make inner tie rod ends replaceable

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smh342

New member
Joined
Mar 27, 2017
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3
struck the curb at low speed and bent the inner tie rod. inner tie rod on the leaf is not replaceable (as it is for most other cars) and requires the replacement of the entire steering rack ($2800 worth of parts and 12 hours of labor). This would have cost a few hundred dollars in any other car but for the leaf is upwards of $3,500. I'd like to know the reason these aren't serviceable. After this experience I'm not surprised the leaf costs so much to insure. I wonder what other minor incidents cost big $'s on the leaf. (don't get me started on the lack of a spare tire and the replacement price for the tire goop)
 
thanks for the link. i posted over there (though it's an old topic) to get more information about replacing just the inner tie rod ends. in talking to the service writer the leaf has the only fully electric power steering rack (the others use electric pumps over typical hydraulic steering) which makes me doubt that these really are the same as other nissan cars. clearly someone is remanufacturing them as there's a $200 core charge when you buy the new one but in my area there are few enough of these around to have a reliable source of used / reman. parts. Oh well, really curious if this was an engineering decision driving this or a financial decision.

pardon me while a weep at the cost of this repair...
 
smh342 said:
thanks for the link. i posted over there (though it's an old topic) to get more information about replacing just the inner tie rod ends. in talking to the service writer the leaf has the only fully electric power steering rack (the others use electric pumps over typical hydraulic steering) which makes me doubt that these really are the same as other nissan cars. clearly someone is remanufacturing them as there's a $200 core charge when you buy the new one but in my area there are few enough of these around to have a reliable source of used / reman. parts. Oh well, really curious if this was an engineering decision driving this or a financial decision.

pardon me while a weep at the cost of this repair...

Hello all!!!

I just wanted to reply to this post by saying that I had hit a pothole a couple of weeks ago and I also bent my front inner tie rod. I was quoted by the dealership at a cost of about $1,380.00 with $300.00 in labor cost.

I stumbled across this forum by accident and I was encouraged to search for a cheaper option. After a lot of searching I have finally found the solution. Any one that encounters this problem in the future can a search on Ebay for "Dorman front inner Tie rod end" or just enter the item number "523-243" hit enter and presto!!! The part fit on my 2013 Nissan Leaf and it works perfectly fine now. It cost me only $30.15 including shipping, labor was $139.00. Personally I would much rather pay $169.15 as opposed to $1,680.00 for my repair. I was so happy that I found that part and took a chance as it says it fits 2011-2012. I can only vouch for the 2013 model year, however, I think its worth a shot for anyone with this problem to try the part out before anything else.

I hope this helps anyone in the future that encounters this problem. Be safe on those roads!!!
 
To add further clarity, I ordered part BECK/ARNLEY 1017812 from Rockauto, which they list as compatible, but the threads are coarser and the threaded stub of a smaller size. Otherwise they seem almost identical, including the threading in to the outer tie rod. Rockauto also list DORMAN 523243 as an alternate under the 'economy' section. I figured I'd stay clear of the economy section but lesson learned. Clicking on the photos for both on their site you can see that they are almost identical except for the threads going in to the steering rack. I now have the Dorman unit on the way to me. I called around to a dozen places today to see if I could find it in stock in my area (SF Bay region) and not only does nobody have it in stock, most couldn't find the part, even suppliers listed as Dorman distributors on the Dorman site.
 
So I'm also assuming if you go in for alignment and the tie rods are just worn, same thing?

As long as we can get batteries that don't require a mortgage these cars are going to last until they rust out.
In some places like newmexico that's going to take a while.
 
That's correct. At close to 30k on the odometer my inner tie rod that I just removed had no noticeable play. I'm guessing the outer tie rod will go earlier.

I think you're correct about longevity. My guess is that most people will probably be more tempted by a slightly newer EV with greater range than actually need to replace their Leaf because it's falling apart. It seems like EV technology is increasing at a rate where you'll see more rapid depreciation for EVs only a few years old.
 
Yes, EVs are currently going the way of the early PCs, where last year's computer became worthless when capacities kept on doubling and doubling... Thankfully, this will not happen for more than one generation of EVs as no one will be crying to get a 400 mile range EV.
 
What is interesting about this inner tie-rod - Nissan is actively scanning eBay for this Dorman part and knocks off listing with it referencing Nissan Leaf compatibility. This makes me think they omitted this part on purpose and actually doing everything in their power to keep it this way, so unsuspecting Leaf owners would be forced to spend over $2K for entire steering rack replacement. Shame on Nissan, this is disgusting deeds by them.
 
Leaf15 said:
What is interesting about this inner tie-rod - Nissan is actively scanning eBay for this Dorman part and knocks off listing with it referencing Nissan Leaf compatibility. This makes me think they omitted this part on purpose and actually doing everything in their power to keep it this way, so unsuspecting Leaf owners would be forced to spend over $2K for entire steering rack replacement. Shame on Nissan, this is disgusting deeds by them.

How do you know about this?
 
LeftieBiker said:
Leaf15 said:
How do you know about this?
Because of I was selling mine as I do not need it anymore and Nissan complained to eBay with trademark BS. Maybe some poor soul was arguing with greedy Nissan Dealer about this repair and used ebay listing as leverage. But it was Nissan who forced delisting. Not like I care about selling it as it is just a pocket change, not so for folks who need this part though. Hopefully, those who needs it would find this thread and save themselves a small fortune.
 
Leaf15 said:
LeftieBiker said:
Leaf15 said:
How do you know about this?
Because of I was selling mine as I do not need it anymore and Nissan complained to eBay with trademark BS. Maybe some poor soul was arguing with greedy Nissan Dealer about this repair and used ebay listing as leverage. But it was Nissan who forced delisting. Not like I care about selling it as it is just a pocket change, not so for folks who need this part though. Hopefully, those who needs it would find this thread and save themselves a small fortune.

Damn, that sucks!
 
02/28/2020 - 2012 Nissan Leaf. Daughter slides hard into curb. Front passenger alloy wheel, lower control arm, sway bar link, inner tie rod end all destroyed.
At Rock Auto I purchased the following Items:

Inner Tie Rod end - Beck Arnley #1017673
Outer tie Rod end - AcDelco #45A2533
Lower Control Arm - Ultra Power #RK6211kA0B
Stabilizer Bar Link - Ultra Power # k750719

At EBay I purchased a used wheel

At Autozone I rented-

OEMTOOLS Master inner tie-rod set part
#27346. You will want the 32.5 mm crow foot in the kit. It costs $90 to rent the tool but you get that back when you return it.

EVERYTHING FIT INCLUDING the INNER TIE ROD. I had no issues with threads, fit, length or installation!
 
My 2012 just had a front suspension failure going over a bump at 5mph - whatever part it was that held the wheel from swaying front-to-back, it's broken, and so is the shock and its mount. They quoted $150 parts plus $850 labor for replacing the shocks (rusty bolts) a few months ago, but it seems like more might be broken/bent now.

Already had it towed to the local dealer; any guesses as to how much this full repair will cost?
 
coleafrado said:
My 2012 just had a front suspension failure going over a bump at 5mph - whatever part it was that held the wheel from swaying front-to-back, it's broken, and so is the shock and its mount. They quoted $150 parts plus $850 labor for replacing the shocks (rusty bolts) a few months ago, but it seems like more might be broken/bent now.

Already had it towed to the local dealer; any guesses as to how much this full repair will cost?

Where are you located? Rusted? Wintertime salt treated roads?
Please put your location in your signature. It helps all of us.
 
The car spent its first 7 or 8 years in Maryland and has been in CO about a year - nothing crazy when it comes to salt exposure. I drove it cross-country from NY over a week during the summer. Shocks and suspension don't look like they've ever been maintained.
 
coleafrado said:
The car spent its first 7 or 8 years in Maryland and has been in CO about a year - nothing crazy when it comes to salt exposure. I drove it cross-country from NY over a week during the summer. Shocks and suspension don't look like they've ever been maintained.

What are you thinking needs to be done to "maintain" shocks and suspension? Do you mean replaced?
How many miles on your Leaf?
 
The important thing with buying Leaf parts is to get the part number, and just look for that.

The part number fits other cars, and they cannot kill you on the price.
 
gncndad said:
coleafrado said:
The car spent its first 7 or 8 years in Maryland and has been in CO about a year - nothing crazy when it comes to salt exposure. I drove it cross-country from NY over a week during the summer. Shocks and suspension don't look like they've ever been maintained.

What are you thinking needs to be done to "maintain" shocks and suspension? Do you mean replaced?
How many miles on your Leaf?

85k miles. The shocks were a bit creaky after I drove it to CO.

As for the repair, Nissan's saying the left side control arm, wheel bearing and strut all need replacement at a cost of $1500. Another $350 or so for the right side strut, and that's before any parts that might have failed around the steering rack.
 
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