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Yakima rack breaks free (WARNING!!!)

16K views 24 replies 20 participants last post by  nauc 
#1 ·
My Yakima rack was attached to my Xterra factory roof rack using the 28H mighty mounts recommended by Yakima. After about two months of light use the nut had managed to work its way through the plastic that makes up the mighty mount bracket resulting in the mount coming free. Luckily during a check I noticed the problem just prior to the second mount coming loose and causing a complete loss of the rack, bike and likely severe damage to my truck or injury to other drivers on the road. After examining the mounts on my second rack I notice the same problem beginning to occur.

I guess this is just a WARNING for anyone who may be using the 28H mighty mount, but it may also apply to other mighty mounts and similar mounting systems, who knows but it is worth a look.

I am trying an experiment using washers to fill the gap in the mount that allowed the nut to pull through the plastic, It seems like it may solve the problem but I have not tested it long enough yet.

Has anyone else had this occur, just curious? With a fix that seems so easy (we will see after the test run) for a major glitch I am surprised and very disappointed that Yakima did not catch the problem. I am going to have a hard time trusting my Yakima rack now and any of there other products in the future. It makes me wonder if they even test there products before they put them out on the market. Sorry Yakima but not only could I have lost thousands or dollars in bikes at free way speeds a bike bouncing down the road could have caused serious injury. :(
 
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#2 ·
Yakima is an odd company.

I took a look at the installation diagrams for the 18H and I think I understand the problem you're describing. I can't imagine you're the only person who has experienced it.

I recently purchased two of their Cobra racks. I love them, but it turns out the Cobras have a problem of a somewhat important knob -- the one that secures the front wheel to the tray -- vibrating itself loose as the miles pile on.

It's not random: Almost every magazine and online review, not to mention the reviews here on mtbr, mention this as a problem. It's no biggy for short distances, but for long distances you can pretty much count on the knob working loose if you don't stop to tighten it every so often.

I emailed this to Yakima, along with links to all the various reviews that discuss this loosening problem, and Yakima will not fess up to it. My email was very innocent: Is your company planning to address this in the near future, or should I rig something up to take care of the problem???

No acknowledgement, no suggestions (other than, "maybe you have a stripped nut" --it's not).

So, a little ticked, I rigged up my own solution, saddened that this company seems to have some quality issues they're not willing to face.

Good luck with your problem. They seem pretty quick to respond, and were willing to send me unneeded replacement parts for free. Hopefully they'll do the same for you and actually address the problem you're having.
 
#3 ·
About that Cobra front wheel knob.

Speedüb Nate said:
Yakima is an odd company.

I took a look at the installation diagrams for the 18H and I think I understand the problem you're describing. I can't imagine you're the only person who has experienced it.

I recently purchased two of their Cobra racks. I love them, but it turns out the Cobras have a problem of a somewhat important knob -- the one that secures the front wheel to the tray -- vibrating itself loose as the miles pile on.

It's not random: Almost every magazine and online review, not to mention the reviews here on mtbr, mention this as a problem. It's no biggy for short distances, but for long distances you can pretty much count on the knob working loose if you don't stop to tighten it every so often.

I emailed this to Yakima, along with links to all the various reviews that discuss this loosening problem, and Yakima will not fess up to it. My email was very innocent: Is your company planning to address this in the near future, or should I rig something up to take care of the problem???

No acknowledgement, no suggestions (other than, "maybe you have a stripped nut" --it's not).

So, a little ticked, I rigged up my own solution, saddened that this company seems to have some quality issues they're not willing to face.

Good luck with your problem. They seem pretty quick to respond, and were willing to send me unneeded replacement parts for free. Hopefully they'll do the same for you and actually address the problem you're having.
I noticed this also on the 2 Cobra trays I have mounted on my receiver rack. However, once I started forcibly pulling both hoop arms into the front tire by hand before tightening the knob, I haven't had this problem since. I basically squeeze the two hoops together first. It seems if you don't do this, the hoops settle into the tire a bit, and like you said, the knob gets loose.
 
#22 ·
Sorry to hear you've had a bad experience with REI bike dept. I worked in the bike dept of REI in Tempe, AZ in the early 90s and we had a great team of knowledgeable techs. I would and have trusted REI with my ride through the years and just like everything else, they stand behind their work.

Just to clarify, I don't work for REI now, just a 30 yr member.
 
#6 ·
If you only transport your own bike to the trails, and don't need to carry lot's of other stuff, I don't know why you would use any type of rack.

I use to have a trunk/bumper rack that took me 2-5 minutes to get set-up. Now I fold down the seats in my car and put the bike back there (on a tarp) in about 1 minute, plus it's free to do this and I don't worry about the rack/bike falling off.

Just a tip for the solo rider out there!
 
#7 ·
I have a Thule rack I've been using for years now. I've actually owned Thule setups over the past 10 years or so, started off with a gutter mount on my bronco II, eventually got an older audi and moved the rack over to it with a 400 foot pack. After a year or so I purchased a Blazer with factory rack, and moved my thule system to it by buying the factory adapter feet.

The system now rests on my 2002 Nissan altima, with the old 400 foot pack from almost 8 years ago and a new fit kit.

Thule racks are rock solid, so long as you make sure to install them properly. Follow the directions, and make sure it's installed correctly, and you'll never have a problem.
 
#8 ·
joelkamp said:
Thanks for the info. Anyone have any opinion on Thule, good, bad, otherwise? Luckily I purchased the mounts from REI and they stand behind all products 100% (just never use there bike shop, but that is a whole seperate issue)
I have Thule also for about 10 years. Never one problem with there rack systems at all. They are top notch and a very good company. Last year while coming back from riding we were using one of there hitch mounted carries. I had my bike up on the roof and 2 of my buddies on the carrier. The pin that holds the carrier upright came loose, you guess it, both bikes slammed to the ground. The outside bike, my buddies Klien Attitude bent on impact along with his cranks and wheels,etc... The inside bike just had a few scratches and needed the wheels trued. After contacting Thule about this problem they asked us to make a video of the way the bikes came loose and provide 2 damage quotes for different shops. We did all this and they sent my buddy a check for $1400 to cover the damages to his bike. They also said they were looking into better ways to keeps the locking pins in. They are top notch in my book. I will only buy Thule racks,etc... for my carrying needs.
 
#9 ·
I will second the support for thule stuff, it's great equipment. I think my roof would rip off before the racks would. Although they would loosen and vibrate every couple months from the wind assults at highway speeds, but they are still locked down and would never come off, and this was before the wind fairing that has made this problem non existent. As far as the bike trays go, buy sportworks.
 
#10 ·
jm03 said:
As far as the bike trays go, buy sportworks.
Sportworks makes a great hitch rack. As a roof rack, I considered the Sportworks Bob Ratchet to mount to my Thule cross bars, but I couldn't afford the extra space the Sportworks wheel "Cane" takes up -- not on the relatively narrow roof of my Subaru, anyway.

I was curious about the new Thule Super G, but at the time it wasn't yet available and compared to the Yakima King Cobra, it looked like it have a few additional moving parts and buckles. I happily went with the Cobra, and I'm 90% happy with it. I just wish Yakima would acknowledge their "red knob" problem and address it.
 
#12 ·
Too bad Saris no longer makes roof racks

About 6-7 years ago I purchased a Saris roof rack for my Saturn coupe. I did a lot of research at the time and compared the Thule, Yakima, and Saris. The Saris design was hands-down the best on the market at the time. And given the sh!t I've seen others go through with new Yakima and Thule racks, I'd still say the Saris design is better than anything else on the market now.

The Saris design used oval bars vs. round ones (oval is more aerodynamic). Plus the Saris used a nifty one-side threaded knob for each bar that tightened the rack against the roof -- this type of adjustent moved the roof clips sidways into the roof rail, making for a very secure mount on the car. This design was not only very stable, it was the only rack I could mount on my car by myself. Last but not least, all of the attachments for the Saris rack mounted in grooves on the top of the bars that had to be inserted with the knobs turned sidways. Each attachment would then snug down onto the rack with a rotating knob. This made for very secure mounting of everything onto the rack as there were no screws or other attachments holding everything together. Even if the knob loosened up, it would be impossible for the attachment to come loose from the rack. What a great design.

I beat the living crap out of that roof rack and the damn thing never gave me any trouble. I took that Saturn on some pretty hairy dirt roads...lots of highway driving...and all over the city. The Saturn suspension was really firm, so lots of the bumps and jostles were transferred right to the rack itself. To this day I am still surprised that nothing ever happened with all of the use I put that rack through.

Since then I sold the Saturn and bought a Tahoe. The rack only fit a compact car so I gave it to my friend (who drives an Audi A4). He is still using that rack today. And it still is in great shape.

What ever happened to Saris roof racks? I still see their racks for rear hatches but no more roof racks. If I had to buy another roof rack again, I'd still try to find an old Saris.

Thx...Doug
 
#13 ·
you guys arent the only ones having problems with yakima, mine DID come off the roof on the freeway with 3 bikes on there. Luckily there wasnt a car behind me and the bikes landed upright while the entire damn thing sledded to a stop. Car was damaged though.

Then today the ****in bolt for the steelehead skerwe had the threads FALL OUT and my bike fell off the roof.

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=35256
 
#14 · (Edited)
I've been running a Yakima set up for about 8 years now and the only time it came off was when I drove into the garage with 2 bikes on it. D'oh! I have the rain gutter towers mounted onto Thule "Artificial Raingutters" and use the Ankle Biter Duece for my mtbs and Steelhead for my road bike. I've had bikes up there going ~80 with no issues and have done tons of road trips (in excess of 1500 miles each) with the bikes all safe and sound. AND I put a bike bra up there for road trips to keep bugs and other crap off 'em, but it acts like a big sail, so if they were gonna take off, I think they would have already.
 
#15 ·
thats the way it should be. I loved my yakima till i started having all these problems with it. Ive done 110 mph in a 91 civic with 2 bikes on the roof so i was VERY suprised when it flew off going regular freeway speeds.
 
#16 ·
Saris

They still do make roof racks! I'm looking into one of there hitch racks rite now my buddy who owns a shop loves his. But they still make roof racks. However I have all Thule stuff otherwise. Always worked great for me, only fly offs were users error. Now I check after friends put their bikes up there. After watching a grown man cry seeing his Eddy Mercks dancing on the road behind us was enough for me!
 
#17 ·
I went with a Draw-Tite hitch model from etrailer.

I'm very happy with it although I haven't got my anti-wobble to work as there is not enough room between the 1&1/4 portion of the rack and the 2" part but I'm working on that. It doesn't wobble much as is but I figure every little bit helps.

I'll admit all the talk about various bikes coming off at speed has me bungi cording the sucker in addition to the holder plates. Belt and suspenders and highly unlikely to need the bungie but after listening to all the crap some of you folks have gone through I don't want to go there.

http://www.etrailer.com/Merchant2/m...re_Code=E&Product_Code=7982&Category_Code=BRF
 
#18 ·
I have had three Thule racks and haven't had a problem with the bike racks, but I recently purchased the kayak rack with the rear roller. While bolts and bars don't come loose, the roller kayak design is a totally mis engineered piece of junk. The roller is pretty much useless and needs to be adjustable to go back far enough to hang over the back of the roof. Essentially I wasted my money on that feature.

So Thule has its problems also.
 
#19 ·
noonievut said:
If you only transport your own bike to the trails, and don't need to carry lot's of other stuff, I don't know why you would use any type of rack.

I use to have a trunk/bumper rack that took me 2-5 minutes to get set-up. Now I fold down the seats in my car and put the bike back there (on a tarp) in about 1 minute, plus it's free to do this and I don't worry about the rack/bike falling off.

Just a tip for the solo rider out there!
I intermittently use my trunk rack and the inside of my car, so I have experience with both mounting methods. My seats don't fold down, though, so it goes between the front and rear seats.

Some thoughts on both:

Trunk rack:
Plusses:
-Easy setup...almost easier than sticking it in the car (have to take front wheel off, move the seat forward to get it in, put towels down for the mess, etc.)
-Gets the bike outside for more inside storage
-Lets everyone know you're a biker!
-Allows more bikes to be in/on the car, handy when taking a friend or moving.
Minuses:
-Makes the bike more vulnerable in wrecks...I used to wonder, "What are the odds of it getting hit, when 80% of the time there's no bike back there?" But two weeks ago, I was rear ended on the interstate, with the rear wheel on my mt. bike taking the brunt of the damage. It's definitely something to think about.
-Possibility of bike and/or rack falling off.
-Slightly worse gas mileage...haven't tested this, but it's gotta make a difference.
-Bike more vulnerable to theft...gotta lock it up.
-Puts bike out for rain/snow/salt/anything else crappy.

Inside car:
Plusses:
-Definately safer, both theft and accident wise. Puts the mind at ease.
-Can make a mess (esp. if a mountain bike, after a ride!)
Minuses:
-No easier for me than using rack.

It's kind of a draw for me. The road bike always goes in the car, the mt. bike usually goes on the rack. Different strokes for different folks.
 
#20 ·
I bought a Saris roof rack about a year ago so they are certainly still making them. The Self centering feature of the racks make it far easier to install then most Thule racks (had a Thule on my last car). The one thing I wish Saris would address is the fork mount quick release. After using a Thule VeloVice for a few years I feel like I've gone back in time when I use the old school Saris quick release. News flash to the R&D guys at Saris, Our bikes now have big clunky suspension forks and disc brakes and your cheesy quick release aint cutting it anymore!!!

-dave
 
#21 ·
15 years

of using Yakima racks with no problems. I sold my original rack to a buddy for $50 because I got a new one for being a member of IMBA and buying a new Subaru a few years ago. Both racks are going strong, although the 15 year old one is obviously not as black as it used to be.
Sorry to hear of you guys having so much trouble.
 
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