Update: Rear Axle Tube - 1200 Miles Warranty Covered

[kodiakisland]

My undercarriage and skids etc are flawless. The Ford service dept literally said to me today “we don’t really know what caused this”. There’s no physical damage to anything. But it’s not going to be covered because the truck is modified. Simple as that.

And that attitude by some (many?) dealers is why I did not get an extended warranty. My dealership so far has been great, but it's pretty obvious I'm using mine hard and have changed many things. I don't expect to have any driveline warranty, even if it wasn't my doing.

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[VIRUS]

Hey guys, just thought I’d post this so anyone else considering running 37’s at least knows the risks going into it. I just passed 1200 miles on my 23 Bronco, took it out Sunday only for the second time on some mild trails. I came outside Monday morning to oil dripping from my rear diff. I immediately took it to Ford for diagnosis since I thought maybe it was a bad seal. It turns out (Ford claims) my 37” tires caused too much torque on the rear axle and caused it to twist, breaking the plug welds and bending the axle tube by the wheel.

I am an open book so for sake of clarity, I have never used the TTA function. I have however engaged the rear locker on the trail. I wouldn’t have even known there was a problem with the truck if I didn’t see fluid on the ground under the rear diff. As of right now I’m told warranty won’t cover the repair so just a heads up to anyone else with high expectations for off road performance and durability, this isn’t the truck. I’ve attached some photos for reference.

Didn't Ford promote the Bronco by taking an orange 2 dr on 37" bfg's to early events

I remember seen pictures of that thing everywhere.

How can they put 37's on one to get everyone salivating and then screw you on a warranty claim for doing it?

 

[Brok3nBronco]

Leaking diffs seems to be a pretty common thing even on stock parts. I would fight it and find examples of this issue to defend it's not the tires.

 

[Bronco Snow Dog]

Probably not a bad idea to get the tubes welded before you go offroading with bigger tires.
Welding Axle Tubes, Detailed Instructions - YouTube

 

[Area51BS]

My undercarriage and skids etc are flawless. The Ford service dept literally said to me today “we don’t really know what caused this”. There’s no physical damage to anything. But it’s not going to be covered because the truck is modified. Simple as that.

That’s not legal. They must prove an aftermarket part caused the failure.

 

[Raptor911]

Typical internet response. In the real world it is about how deep your pockets are as you will need deep pockets to fight Ford’s lawyers

That’s not legal. They must prove an aftermarket part caused the failure.

 

[Wildfire1]

What we all need to see is a non modified suspension system on a Bronco have the weld crack. Now that would make things very interesting and I suspect that won’t take long and only then will you see Fords attitude change and then they’ll have address the issue.

 

[mcinfantry]

Burden of proof lay with the manufacture.

Lol, no it doesn’t
You must

That’s not legal. They must prove an aftermarket part caused the failure.

lol, you too….

 

[Beach_Bum]

Didn't Ford promote the Bronco by taking an orange 2 dr on 37" bfg's to early events

I remember seen pictures of that thing everywhere.

How can they put 37's on one to get everyone salivating and then screw you on a warranty claim for doing it?

That was a roller. It had no engine. It is how it looked so monstrous as there was no weight to it. It was revealed in a Jay Leno's Garage video where the hood was even with his shoulders and a Ford spokesperson popped the hood to reveal nothing.

 

[omi205]

And this is why I am terrified to mod the bronco. SOB. I wanted 37s too. WTF Ford.

 

[ColoradoKid26]

This is my stock '21 BadSquatch rear axle with 6,100 miles. All stock, no mods.
I've used the TTA maybe once on a dirt road for a function test.

I'm taking mine to my dealer today, I'll update what they say for warranty.

 

[zuke]

It's just fantastic that even a reputable big name company like Dana can't supply quality components, Ford gets the black eye for it, and people get to talk smack to us about our rides.

Does anyone that keeps tabs on Jeep circles know of an uptick in broken plug welds? It's the same rear end more or less.

I Don't keep my ear as close to the ground on Jeeps as I do on the Bronco, But I'm still fairly active on the Jeep forums, and I haven't heard of any similar failures on the JLU or Gladiator, and with the very popular Z-automotive Tazer programmer, They even have the same function as Trail Turn Asist, I would guess there are as many Jeeps with the Tazer, 37" tires, and the M220 axle as there are Broncos with the same basic configuration (My wife's Gladiator is on 37"s with a Tazer, though she doesn't really wheel it hard like she does her JKU).

I really think what we're seeing is some bad batches of plug welds on M220's that ended up in Broncos, I'm pretty sure they don't run the Bronco and Jeep axles down the line at the same time.

Or there is a difference in the geometry of the arms/trackbar in the Bronco that places more stress on the plug weld than Jeep's geometry.

In the failures we've seen, have the plug welds been actually completely falling out, or sheering at the tube? If they are falling out, I'm guessing bad welds, If Sheering at the tube, My guess would be geometry twisting the tube more

 

[ParkerBronco]

Something is amiss here. We are in the third MY and I’ve never seen this until at least 4 or 5 stories in the last month. Has this happened to any MY21 or MY22 broncos?

Yes. I upgraded my original axle to the 4.7 sasquatch (Ford part, purchased from CJ Pony Parts) when I purchased my 2.3L manual base last year. I am running 35's, Icon coil-overs, Core 4x4 upper and lower control arms. Last month in Moab the left axle plug welds failed on Fins and Things and they had to be field welded to get me through the week. I just received my replacement rear axle from CJ Pony Parts. I'm having the new axle reinforced before it goes on.

 

[zuke]

Would this also act like a truss? Or is there not enough to it? DV8 sells this now:
https://dv8offroad.com/products/6th-gen-bronco-rear-axle-differential-skid-plate

It's interesting, but no, won't do much as a truss because it's not solidly connected to the tubes, and also relatively light metal (5mm/a little less than 3/16").

A truss really needs to be welded to both tubes to prevent twisting/bending, This could be welded to the tubes, but then it's design would make it impossible to remove the differential cover for servicing.

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