I don’t see how a pot hole can do it. The axle just gets pointed up and down b/c of the CV joint. A pothole should not stress the axle at all.

Metal fatigue is often the cause of metal parts failing. This is a gradual process and will result in a sudden break. I owned a Plymouth once with torsion bar front suspension. Both failed; one while I was having lunch and looked out the window to see the car’s front suddenly sag! I also owned a …

A pothole is not just up and down. It can force a rotation as well as back and forth. It can break an axle easily.

On a late night stroll a few years ago I saw a fairly new car loaded with teenagers hit a speed bump going a little too fast, with a little too much weight in the car, both front axles appeared to break at the outer cv joints. As you might expect the car came to a screeching halt, mid-road; meanw…

I had a CV joint fail that I’m pretty sure was caused by making a hard right turn on an off ramp while braking hard. It took a few hundred miles for it to fail but I’m pretty sure the stress from the turn was the start of it.

I’m not talking about busted CV. I am specifically talking about an axle shaft that snaps. How?

What’s the axle and suspension configuration of the vehicle? I expect you understand nothing in a vehicle is indestructible. Everything will break if enough force is applied. Probably the strongest thing in a car is the horizontal brace inside the door, a safety feature. It is made of a very st…

Do you know if someone installed a cheap replacement axle? [image] The cheap axle has a thinner shaft than the OEM axle. Tester

The OP offers up a good question, why doesn’t the CV joint just flex enough to accommodate the pothole. After all that’s what it is designed to do, flex. I guess what happens when an CV jointed axle breaks like that, with a deep enough pothole, possibly combined with steering, the CV joint reac…

UsedEconobox_2_UsedB: I’m not talking about busted CV. I am specifically talking about an axle shaft that snaps. How? Lots’a weight Lots’a torque Both 1) and 2)

What causes a broken axle?

Maintenance/Repairs

Tester April 19, 2017, 12:35am 4

No.

The CV-joint also allows articulation of the axle while the front wheels are turned.

So,if the pot hole was hit while making a sharp turn at speed, it can destroy a worn CV-joint.

Tester

Topic		Replies	Views
New CV axle breaks inner CV joint Maintenance/Repairs	7	5294	November 3, 2018
Broken Axle Cup Maintenance/Repairs	1	1401	August 9, 2011
CV Joint Keeps Snapping Maintenance/Repairs toyota , corolla	12	8641	February 14, 2020
Cause for left ball joint break Maintenance/Repairs honda , cr-v	8	5450	July 24, 2009
CV Axil - how long can I go? Maintenance/Repairs nissan , maxima , cv-joints	17	14543	June 28, 2021

What causes a broken axle?

Related topics