Torn CV boots and axle failure on X3, RZR XP, Talon and YXZ side-by-sides

CV boot tears leading to axle joint failure appear in the desk's problem records for the X3 platform from 2017 to 2026, the RZR-XP platform from 2014 to 2026, the TALON platform from 2019 to 2026 and the YXZ platform from 2016 to 2026. The sequence is the same on all four. A spray of grease appears inside a wheel well or under a control arm. Some rides later the joint clicks on tight turns. Then, usually under load in a rut, there is a bang and that wheel stops driving.

The cause is the boot. A CV joint lives in grease behind a flexible rubber boot, and the boot on a side-by-side hangs low, close to rocks, stumps and brush. A tear lets the grease out and lets dirt and water in. Once grit is inside, the balls and cage wear against the race until the joint has enough play to hammer itself apart. Long-travel suspension, lifts and larger tires put the joints at steeper angles, which stretches the boots harder and works the joints closer to their limit.

Confirming a torn boot is a visual check, and it is the cheapest one on the machine. Turn the wheels to full lock, get a flashlight on each boot, and look for splits, holes and grease trails. A boot that is intact but wet with grease has usually lost its clamp. Confirming a worn joint is harder: with the wheel lifted and the transmission in neutral, hold the axle either side of the joint and try to twist and rock it. Play that can be felt is wear. Clicking on a tight turn under power is a joint that is already well down the road.

A fix for a boot found early is a new boot and fresh grease. The axle comes out, the old boot comes off, the joint is cleaned, inspected and packed with the grease the manual specifies, and the new boot is clamped with the proper tool. Split boots that go on without removing the axle are better than nothing, but they do not clean the joint and do not last as well. A joint that has been run dirty, or that clicks, is replaced; on most of these platforms the whole axle is replaced as an assembly, which is quicker and often much more expensive.

The axle nut is a critical fastener on all four machines and its torque value is in your service manual; do not guess it, and use a new nut where the manual calls for one. Check the inner joint too when the outer fails, because the same rock strike often catches both, and check the hub bearing, which takes a beating when a joint has been hammering. Carrying a spare axle on a long desert trip is common practice.

Prevention is inspection and protection. Look at the boots at every wash and at the 25-hour greasing the site's UTV reminders schedule. Fit boot guards if you ride rocks. Trim brush at the trailhead rather than driving through it at speed. If the machine has been lifted or fitted with longer arms, check that the axles reach full droop without the boots binding, because a stretched boot tears at the fold long before a rock touches it.

Drivers can extend joint life with their right foot. A joint at full steering lock and full throttle is at its worst angle and highest load at the same time. Easing off through tight turns, and avoiding wheel spin that lets a wheel slam back to grip, spares the joint the shock loads that finish a worn one. A joint that has been clicking should not be driven far, because the debris it makes goes into the diff on the inner end.

Axles, boots, clamps and grease kits in the desk's parts records are listed by platform, X3 for 2017 to 2026, RZR-XP for 2014 to 2026, TALON for 2019 to 2026 and YXZ for 2016 to 2026. Axle lengths and spline counts differ between platforms and between trim levels within a platform, so match the part to your exact model and year before ordering.