I've heard that the tie rods are a part of a car that should last the lifetime of a car, and that if they had ever needed to be changed, it's because the person did some serious damage to their vehicle. (Heavy riding over bumps carelessly, or one severe ride over something hard that bent the tie rods) I just wanted to know if there's any truth to this.
Btw the reason I'm asking this question is because I've been looking at cars and I seen a car that's only 7 years old that has had it's tie rods changed already. This is mainly for future reference and btw, the car was a 2001 Nissan Maxima. (If it matters)
What does it mean when someone has had their tie rods changed in their car?
I don't think tie rods can last forever, nor any mechanical part. Yes they can be damaged, and the life of them shortened drastically, but really, they don't last the life of a vehicle. The Tie rods are a part of your steering linkage, that connects to the spindles knuckle and the steering rack(if equipped), or other parts of the steering linkage. So, these things take allot of stress, and would say its about normal to last this long for that particular vehicle.
What does it mean when someone has had their tie rods changed in their car?
It's a euphemism... means they can't have kids anymore.
Tie rod ends wear out, they are a component in the steering system that needs to be replaced when they become sloppy enough to prevent the front end from staying in alignment.
It is very common to replace them.
tie rods wear out. its just how they are. if the grease boot rips then grease is gone and no lubrication and then you need to chenge tie rod ends. Your maxima has no fitting to lube the joint , so the joint is more likely to fail earlier than older types that had grease fittings and were properly lubed according to schedule. outer tierods are fairly cheap to replace along with a neccesary alignment.
