Bent rear axle...are you kidding me?!

[2012sr5]

Bought my new-to-me 2012 SR5 in May this year. In July, the right rear brake starts squeaking a little (only while I'm braking). I take the truck to my shop for an oil change and mention the squeaky brake to my guy, and he says that the pads are really new (which is true, the dealership changed them), and it should go away. Well, it doesn't, so I just took it back for another oil change after 5k miles, and I ask them to look at it.

They call me later and ask if I'm sitting down. (Greeaaaat...) It turns out that my rear axle is bent. This makes NO SENSE – I can't feel this at all while driving or see any unnatural tire wear whatsoever. The ONLY indicator I had that something was amiss is the annoying squeak when I come to a stop.

My guy at the shop told me I must've done SOMEthing major. A bent axle doesn't happen without a major impact (like doing donuts right into a curb). I told him I've only had it since May, and I've done absolutely NOTHING like that at all. I haven't even had the time to take it out on any trails yet, and I would only do mild ones anyway.

I asked him if it's possible to hide something like this when selling a used vehicle. He said sure, if you have enough lube on all the parts when you put the new brake pad on, it'll hide the squeak for quite a while.

So, it appears that the dealership knew about it, and now it's 6 months later, and I have no proof and no recourse. Beware when buying used vehicles!!!

 

[DSnoopy]

Bought my new-to-me 2012 SR5 in May this year. In July, the right rear brake starts squeaking a little (only while I'm braking). I take the truck to my shop for an oil change and mention the squeaky brake to my guy, and he says that the pads are really new (which is true, the dealership changed them), and it should go away. Well, it doesn't, so I just took it back for another oil change after 5k miles, and I ask them to look at it.

They call me later and ask if I'm sitting down. (Greeaaaat...) It turns out that my rear axle is bent. This makes NO SENSE – I can't feel this at all while driving or see any unnatural tire wear whatsoever. The ONLY indicator I had that something was amiss is the annoying squeak when I come to a stop.

My guy at the shop told me I must've done SOMEthing major. A bent axle doesn't happen without a major impact (like doing donuts right into a curb). I told him I've only had it since May, and I've done absolutely NOTHING like that at all. I haven't even had the time to take it out on any trails yet, and I would only do mild ones anyway.

I asked him if it's possible to hide something like this when selling a used vehicle. He said sure, if you have enough lube on all the parts when you put the new brake pad on, it'll hide the squeak for quite a while.

So, it appears that the dealership knew about it, and now it's 6 months later, and I have no proof and no recourse. Beware when buying used vehicles!!!

Sorry dude. I once got a Dodge (mistake right there) Shadow when I was younger. Used with 85k miles on it. Engine blew within weeks. I tried to fight the dealer, but of course lost in the long run. I eventually paid the $5k off.

 

[2012sr5]

Sorry dude. I once got a Dodge (mistake right there) Shadow when I was younger. Used with 85k miles on it. Engine blew within weeks. I tried to fight the dealer, but of course lost in the long run. I eventually paid the $5k off.

Yikes. This should set me back less than quite a bit less than that. But still. The idea that they put new brake pads and lubed one up just to hide the bent axle for a while boils my blood.

 

[BLACK-FL4RUNNER]

Following, because it sounds like bs.

 

[e60ral]

i would try being polite with the dealer and see what kind of deal they can give you fixing this, if you can pull off polite complaining maybe they can fix this for you at cost or less

unless there is some warranty or they guaranteed there are no problems or something that you didn't mention, they aren't really obligated to fix it. so don't go in there all tough and demanding or they will tell you to kick so, instead try being nice.

 

[2012sr5]

Following, because it sounds like bs.

How so? Do you think I'm lying? Or my mechanic is? I've used them for 10 years...they've saved me and a lot of other people a ton of money by being more honest than they'd need to be. They're a family run business with the best reputation in town.

I couldn't believe it either when he told me. There's no way it happened while I was driving it. So, it appears it happened beforehand, and the dealer I bought it from covered it up *really* well.

 

[2012sr5]

i would try being polite with the dealer and see what kind of deal they can give you fixing this, if you can pull off polite complaining maybe they can fix this for you at cost or less

unless there is some warranty or they guaranteed there are no problems or something that you didn't mention, they aren't really obligated to fix it. so don't go in there all tough and demanding or they will tell you to kick so, instead try being nice.

Honestly, I wasn't even planning on contacting them. It's been 6 months, and I passed on the warranty. I will just tell people my story, and they can make up their own decision whether or not to trust this dealership.

 

[e60ral]

Honestly, I wasn't even planning on contacting them. It's been 6 months, and I passed on the warranty. I will just tell people my story, and they can make up their own decision whether or not to trust this dealership.

i assumed you were talking about a toyota dealership, if so i didn't see why you don't ask them about it

but i also didn't realize it had been 6 months, unless you have some documentation that you complained about the break squeal when new if i were the dealership i would just assume you bent your axle sometime in the 6 months after you bought the vehicle and probably not do anything.

i don't think you can assume the dealership knew, whoever bought it noted the break squeal and had the pads replaced and they probably never thought anything else about it. most sales guys aren't mechanics and don't know that a squeak-squeak-squeak can mean a bent axle, and the shop guys are probably never given the full story or asked to diagnose anything other than getting a ticket that says "replace pads"

 

[2012sr5]

i assumed you were talking about a toyota dealership, if so i didn't see why you don't ask them about it

but i also didn't realize it had been 6 months, unless you have some documentation that you complained about the break squeal when new if i were the dealership i would just assume you bent your axle sometime in the 6 months after you bought the vehicle and probably not do anything.

i don't think you can assume the dealership knew, whoever bought it noted the break squeal and had the pads replaced and they probably never thought anything else about it. most sales guys aren't mechanics and don't know that a squeak-squeak-squeak can mean a bent axle, and the shop guys are probably never given the full story or asked to diagnose anything other than getting a ticket that says "replace pads"

I did buy from a Toyota dealership here in Nashville. The impression I got from my conversation with my mechanic is that simply replacing the pads wouldn't have hidden the noise...they would've had to lube everything up pretty well in the whole brake assembly.

There was no squeak until I'd been driving it for almost two months. I can see if my mechanic has the work order from that oil change in July where I asked them to check out the squeaky brake. That would prove that it started happening within 60 days of my owning the vehicle.

 

[philsey]

Seems possible the vehicle was rear-ended, or involved in some accident. Check the carfax. If there is a reported accident prior to your purchase, it would seem to help your case.

 

[2012sr5]

Seems possible the vehicle was rear-ended, or involved in some accident. Check the carfax. If there is a reported accident prior to your purchase, it would seem to help your case.

Carfax was clean, no accidents.

And there's no visible wobble, no vibrations felt while driving, and no odd tire wear. If it wasn't my trusted mechanic telling me this, I wouldn't believe it.

 

[Jetboy]

Something is fishy with your mechanic's story.

I assume bent axle means bent axle, not bent axle housing. A bent housing would cause problems - brake noise would not be one of them. Bent axle shaft would cause the brake rotor to wobble and almost certainly a leak of gear lube. You would feel that immediately the first time you stepped on the brakes. The rear tire would also wobble on the road. You would also have grease on the inside of the rear tire/wheel on that side.

I'm having a pretty hard time believing your mechanic that a squeaky brake is the result of a bent axle or axle shaft. Pulsating brakes at least would be consistent with a bent axle shaft. Squeaky brakes is not a consistent symptom in my mind. I would get a second opinion on it - or just check yourself.

 

[e60ral]

i've seen them bent at the flange and not leak, but you were still able to feel the vibration

did your mechanic check the runout or pull the axle, how did he decide on the axle being bent?

 

[TEujunga]

I have to agree with Jetboy -- seems like if you'd had a bent axle for 6 months, there'd be a lot more symptoms than just a squeaky brake.

Three courses of action I'd consider: 1) Get a second opinion; 2) Ask your mechanic to show you how he diagnosed a bent axle; 3) Heck, if lubing everything up made the symptoms go away for 6 months, I'd consider just doing the same thing every 6 months until I got rid of the truck

 

[e60ral]

so here's a dumb question: did anyone try replacing the rotor with the pads?

 

[(none)]

Yep, lots to check. If it is bent at the flange, just throw an axle in it and be done. It does seem odd though. Check runout on the rotor then they need to remove the rotor and check runout on the flange itself. it may just be something wrong with the rotor. Or just swap rotors from left to right and see if the problem moves. Same could be done for the axle shaft themselves if you want to get down to it.

 

[wfo9]

sounds like a warped rotor to me..I would want run out proven to me. However, it may be a PITA to press out and disassemble enough.

Someone may have slid it into a curb.... and bent the rim.. but surprised it would not be leaking at the seal and vibrating.

 

[2012sr5]

I went to the mechanic's shop and picked up my vehicle. They won't have parts in until first of next week. They had the rear up in the air and started it up and put it in drive (with A-trac disabled) so I could see the wheels spin. Sure enough, there is a very slight wobble to the rear right wheel. Here's a very short video I took:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/0pf9ysrhmmv0mop/Wheel wobble.mov?dl=0

And, if you look at the inside of the wheel, you can see the whole caliper moving as well. Here's a short video of that, too:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/cx0b44dspt2iczt/Caliper wobble.mov?dl=0

My mechanic showed me a video on his phone from earlier this morning when they put a brand new rotor on it and put the caliper back together. Still wobbled.

I can't feel the wobble at all when driving, and it hasn't made the tire wear funny either.

While talking with him at the shop, my mechanic did say that he doubts the dealership knew about the bent axle; they probably just put new pads on the brakes and lubed it up to make it stop squeaking.

Like everyone else in Nashville, I am driving through my fair share of construction zones and generally crappy road conditions. If that can damage a rear axle, then I no longer want to drive this truck. But if it can't, then it happened before I owned it, and who knows what else we'll find in time...
:frusty:

 

[philsey]

Man, I hate to ask this but have the wheels been swapped side-to-side.
I can't imagine your mech didn't do that first, but you didn't say.

It looks like a bent wheel.

 

[boyguan]

if it was me id just claim insurance that i ran over a big object on the freeway.

they will cover the mechanical damage done