so i was at the dealer because of a loose windshield tie-down. when the guy was pulling my jeep out after he re-tapped the tie-down, he heard a clunking and pulled it back in to check out the situation. somehow, my front driver's side u-joint was missing two of the "caps". they replaced it ... warranty ... but they have no idea how it happened ...

any one have any idea how something like that happens?
just a faulty u-joint from the factory?

thanks!

 

It's becomming common on the JKs. The caps spin in the yokes and the c-clips fall out, allowing the caps to work their way out. One solution is to tack weld the caps in place on the yokes. Another is to machine the yokes to accept full circle clips. This is the cause of a lot of broken axleshafts.

 

so ... is it just poor manufacturing?

 

underengineered in my opinion.