Fabia Mk3 inner tie rod dangerous corrosion of the threads.

[htm139]

I just popped to the local shop in a Fabia Mk3 and steering wheel  didn't return to the correct position after right hand bend so I turned left  into the first entrance I came to. The car stopped dead . Jumped out had a look and nearside inner tie rod had come out of the tie rod end as  wheel was at 90 degrees   I was only 100 yards from home so went back got some tools . On inspection with the wheel off the inner tie rod threads  at the tie rod end were virtually none existant  so could push the tie rod end on to the inner tie rod with ease. Luckily I was only doing 5mph because at speed it would be seriously dangerous  Well worth a look as these are the original inner tie rods on the car. I pushed it back in the tie rod end and used lots of wire to hold it in place for the 100 yard very slow drive back home.  Bought a new  pair of inner tie rods as didn't trust the other side just waiting for the special tool so I can get them off.

[Ootohere]

@htm139how many miles has the car done and when was it built?

[rum4mo]

Not good!

 

My wife runs an August 2015 VW Polo 1.2TSI and I tend to scrub the threaded areas clean and apply grease, every year at service time - more in a bid to make it easy to re-adjust the toeing if it becomes necessary, this car is at around 42,000 miles and lots of salt is spread on our local roads in winter.

 

I did replace the TREs on her previous October 2002 VW Polo 1.4 16V at the 4.5 year point, but that was only due to me needing to replace the front springs and the TRE threads/nuts gave me a lot of grief. Later on, maybe at 10 years and 85,000 miles, I did replace the inner track rods due to "slackness" on one of them, doing that with the correct tool was very easy.

 

At both times, I didn't find any unusual rusting on the track rood threads.

[htm139]

It is 2009 1.4 Tdi Fabia Mk3 90,000miles . It was on the mot rattler only a couple of weeks ago which finds any problems with the suspension and ball joints, everything o.k.  The threads were not stripped just  barely visible with rust and then tie rod could be pushed on.  Maybe just the seriously bad roads full of potholes.

[Ootohere]

@htm139Is that a typo or is it a 2009 Mk2 Fabia 3 1.4 TDI so not a Mk3? 

[htm139]

No it is a Mk3 Fabia 2009 . Fabia Mk3 started production in 2008.

[Ootohere]

@htm139  They certainly did not, and since you posted in the mk3 Fabia section look at the pinned thread at the top about 1.4TDI overheating.

 

Production started 2014, first ones arrived in the UK late 2014, early 2015.

Some Mk2 Fabia were First Registered early 2015 but built in 2014 

[htm139]

Spoiler

 

[htm139]

It is a 2009 fabia mk 3 

[J.R.]

Locknut will have been loose and the threads fretting backwards and forwards for a very long time letting water in by capillary action , water, bare metal, fretting movement, perfect recipe for wearing away the threads.

 

I expect the track rod end will have been equally worn.

[htm139]

Water must have been getting in due to rust all along the inner arm threads which is the only place they're normally rust free. 

[Ootohere]

@htm139  Have you got it yet? 

Your car was/ is called a Fabia 3,  THAT IS A TRIM LEVEL, but it is a Mk2 Pre Face Lift and not a Mk3 Fabia. 

Your car and others were called that more than 5 years before the Mk3 Fabia were launched or even before the Mk2 got a face lift.

  Parts required are Mk2 Fabia.

 

 

Edited 22 November, 2023 by Rooted

[Breezy_Pete]

Characters 7 and 8 of the VIN tell you which model you have.

If 6Y you have a mk1

If 5J you have a mk2

If NJ you have a mk3

 

Calling some mk2s 'Fabia 1', 'Fabia 2', 'Fabia 3' as trim descriptions was daft, and confuses quite a few.

 

 

 

 

[htm139]

Thank you for that useful information about trim levels. That has nothing to do with thread wear on inner track rods that could  cause a serious accident  which is relevant to all fabia's and well worth checking  The offside one was nearly as bad when we took the track rod end off it but looked ok with lock nut tight and had no movement when attached meaning all can look ok unless the track rod end is removed to inspect the threads which evidently can fail with no warning  Perhaps you should stick to comments on the topic.  

[J.R.]

2 hours ago, htm139 said:

That has nothing to do with thread wear on inner track rods that could  cause a serious accident  which is relevant to all fabia's and well worth checking

 

Unique to your vehicle and 100% due to a loose locknut.

 

2 hours ago, htm139 said:

The offside one was nearly as bad when we took the track rod end off it but looked ok with lock nut tight and had no movement when attached meaning all can look ok unless the track rod end is removed to inspect the threads which evidently can fail with no warning 

 

Nearly as bad is a curious choice of words, was there any wear in the threads?

 

I'm not sure what warning you expect from a thread failure but having driven a vehicle where someone had not tightened a locknut after tracking adjustment it was plain to me there was movement and incorrect feedback from the steering, one look while someone turned the wheel back and forth soon identified the problem, and there was no significant wear on the thread, tracking only done a few days before, just the track rod flexing at the unsecured threaded joint.

 

The track rod would not normally drop out when driving as the steering rack is behind the axle, it will happen when going from lock to centre position when stationary or slow manouevring as yours probably did.

 

In 50 years of regularly working on vehicles I have never known a tightened up threaded joint come apart through corrosion, if only they would! I have fought thousands that have seized with rust and replaced several track rods and rod ends where the thread had worn through the locknut not being tightened or absent. Your car must be one in a million if what you maintain is true and is not something that you should be alarming all Fabia owners about, indeed why restrict it to Fabias? 99% of vehicles have track rod ends and locknuts.

 

I hope you will accept that these comments are on topic.

Edited 22 November, 2023 by J.R.