1st gen tacoma lower bj failure

Buddy of mine was driving 5mph logging roads and snapped drivers lower bj that is like 3 months old

Now the weird part it broke not in the cup but the bolt itself
Anyone ever seen something like this?

 

That an OEM lower ball joint? Looks older than 3 months

 

Oreilys baljoint

He goes thru a lot of mud/dirt

The boot itself looks new
if you clean it up

 

I'd let him know to get an OEM one next time...the aftermarket ones are usually not very good quality and it's a common failure point on these trucks.

If he can't swing the OEM cost then I've heard that the Moog 555 brand ones are decent

 

It may just be the picture, but there's weird patterns in the grain of the metal when it should be homogeneous and the failure didn't all occur in the same plane. I also don't see any evidence of necking, which rules out a ductile failure. There appears to be a notch on the side of the bolt which could have been the initiation point for a brittle or fatigue fracture. Close up pictures of the metal grain could probably show the exact failure mode, but it's most likely a material/manufacturing defect.

 

I agree that pattern looks weird in person as well