me with very little attached to the actual tie rod, the part that fell off was the nut on the underside of the knuckle with part of the shank still threaded into it.

 

that is bad

Hrmmm sounds like they may be outsourcing the parts overseas-inese

 

i need to change all my ball joints.. ALL OF THEM!! its freakin expesive. but i guess i need to do it asap.

 

Is this a common problem with all Ford trucks or just lifted trucks with large wheels and tires?

 

Yikes....lucky you! man

 

just trucks with big tires and bad angles, not if u have 35's and a basic 6' kit since theyre arnt any bad angles on that.

 

Do you have pictures of it? Just by chance?