Anyone who has used MOOG tie rods in the last few years, please pay serious attention to this post. If I hadn't caught this, I don't want to think about what could have happened!

About 2-3 years ago, I rebuilt the entire front suspension on my 98 F-150 4x2. In the last week or so I had been noticing a slight shimmy in the front end. I am almost due for tires, so I figured that was it... WRONG!

Well, yesterday I was on the freeway doing 65-70 mph, and headed into a gradual right hand curve. The left front wheel began to shake pretty badly, so needless to say it got my attention and FAST!

Once I got home I got someone to wiggle the wheel trying to find the worn part, and I noticed the inner tie rod wiggling around some. Oh well, no big deal I thought, I will go pick one up and change it out. What happened next scared the crap out of me, and I'm pretty much fearless. I jacked up the truck, and slid underneath to see how loose it was, by hand. I reached up, and as soon as I put pressure on it, the knuckle slid right off of the joint! So in other words, the only thing holding the tie rod in place, was the rubber boot!

The tapered area wasn't loose, cotter in place, everything was tight. It was well lubricated, as shown in the pic. The ring that retains the ball in the knuckle is broken in two three spots....

If you have MOOG problem solver tie rods under your truck, PLEASE check them out ASAP!!!! If you feel the slightest shimmy or a wheel wobble at highway speeds, stop driving the truck and get it to a shop without delay.

Just a serious heads up!!,,,,98

 

crap man good catch that could have turned out bad.

 

Wow, good catch and thanks for the warning.

 

No problem! Glad to spread the word! What scares me the most, is that my wife drives this truck 99% of the time now. I just happened to drive it last week, and noticed the shimmy problem. It was light enough to feel like it was a tire out of balance, or worn to the point of needing replacement. I drove it again this morning, and got a heavy wobble in the front left wheel. I knew something was seriously wrong immediately.,,,,98

 

what meathod did you use when you installed them? have you tried contacting moog about your situation?

 

What other method is there? You pull the threads through the hole, put on the nut, and tighten it with a wrench? I didn't use an impact or anything, hehe.,,,,98

 

i say that because its actually better when you use an impact because the ball can spin inside the sleeve if you tighten it slowly by hand

 

Moog parts aren't what they used to be.

One of the guys I work with told me that a few years back, Moog was sold to TRW Automotive, and since then, the quality of Moog parts has declined drastically.

 

That's scarey.

 

I just installed Inner & outer on both sides last week!
I will keep my eyes on them

 

that sucks

 

Not understanding that I guess. if the cotter key hole didn't move, how did the ball spin? It is made to move anyway, since it is a ball shape after all.,,,,98

 

yes its made to move, but you can't get it perfectly tight unless you use an impact, or you snap it tight with the ratchet.

Bottom line, im very glad you caught it in time before it really went boom

 

Good catch, what brand did you go with as a replacement?

 

I have never had an issue with Moog in all the years I have used their parts and have never heard of a failure until now. Same holds true for their supposed decline in quality. There's no doubt this is a severe failure but over the last 3 years there could be contributing factors for this type of failure. Hard to say but in any event, I am glad you found it when you did and no one was hurt as a result.