Broken roof mount bolts during rack installation

Zacharyjones64

Apr 16, 2022

I was so pumped to get my roof rack put on. I have a big fishing and camping trip coming up and have been dreaming about using my 2dr bronco with a camper top and now it's turned into a nightmare. Picked up the roof rack from the local dealer yesterday and took it home to install. The instructions say 8ft lbs on the bolts that hold the rack next to the windshield mounts. I had tightened them to proper spec and thought they were clicking. Instead I found that was actually the studs on the windshield snapping off. Totally disappointed.

My question is, what are my options as far as having this repaired. I could weld it but don't know if I would trust it then holding a roof top tent driving down the highway. And a quick search seems like I'm not the only one. The pic below isnt mine but it's identical except I broke both. The owner of that one had to go through Ford as a warranty claim. If that's the case, I seriously doubt I'll have this repaired in two weeks for the trip

The icing on the cake is it seems the plastic is cracked on the rack itself. Not very promising as far as durability goes.

the poacher, Mal

Last edited by a moderator: Apr 16, 2022

Sort by date

Reaction Score

Apr 16, 2022

Damn, sorry to hear that.

2022 Jeep JLR, manual with even more extra guacamole
Sold - 2021 Jeep JLR, manual w/extra guacamole

Zacharyjones64

Apr 16, 2022

Daaannng that sucks. I will need to double check my Bronco’s roof rack when mine gets here. Make sure the factory didn’t break off any studs.

Bronco Nation 1100. Everglades, Desert Sand
Res: 7/30/20 ordered 1/22/21 reorder 10/15/21 changed to Everglades 3/9/22 schedule 8/29/22 bumped to 9/5; 9/7/22 blend, 9/9 Mods, 9/26/22 completed, 10/7 shipped, 11/3/22 delivery

AD BRONCO, Zacharyjones64

Apr 16, 2022

Totally stinks. 8 ftlb does not seem excessive, are those M8 studs?

considering the load that your gear is going to place on your rack (and those studs), I would have certainly expected more durability.

2021 badlands, 2.3, MT, rapid red, soft top

AD BRONCO, Jakob1972

Apr 16, 2022

What brand of racks were you going with?

AD BRONCO

Apr 16, 2022

That sucks. So sorry

AD BRONCO, Zacharyjones64

Apr 16, 2022

TK1215
What brand of racks were you going with?

The official Ford one. Hindsight tells me I should've just paid the $80 or whatever it was for the dealer to put it on but for what would have been a ten minute job it seemed excessive.

Bschurr, Jakob1972

Apr 16, 2022

Shoresy
Totally stinks. 8 ftlb does not seem excessive, are those M8 studs?

considering the load that your gear is going to place on your rack (and those studs), I would have certainly expected more durability.

Right? Honestly being an anchor point if the guide hadn't said 8ft lbs I probably would've went much tighter. The studs breaking sucks. The plastic of the rack breaking under -8lbs is worrisome.

LR48

Apr 16, 2022

Zacharyjones64
The official Ford one. Hindsight tells me I should've just paid the $80 or whatever it was for the dealer to put it on but for what would have been a ten minute job it seemed excessive.

Don't blame yourself! If you followed the instructions specs correctly, you founded a weakened crucial point and we all should be thanking you for pointing that out. The installer would had fixed it and never told you about it.

Jakob1972

Apr 16, 2022

What kind of torque wrench did you use? Should use an inch pound wrench set at 96 in lbs because most likely a ft lb wrench will not be accurate that low and will also have a larger handle giving more leverage once you go past the click which can easily break off the bolt or stud. Not hating, just been there done that myself and from many many years working at a major assembly facility.

On the others that had one break, what was the fix? It appears as though the nut is most likely welded to the bottom of the plate that is spot welded to the body. What a disaster.

Bschurr, AcesandEights

Apr 16, 2022

#10

Wow - I am really surprised of 2 things (previously mentioned).
1- 8 ft lbs seems like very little force to cause the stud to break &
2- roof top tent resting in that mount seems a bit much - those mounting points are sturdy but additional supports on the side and rear should also be employed.

I installed a light bar across the top of my windshield using those mounting points and never even thought of looking for a torque spec. I simple used my common sense torque spec of “just tight enough”.

I would think that grinding the broken stud down and then drilling out the mounting point a bit and then welding in a replacement stud would be the appropriate fix. Good luck!

- 2023 Raptor / Shadow Black / MGV (DOB 8/30/23)
- 2023 Heritage Limited Edition / Robin’s Egg Blue / 4dr / (stolen from my dealer 11/15/23)

the poacher, ResidualGenius

Apr 16, 2022

#11

BigHoof
What kind of torque wrench did you use? Should use an inch pound wrench set at 96 in lbs because most likely a ft lb wrench will not be accurate that low and will also have a larger handle giving more leverage once you go past the click which can easily break off the bolt or stud. Not hating, just been there done that myself and from many many years working at a major assembly facility.

On the others that had one break, what was the fix? It appears as though the nut is most likely welded to the bottom of the plate that is spot welded to the body. What a disaster.

I used a cheapo 1/4" drive 20-200in lbs Harbor Freight special. The guy's bronco in the pic had to be sent in a warranty claim and the once approved it was sent to a body shop with a new plate and studs from Ford to be installed.

BigHoof, jimFish

Mar 28, 2024

#12

Resurrecting this thread as the same just happened to me! …as well as many others so it seems. How did you fix this? I’m thinking of drilling out the stud, tapping the hole, screwing in a SS bolt, epoxying it then grinding off the bolt head. Does that sound reasonable?

Mar 29, 2024

#13

usbrit
Resurrecting this thread as the same just happened to me! …as well as many others so it seems. How did you fix this? I’m thinking of drilling out the stud, tapping the hole, screwing in a SS bolt, epoxying it then grinding off the bolt head. Does that sound reasonable?

Is there enough room to slide a thin locknut under the welded plate. If so I wonder if double threaded bolts could work.

Mar 29, 2024

#14

OrangecrushBronco
Is there enough room to slide a thin locknut under the welded plate. If so I wonder if double threaded bolts could work.

I like that Idea.... excellent Idea!

Mar 29, 2024

#15

Not sure if there’s enough room for a thin nut, I’ll check. For the time being, I’m going to put off this project until later. I’ve ordered the JCR Off-road short rack and will look to extend it to a full rack later…which will require the stud fix :(

Deano Bronc, Unicorn

Mar 29, 2024

#16

usbrit
Not sure if there’s enough room for a thin nut, I’ll check. For the time being, I’m going to put off this project until later. I’ve ordered the JCR Off-road short rack and will look to extend it to a full rack later…which will require the stud fix

Bummer, but atleast not all is lost. Hope your trip is so much fun you forget about this ordeal until you have a fix.

usbrit, UserError

Apr 07, 2024

#17

I just installed the JCR Off-road short roof rack and love it! Because of the white hardtop, I painted part of the brackets to blend in and glad I did. Initially, I built most of the rack off the vehicle but found that the outer brackets did not sit as close to the roof as I hoped, so I ended dismantling it and rebuilding on the roof with the side bars and brackets first, then I added the crossbars and fairings after.

Attachments

IMG_0927.jpeg 4032 x 3024 · 2 MB

IMG_0930.jpeg 4032 x 3024 · 3.3 MB

IMG_0933.jpeg 4032 x 3024 · 2.19 MB

UserError, MarkB

Apr 08, 2024

#18

usbrit
I just installed the JCR Off-road short roof rack and love it! Because of the white hardtop, I painted part of the brackets to blend in and glad I did. Initially, I built most of the rack off the vehicle but found that the outer brackets did not sit as close to the roof as I hoped, so I ended dismantling it and rebuilding on the roof with the side bars and brackets first, then I added the crossbars and fairings after.

I'm glad you found a happy solution!!

TK1215

Apr 09, 2024

#19

OrangecrushBronco
I'm glad you found a happy solution!!

I still plan to fix the broken stud issue - just putting off drilling it out and trying to tap it 😅

You must log in or register to post here.