[XterraDog1]

Hey, anyone install 6 pack leaf springs on their X from ARB? I've got OME that was part of suspension upgrade in October 2019. Last March, the passenger side failed. Leaf 2&3 sheared under the axle and X dropped an inch. ARB replaced it for free. Today, the driver's side did the same...same leaf numbers, same location, except this time a 12-14 inch piece of steel flew out the back of the X. Lucky no one was following us. I examined the stress fracture and it's a mess...looks like coffee grounds up close with loose flaky pieces that come off with a fingernail. Definitely seems like a bad steel problem. Anyone else see anything similar with ARB ever? These were purchased in October 2019.

 

[JianTao]

Uhh dude I think your issue is rust. I'm not trying to be stupid here but clearly there's cracks in that steel that rusted out. You are in a salt state, as my VA truck doesn't look like that at all. You should be undercoating your entire truck and having the frame treated otherwise I cringe to see the underside of your vehicle.

 

[RacerXXL]

What year truck?

 

[XterraDog1]

Uhh dude I think your issue is rust. I'm not trying to be stupid here but clearly there's cracks in that steel that rusted out. You are in a salt state, as my VA truck doesn't look like that at all. You should be undercoating your entire truck and having the frame treated otherwise I cringe to see the underside of your vehicle.

Thanks for the thought. Rest of them vehicle is rust free. Original leafs that I replaced to upgrade to ARB OME were 7 years old with 150k and pristine. Salt shouldn't eat quality steel in 30 months.

 

[XterraDog1]

What year truck?

2012

 

[owenweyers]

yeah add a undercoat. the leafs have tight crevices that can catch and collect water and salt. that’s insane that they rusted to bits under 30 months
how much off roading do you do?
how often do you wash the car?
the leafs have alot of pressure and stress on them 24/7 365 so rust will kill them in no time, but still 30 months that’s insane

 

[XterraDog1]

yeah add a undercoat. the leafs have tight crevices that can catch and collect water and salt. that’s insane that they rusted to bits under 30 months
how much off roading do you do?
how often do you wash the car?
the leafs have alot of pressure and stress on them 24/7 365 so rust will kill them in no time, but still 30 months that’s insane

Yeah...the vehicle was just inspected in Feb with no rust underneath and ZERO (unfortunately since my wife got cancer) off-road activity. I don't wash it that much during winter. But we also have not been driving much either except for necessities. Like maybe 12k this past year total. It's unfortunate that the ARB springs both fractured in the exact same place and same springs on each side. That leads me to believe it's defect and that was the purpose of my post was to explore the idea that maybe there are others out there... Everything else on the truck is good (knock on wood!). And these are the SIX spring packs, too, so it's especially odd that 2&3 broke on both sides after only 20 and 30 months. That would have to be some really insane RUST!

yeah add a undercoat. the leafs have tight crevices that can catch and collect water and salt. that’s insane that they rusted to bits under 30 months
how much off roading do you do?
how often do you wash the car?
the leafs have alot of pressure and stress on them 24/7 365 so rust will kill them in no time, but still 30 months that’s insane

 

[Satito]

Sorry to hear about your wife.
That seems like a manufacturing issue. Perhaps they don't coat their leaf springs, but for steel the thickness of leaf springs to crack and rust like that there is definitely a manufacturing issue. The only other reason I could see leafs cracking like that is if they are constantly being overloaded, but looking at it I'd say there were impurities in the steel that resulted in a weak spot and increased corrosion rate.

I live in Puerto Rico. It rains here a lot and all of our rain comes in from the Atlantic ocean. It's pretty salty, but I don't see steel rusting like this. When I install an uncoated, non-galvanized 1/8" thick steel track for my rolling gate on my house it lasts around 15 years and that's with constant rain and ground moisture.

 

[Zyurn]

Sorry to hear about your wife.
That seems like a manufacturing issue. Perhaps they don't coat their leaf springs, but for steel the thickness of leaf springs to crack and rust like that there is definitely a manufacturing issue. The only other reason I could see leafs cracking like that is if they are constantly being overloaded, but looking at it I'd say there were impurities in the steel that resulted in a weak spot and increased corrosion rate.

I live in Puerto Rico. It rains here a lot and all of our rain comes in from the Atlantic ocean. It's pretty salty, but I don't see steel rusting like this. When I install an uncoated, non-galvanized 1/8" thick steel track for my rolling gate on my house it lasts around 15 years and that's with constant rain and ground moisture.

This is most definitely a manufacturing issue. Well made springs do not rust out and fail after 30 months, as yours appear to have done. I have restored and driven vintage vehicles in the Northeast Rust Belt for over 50 years. Top quality leaf springs just don’t fail like that. I consider ARB/OME to be a manufacturer of quality springs (I just installed a set of OME coils in my 2091 4Runner) and a reputable company, and hope to hear in the future that they have corrected the manufacturing problem and made you whole financially. Please keep us posted.

 

[Roosterwe]

You are in a salt state, as my VA truck doesn't look like that at all. You should be undercoating your entire truck and having the frame treated otherwise I cringe to see the underside of your vehicle.