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F350 Axle Recall


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Just saw on my Ford Pass App that my beloved F350 is being recalled for a defect with the rear axle (Dana M275).  Apparently, because of thin tubes and weld locations, the axle may detach!  I poked around on the Web, but could not find a lot of information on exactly what the problem is or how it was discovered (I think I know the answer though...).

 

Anyway, I guess about 35000 of us will get recalled.  It's interesting that there are only 35000 units recalled and that the time span for the defect is August 2020 to May 2021.  That made me wonder if the defect is specific to a certain batch of M275 axles vs. the entire production run. 

 

I also wondered why the F250s were not recalled, but I am guessing that the payload rating is not enough to warrant concerns.

 

Anyway, I will keep looking for more information and post it here if I find it.  If anyone else has information to share that would be good to!

 

Happy hauling...

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2 hours ago, STDevil said:

Anyway, I guess about 35000 of us will get recalled.  It's interesting that there are only 35000 units recalled and that the time span for the defect is August 2020 to May 2021.  That made me wonder if the defect is specific to a certain batch of M275 axles vs. the entire production run. 

It was probably a processing change at the supplier.  Suppliers have to have detailed records of what pedigree is shipped into an OEM plant.  Some parts are even serialized and that serial number is recorded to the actual vehicle VIN.  One of the worst cases I've seen in my career involved Chrysler mini van.  Supplier plant made an unapproved change that was a massive safety issue.  Chrysler put out an immediate grounding, no sale, no ship.  It was over the heat treat process used on a bolt.  Cost the supplier 18 million to repair approximately 3 weeks of production.

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Thin tubes? I find that a little hard to believe. The super 60 up front has a 1/2 inch thick tube and I suspect the 4 inch diameter M275 tubes are at least that thick. 

 

I think the spring perch welds were compromised in production somehow, I do not think it is an actual axle problem. 35,000 is a LOT of mistakes... ouch

 

I also heard they are allowing dealers to make the repair, ie; re-weld the spring perches. If true, this seems like a really bad idea. If they couldn't get it right in a factory environment what makes anybody think a dealer repair is going to be sufficient given the loads these trucks see? I bet precious few dealers have techs or equipment capable of handling this properly. Certainly there are some out there but is there any qualifications check before performing this repair? 

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MSD, I agree with you.  I work in Oil and Gas, and we require certified welders to join metal when it really matters.

 

My concern is that the dealer will have someone slap a bead on the axle without the right prep or considerations.  Burn through on the tube, coking of the lube on the inside, warping of the tube which stresses the bearings, changing the temper of the tube which results in more problems...and I can't wait for someone to burn through a brake line and cause a fire in the shop.

 

Maybe the best approach is to load the bed to bring the truck up to rated GVWR, go out on the road, bring it up to speed, and hit the brakes to see what happens...

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9 hours ago, STDevil said:

MSD, I agree with you.  I work in Oil and Gas, and we require certified welders to join metal when it really matters.

 

My concern is that the dealer will have someone slap a bead on the axle without the right prep or considerations.  Burn through on the tube, coking of the lube on the inside, warping of the tube which stresses the bearings, changing the temper of the tube which results in more problems...and I can't wait for someone to burn through a brake line and cause a fire in the shop.

 

Maybe the best approach is to load the bed to bring the truck up to rated GVWR, go out on the road, bring it up to speed, and hit the brakes to see what happens...

 

Some of the worst welding I have ever seen was done by a "certified welder". I used to work home construction and we did a lot of metal work. This was on a large cantilevered deck the engineer insisted it was done by a certified welder. Maybe it was strong but it looked like crap. Either of our regular welders (not certified) would have done a MUCH cleaner job and I have never seen any of their work fail. They both understand what it takes to make good strong welds the just haven't taken the test. I suspect some dealers have people like this but how would you know?

Edited by Mountain Super Duty
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Our welders have to be qualified each year.  Their welds get the heck inspected out of them, sometimes by multiple parties.  Some even get X-Rayed.  A big factor here is that our customer requires it and keeps a very close eye on this.

 

Anyway, what do you think of my "load it up and hit the brakes" idea?

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Too hard to replace a truck right now...LOL

 

I had a guy run a red right in front of me the other day. Truck preservation took over and I managed to avoid him just barely... In normal times his insurance company likely would have bought me a new truck.

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If you are referring to Safety Recall 21S31, Ford to date has only issued advance notice as required.  

 

" CUSTOMER NOTIFICATION: Owners of record will be notified via first-class mail after repair instructions and parts ordering information have been provided to dealers."

 

 

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Hi all -

 

Someone has put together a really good YouTube Video which discusses the issue.

 

 

 

It looks like the axle will be removed from the vehicle for the repair to be performed.  It will be interesting to see the repair procedure, when someone finds it.

 

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