F150 Rear Axle Recall

[UGADawg96]

So glad I got my axles replaced when the parts first became available back in June. All this drama over a stupid f'kng bolt. FORD has dropped the ball on this recall. I get it, if the bolts aren't sheared then put people off and focus on just the sheared one's first and used the parts that are made from them then do the others... FORD's vendor for the axles should be working 24x7 to get them made.

Same, glad I had mine done in May. However, after driving with broken bolts on both sides a year apart, I could have waited another few months. The truck was perfectly safe to drive with this defect. Being that these parts were first released almost five months ago, the delay can only be due to Ford dragging out paying for them. No way they would have a vendor who can only manufacture a few thousand axles per month.

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[Snakebitten]

If you want them bad enough to pay for them, Dorman makes replacement axles using the same new design.
However, it's not an axle/hub assembly, so the procedure would include pressing them into your existing hubs.

 

[LesF150]

For visual clarity, the image below contains both the actual image in the official recall, as well as the aftermarket Dorman axle that addresses exactly the same design change.

If you look closely, what Ford (and Dorman) did was to simply switch from boring a hole in the end of the axle, and then threading that hole for accepting a bolt, to instead adding length to axle beyond the splined surface and then thread that extension on the outside, thus using a nut instead of a bolt.

Both designs are using a threaded fastening approach to simpy "locate", or to "keep" the axle located where the maximum amount of splined surface is in use.

If the bolt shears, eventually the axle can move inbound, about 1/2 to 3/4". If/when it moves inbound, less of the splines on the axle are in contact with the mating splines of the wheel hub. Eventually that leads to the splines fretting and at some point the splines fail. Once the splines fail, then the axle just spins in the hub and the wheel is no longer able to have torque from the differential transfered into forward motion.

I have not had the recall completed. I have had the axles replaced before the recall axle was available. I popped the center cap several times suspecting bolt shear. Appear to be intact. My failure is I never put a socket on it. I never even touched the bolt. Pulled cap…took a peak…snapped cap back on. I drove approx 35-40K with the sheared bolt. I know this based on the sound of the grinding I could hear. The louder it got the more times I checked for a sheared bolt. Short story is the bolt was sheared but never popped out of place so visually looked normal. I share this with you that it might give you peace of mind. Even when I drove the truck to dealership for the repair I was giving it hell in sport mode trying to shear the bolt! Because I knew something was wrong based on the noise…NOT based on performance or any other concern. I actually smoked the tires at every light and corner on the way. I could not get the axle to actually “fail”. It WAS failing no doubt. However I never felt a safety concern driving…just annoyed by the sound and the number of times I looked at the dang brakes and told the oil change guy…check them rear brakes for me! If you don’t hear a brake dragging sound or feel any slipping/slop in the axle…just drive it like normal. Currently I am scheduled for recall repair in December. Not ideal…but I’m also not broken! If it fails before then I know I’ll get moved to the front of the line. Wishing you the best with your truck and axle concern. It does suck…but I’ll take my defective axle on my truck over the competition for how I use my truck all day long.

 

[LesF150]

If you have a copy of the recall documentation, you can just read it for yourself. Form your own risk analysis. I can assure you that there are many here that have done so.

The only specific situation that I personally would be seriously concerned with is actually having a sheared bolt and Ford (the manufacturer) not providing the repair parts for the dealership to install. That's just indefensible. Pathetic. And I know of one person experiencing that plight.

As for your life being endangered by an axle shearing the bolt? I personally think that is about as much of a threat as the windshield wiper recall.

 

[LesF150]

Independent of the merits of the recall, from an insurance perspective, one would be foolhardy not to have it performed as soon as possible. I believe the recall came out in July 2025. I was told by the local dealer that they did not think much of the merits or necessity of the recall but that they anticipated parts availability by late September and this was later changed to October and I was promised a call as soon as the parts became available. Needless to say, I have heard nothing. At some point the insurance companies are going to take note of this and start raising it with policyholders. I think there is some legal merit in the claim that a vehicle is defective and subject to a lemon law claim it it becomes difficult to insure. particular since a number of states legally require insurance and independent of legal requirements, only a half with would not insure such an expensive vehicle. Even more importantly, proof of insurance is a requirement of almost all lenders including Ford Credit.

 

[Snakebitten]

Maybe different states are different, but I can't imagine my insurance agent informing me that they are determing the insurance risk factor on my F150 based on the bolt holding my axle in.

And I also can't imagine that there are any insurance claims that are being paid out as a result of the bolt hold my axle in the hub properly.

I DO think there are likely plenty of claims that are at least indirectly related to the 600 ftlbs of torque that is produced by the drivetrain though.
Not to mention the historical costs for claims repairing aluminum body panels.

 

[LesF150]

Maybe different states are different, but I can't imagine my insurance agent informing me that they are determing the insurance risk factor on my F150 based on the bolt holding my axle in.

And I also can't imagine that there are any insurance claims that are being paid out as a result of the bolt hold my axle in the hub properly.

I DO think there are likely plenty of claims that are at least indirectly related to the 600 ft lbs of torque that is produced by the drivetrain though.
Not to mention the historical costs for claims repairing aluminum body panels.

I am not technically knowledgeable enough to comment on the torque. I have often wondered about issues arising out of the 1050 lbs in the high performance Tesla Plaid models.

Determinations on risk would technically speaking be made by the carrier not the agent, but I can tell that the carriers watch everything. Recently the proposed agreed value on a different vehicle was significantly lowered and I had to go back to the carrier and get it raised because the "agreed" value was way below what I could purchase a replacement vehicle in the marketplace today. They are watching carefully.

I can tell you from other knowledge (fortunately not personal) that aggressive tort claim lawyers will try anything in often specious claims in accident cases. I can see one trying to assert that driver was using a "dangerous" recalled vehicle that had not been repaired.

I agree with others on this forum that announcing a recall that could not be complied with for some time was outrageous.
I continue to learn a lot on this forum. Kudos to all.

 

[FaaWrenchBndr]

Independent of the merits of the recall, from an insurance perspective, one would be foolhardy not to have it performed as soon as possible. I believe the recall came out in July 2025. I was told by the local dealer that they did not think much of the merits or necessity of the recall but that they anticipated parts availability by late September and this was later changed to October and I was promised a call as soon as the parts became available. Needless to say, I have heard nothing. At some point the insurance companies are going to take note of this and start raising it with policyholders. I think there is some legal merit in the claim that a vehicle is defective and subject to a lemon law claim it it becomes difficult to insure. particular since a number of states legally require insurance and independent of legal requirements, only a half with would not insure such an expensive vehicle. Even more importantly, proof of insurance is a requirement of almost all lenders including Ford Credit.

no, I don’t see this shit happening

 

[Pelican]

I don't have the max tow axle ("mta"), but this thread reminds of the folding gear shift module ("gsm") issue, which I do have and it did have an impact on me. While it has been said by someone previously in this thread, I believe it's worth repeating that Ford is going to repair the vehicles that have the issue present (a broken bolt) and those that don't will get placed on a schedule. Those placed on the schedule may move up and down the as the days go by, but based on my first hand experience with a failed gsm at a major intersection you will move to the front of the line once the failure happens.

I was a squeaky wheel because I chose to only have one vehicle and no backup I need my truck for work. I don't t take pride in having to be a squeeky wheel, but I was always courteous and respectful anytime I spoke with someone and I firmly believe that's why Ford and the dealership got moving and ultimately addressed the issue rather than my truck sitting around the at the dealer for months.

As far as safety goes we all have our opinions and tolerances and for me if I can be left stranded on the road, it's a safety issue especially in today's world with so many distracted driving accidents. I've been hit by 2 drunk drives and a distracted driver. If I get stuck on the road, the first thing I'm doing is looking for a safe place to get off the road and out the way of being hit (up a hillside, in a restaurant, etc). I'm not sitting in my vehicle waiting for twhat I percieve to be the inevitable. It haplens and kf I can minimize my risk, I going to. All my opinion of course, but there's a lot of experience behind those words.

Best of luck to those waiting on the mta recall to be addressed.

 

[Pelican]

no, I don’t see this shit happening

Agree, but i can see the insurance company going back on Ford through subrogation in the event the insurance company paid out on a claim that is as a result of a recall that wasn't addressed due to a lack of a solution or parts.

 

[Snakebitten]

I absolutely believe that every vehicle I have ever ridden in could potentially leave me stranded on the side of the road. Even a nail in the tire could result in that dilemma, especially with vehicles that no longer have spare tires.

My own personal risk assessment for leaving the property in my MTA F150 doesn't assess that the bolt in the rear axle is even close to being the highest risk of leaving me stranded. With less than serious contemplation I could probably list 100 more likely threats.

Right off the top of my head, and probably because of riding motorcycles almost exclusively for the first 40 years of my daily driving, the biggest threat to being roadside inhibited is the smartphone, followed closely by drugs & alcohol consumption.

That pesky little bolt will never make the news or the obituaries. So........ Not worried about it. Am disappointed though.

 

[Pelican]

Being stranded on the side of the road versus the middle of the road are two very different things and is an example of the classic apples to oranges comparison.

Getting stranded on the side of the road is not fun and is unsafe, but not in anyway the same as being stranded in the middle of the road.

In all my years of driving, a nail has never left me stranded in the middle of the road. In this example, I can drive to a relatively safe place. I may ruin the rim, but I can drive away.

If a gsm fails at a light or while stopped in a traffic lane, you are left stranded in what could be a compromising situation. If an mtx strips the splints while in the middle of the roadway, the driver is left stranded in what could be in a compromising situation as well.

Comparing nails in the road to a gsm and mtx failure is not an apples to apples comparison nor is being stranded on the side of the road versus being stranded in the middle of the road. The point I'm trying to make is while the likelihood of gsm and/or mtx failure may be low, the risk of me being injured increases immensely because I now have drivers trying to avoid my stranded vehicle and if I choose to leave there and get to somewhere safe there's additional risk.

 

[Ed21]

I think the Blackhawks have a better chance of winning the Stanley Cup this year. JMO.

 

[Snakebitten]

What-ifs can be a mental runaway train.

Anecdotaly, how many posts on the Gen14 forum are a record of the Max Tow Axle failure leaving someone stranded in the road?

There are now more than 2 million Gen14 F150's registered. I haven't any documentation of what percentage are equipped with the Max Tow package, but it has to be in the hundreds of thousands.

 

[ak49rzrs]

What-ifs can be a mental runaway train.

Anecdotaly, how many posts on the Gen14 forum are a record of the Max Tow Axle failure leaving someone stranded in the road?

There are now more than 2 million Gen14 F150's registered. I haven't any documentation of what percentage are equipped with the Max Tow package, but it has to be in the hundreds of thousands.

I will fully agree there and join you on your anecdotal journey.

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