Hyundai Repair: 2006 Tucson driver front axle, inflated tires, brand tires

Question
I drive a 4WD Tucson that now has 125k miles on it.  This is the second time I have had trouble with a "broken axle" on the driver's side front.  The first time they were able to slip something back inside something else and I drove it for at least another 20k miles before it happened again

Should I be considering this as normal wear and tear given the number of miles I drive per year, or is this an unusual thing to have happen ?

Second question is whether it is normal to be going through tires every 30-35k miles ?  I've tried a number of different brands, but seem to go through everyone's 60k tires in 30-35k miles (once a year +/-)

Thanks a ton !

-Beth

Answer
Hi, Beth.  The first thing I'll note is that if they were able to put the axle back together, it wasn't "broken," but rather had come apart.  This is not a normal occurrence.  There is a problem that is causing this to happen.  Not knowing where the axle actually came apart, it's difficult for me to say where the problem lies.  There could be a problem in the transmission, the axle itself, or the suspension.

If your tire issues were just one brand, I'd say that it may be a tire issue.  But if you're purchasing nationally recognized name-brand tires and are having this issue with more than one brand, then it's a safe bet the issue isn't with the tires.  You may have an alignment issue, the tires may be over- or under-inflated, or it's possible you may not be rotating them.  Without knowing the treadwear pattern, it's difficult for me to say where the problem lies.  Under-inflated tires will tend to wear both the inside and outside edge of the tread.  Over-inflated tires will tend to wear the center portion of the tread.  Improper toe (an alignment angle) will typically result in either the inner or outer edge (but not both edges) being worn on both tires on an axle.  If you're not rotating your tires, you should expect a short tread lifespan out of the front tires.  Even though you have a 4WD vehicle, the front wheels are the primary drive wheels and the only drive wheels when they are not slipping.