Is this a common failure?

[LecheFidelis]

Good morning all,

1997 LX 450 185k miles
Bought this vehicle in 2023 with 150k miles since purchase I did a lot of baselining items that are cooling system related but the only suspension parts I replaced where the sagging springs and leaking shocks with OME stock height + tokico. I have been driving it a lot for work lately and decided last weekend to take it along with a few friends up to Nashville from Pensacola Florida. Drive up there went well, everything was normal. The next day I drive it to a local park, pull into a parking spot. We get out, go for a hike, when we come back, I get in the car, back it up out of the spot, turn to the right, hear a loud thump and lose all steering. Tie rod snapped right off. Took a look here on the forum and didn't see anything like this. Everyone appeared to have had tie rod failures only while trying to remove them or from a car accident. My question is why did this happen and why were there no symptoms? I did a tire rotation at 181k and found no play in the wheels when I did the usual 9 and 3 o clock wiggle of the wheels. Experienced no abnormal play in the steering leading up to that. Had the usual vibrations above 70mph but so does everyone right? Feeling stupid I didn't catch this earlier and just wondering if some other underlying issue caused this. As you can see in the photo the boot is likely ripped slightly but I have seen and driven on worse for much longer. Tried fixing it in the parking lot but needed a torch to get the old one off and didn't have it with me and there were no shops in the area working on Labor Day weekend. Had it towed to a gentleman that was recommended on ih8mud in the Nashville area where I am waiting to hear from him. Had to leave it up there and fly home for work.

 

[Mark W]

Vibrations above 70 are not a given. Not at all.

Your TRE failure is not a common thing.

The vibrations*may* have a causational connection to the failure

What do the surfaces of the break look like? Mainly sharp crisp crystalline still or is part (or even most) of the surface rubbed/peened smoth? Smooth surfaces indicate that the failure was a crack that grew and spread over time. *IF* it is ALL crystalline then it was a sudden immediate (or damn close to immediate) failure.

Mark...

 

[efjayatee]

I have no vibration at any speed with all 3 of mine.....and that's including 85mph.

That tie rod probably original. Doesn't matter of the mileage, its still 30yr old. I replaced mine when I did the suspension lifts.

 

[Mark W]

I have no vibration at any speed with all 3 of mine.....and that's including 85mph.

That tie rod probably original. Doesn't matter of the mileage, its still 30yr old. I replaced mine when I did the suspension lifts.

Yep, I have three FZJs at the moment. 3 other FZJs in the past and a couple of FJ80s too. The only time any of them had vibrations was due to tire issues or suspension/steering issues.

Talking about tire/steering "vibrations" here. Drive train vibrations are another subject entirely.


Mark...

 

[lanierchris]

That kind of TRE failure isn't a normal/common event, but on a 30-year-old truck the original steering linkage deserves age-based scrutiny even if a 9-and-3 check feels tight. The vibration above 70 is a clue worth treating as separate until proven otherwise: verify tire/wheel balance and runout, then inspect wheel bearings, knuckle-side joints, drag link/TREs, and alignment. Once the truck is recovered, look closely at the break surface and the mating taper for corrosion/pitting, witness marks, a loose taper/nut, or evidence of a crack that grew over time. Replace the failed end with a quality OEM-spec part and check the rest of the linkage before driving; a parking-lot wiggle test won't catch every failure. Hope the recovery is straightforward—we work on these trucks daily in Hagerstown and are happy to help if needed.

 

[LecheFidelis]

OK thanks for the replies. Hoping to get the vehicle back in a week or 2. Ill keep the thread posted when I know more. I don't recall what the break looked like other than I remember saying that it looked like it cleanly sheared off. Spent the rest of the day that day using whatever tools I had in my trunk to remove the drag link and try to put in a duralast tie rod just to get home but failed to remove the broken one. I have reason to believe that the tie rod may have been aftermarket as the castle nut was a 22mm.