Lynn didn't have the answer to hand but we discussed the CV joint boots failing by the nature of them operating at their extremes in terms of deflection. She took it back to her engineering team and they replied today.
Propshaft angle a hot topic from the very early days of engineering the Grenadier – no surprise there. We worked very closely with our supplier on the development and tested it in extremely rough conditions over many miles without any issues. We now see (and thanks for the feedback) that there have been reports on some rubber boots.
We are reviewing this internally, and with the supplier, and will weigh up whether we believe there needs to be a fix. We have some meetings set up to discuss in the coming weeks. The propshaft angle will be even more critical if lifting the vehicle (>20mm).
@Stu_Barnes
Long post. My apologies in advance.
Action: Please follow up with IA.
There are now a number of threads discussing the front driveshaft CV durability and numerous reports of early failures on standard and lifted vehicles. There is current talk of legal action in the UK and NA as well as NHTSA safety reporting. These are not first-resort reactions but it shows the current tideline of frustration as a consequence of IA's silence and apparent lack of action in addressing broader fleet issues.
Lynn has repeatedly acknowledged that IA are chronically bad at communicating with their customer base and they must do better. I believe Lynn is genuine in her comments. In the interim IA don't appear to have any capacity to address hot spots (including HVAC reliability, PSP noise concerns, service reminder, TPMS pressure thresholds and rotation, etc). It feels like IA transitioned from development mode to a production and sustainment mode far too early and now they don't have the resources to address latent development issues and faults with any degree of urgency.
The driveshaft problem seems to be a spillover from the design stage. The driveshaft and CV technology is proven. The front axle application appears to be comprised by the excessive angle at the Transfer Case. This was never going to get better in production as the global fleet accumulated wear through use and mileage. IA Engineering said in their response they also had concerns about the driveshaft angle but it didn't produce any faults during testing so they never came back to it. That decision is now hurting product reliability, customer loyalty, brand reputation and future sales.
My inner optimist hopes this is a situation where IA will spring a surprise fix on the market that has been in quiet development. My inner pessimist says that IA still don't have anyone looking outwards to take a temperature reading on these early service issues and they are blind to the consequences and the connection to future sales. Even if they have a fix in progress, the lack of communication makes IA look unresponsive.
Stu,
On the back of the podcasts and first AMA round, would you please take these concerns back to Lynn and her team and impress upon them the severity of how this driveshaft issue is being perceived and the impact it is having on their customer base. Please implore IA to:
(1) formally acknowledge the driveshaft issue to owners; and
(2) clarify the warranty position around driveshaft/CV/grease boot failure on vehicles fitted with a modest (IA to define) suspension lift package including levelling springs or spacers*; and
(3) share their progress or plans on a fix for in-service and future vehicles, including the timeline.
You're welcome to share this post and any reactions with IA as a representative view of owner concerns. I think I am reflecting the consensus, or near enough.
Thanks Stu.
*IA said very early and Lynn recently repeated that they would leave it to the aftermarket to develop upgrades and enhancements for Grenadier. A properly engineered suspension lift is almost a given in most markets and IA would have anticipated this. It is not unreasonable to expect IA/Magna to allow for this modification during the early vehicle design, or at least not design the vehicle so critically where there is no margin for suspension height changes. Built for more?
