6k miles, bent axle. Aftermarket options.

My tale of sorrow.

I just finished a week of Overlanding in UT/CO and on night #1, the e-brake froze up. I had to engage the rear locker to bust it loose in the morning. This kept happening the entire trip whenever I would habitually pull the e-brake. Fast forward to yesterday when I take the Taco in to Toyota to look at the e-brake and they tell me the driver's side rear axle shaft is bent. They look at all my aftermarket skids and see the rock rash everywhere and say I bent the axle. I tell them this happened the first time on the first damn night of my trip, before we even did any hardcore wheeling. Anyway...Toyota is going to F*ck me to the tune of $5k to repair a factory defective axle.

Now to the point. I'm going to do this repair myself and wanted help with options on either full built aftermarket axles or even just upgraded shafts. There seems to be very little out there that I could find for either for Gen3. Does anyone have any real-world experience in having actually upgraded their rear axles? I see a Dynatrac 60 builder's kit, but can't tell if that will cover the 2017 TRD Off-Road.

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks

 

dude that stinks!

 

You should be able to find a junkyard axle shaft, will be cheaper than new and the work isn't that complicated.

 

@MADSTEEZE any input on this?

 

So the straight axle shafts are now bent and its toyotas fault? Just buy new shafts, or upgraded shafts and move on. Part of the sport.

 

Rear brakes seizing up has been an issue on the Turd gen

 

I've done a national search for used housings and nada. Solid axles are solid axles so the work itself doesn't bother me at all; plenty of experience upgrading axle shafts in Jeeps. It's more about upgrading the stock junk while I'm up in there. Would love to find some good 35 spline 8,500+lb axle shafts if anyone has upgraded theirs. Ideally, I'd like to get a full axle swap like a Dynatrac, just having trouble finding one I know will fit. I'm new to the Toyota's so my product knowledge is still pretty slim.

 

Best bet is to put in a used axle shaft...how is this toyotas fault?

 

You made my day with this. I'll be ordering the Currie 60 as well as probably Yukon high pinion Dana 60 ring and pinion gear set, 35 spline carrier, center section bearing, etc.

Thank You!!

 

Toyota's fault because the truck hadn't seen but 45 miles of dirt road you could put a Prius down and it has a bent axle from it?

Now if the drum/e-brake froze up on its own and I bent the axle myself on day 3,4,5, then maybe it is my fault. However, Toyota themselves specifically said it froze up because of the bent axle. Which means the axle got bent driving on pavement/and smooth dirt road. Which is stupid.

Regardless, they won't pay, I will. And I'll get a high pinion D60 and replace the OEM junk.

 

Again....read what I wrote. Yes...if axles bend on daily driving on pavement. That is very much Toyota's fault. Don't lecture me on the sport. I know how it works.

 

You're a lifesaver Man. THANK YOU!

I'll be rolling D60 in a month.

 

Engaging the locker didn't have anything to do with it?

 

So what will you do in the meantime, drive with the bent axle?

 

I had to engage it to get the stupid truck moving. We were in the middle of nowhere, and that wouldn't have bent it, maybe twisted..but they specifically told me it was bent before the brake locked up. Their words. Which means basic highway driving bent it? Who knows.

 

Myself, the first thing I would want is a second opinion. Are they saying a bent axleshaft or a bent housing? Does the e-brake stick if you set it and immediately release it? I would definitely pull the drum and take a look at what's going on before spending all that money for a D60. Unless you just want a D60, then it would be hard to find an easier excuse to get one!

 

Yep. It's not horrible. You can't even see any tire wobble when you're driving. Just screws up the thrust angle on the rear making a full alignment kinda hard to do.