2010 Nissan Xterra - Axle bent?

i’m told by two dealerships that my 2010 Nissan Xterra Off road needs a rear axle differential assembly. The right axle is bent! I use this vehicle on country roads but don’t beat on it. No mountain climbing off road or mud bogging. How in the world could that hardened steel become bent?

I think you need a third opinion from an independent shop.
Have you had this vehicle since new?
What symptoms are your experiencing?

Is the axle housing bent or is the axle shaft bent?

The axle shaft may be hardened but only case (surface) hardened so it bends rather than snaps off like a pretzel.

It isn’t rocket science to determine if the shaft is bent and if 2 dealers said it is, I’ll bet a dozen donuts it IS bent. It can be bent with all kinds of impacts or rubs. You might just not remember when it happened. The wheel might be bent as well.

A bent axle housing is determined an entirely different way. It can be determined on an alignment rack so it, too, is easy to diagnose. The bent housing happens pretty much the same way as a bent axle shaft and it is only work hardened, meaning not very hard. Replacing that is expensive but an off-road shop can straighten the housing with a little heat and a lot of force.

You may not off road, but do you have a son that may have used the vehicle and went off roading.

Could have easily been done hitting a large rock at a fair speed.

Yosemite

why did the dealer tell you this? odd tire wear? funny handling?
or can you see that the wheel looks a little crooked?

It seems that this problem is not uncommon.

Tester