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More Roof Rack Problems
Paul Reavley July 16, 2023 #34171
We had another serious issue with the roof rack on our Prius on our way back from the Gorge.
(A little history)
About 2 years ago we had the Yakima roof rack on our Prius start to come off of our car while we were driving back from the Gorge on I-5. Ultimately I decided that the problem was in the limitations of the yoke style connection of the roof mounts to the Yakima aero cross bars. There was a limit to how tight that connection could be made, but in difficult conditions that tightness was not enough to keep the cross bars in place and they could work their way sidewise within the mount yokes. Wilson originally had the same crossbars and yokes AND the same problem. So both cars had their yoke mounts replaced with more robust rack setups.
The Problem This Time
Wilson has had no problems so far with his new setup, but on our drive back from the Gorge Champs last Sunday we started to lose our rack again. As we approached Marysville I thought I noticed the bows of our boats start to bob up and down more than previously. I pulled over on the shoulder and got out to look at the rack. All of the roof mounts seemed to be in place and secure. I tugged hard on the rack in various places and could discover no play (mistake here on my part). We resumed driving on I5 – now Denise agreed that the boat noses are bouncing more and we were driving slower. Before we decide to pull over again, (only a couple of minutes after our first stop) the left front roof mount drops completely off of our Prius. Quick pullover. As far as I can tell the lost mount caused no wrecks, but the traffic is way too heavy to retrieve it safely. With the 2 Goodboy racks the overall setup was still quite rigid (and we had a strap over everything and through the back doors as insurance). I jam an OC seat under the side where the mount is now missing, add a bunch of straps to hold everything in place and we drive 1 – 2 miles on the shoulder to the next exit in Marysville. Fortunately Wilson is about 20 minutes behind us driving Kevin’s trailer which has space for more boats. So we take our boats off of our rack, put them on some grass, then completely remove and disassemble what remains of our rack. (To get the Gboys off of our cross bars I borrowed a crescent wrench from someone else parked in the AutoZone parking lot where we have stopped).
Why did the mount separate?
The Prius does not have rain gutters. The roof mounts sit on pads and have hooks that go into the tops of the door openings. I checked the roof mount connections to our car before our trip and slightly tightened a couple of them. But there are also connectors between those mounts and the crossbars. I believe my main mistake was in thinking I could detect any looseness in those mount to crossbar connections by simply tugging very hard on the crossbars. Wrong. (The rigidity that the 2 Goodboys adds may contribute to making that kind of movement hard to find) Apparently the left front mount to crossbar bolt had been working its way loose and I did not catch that because I did not try tightening it with an Allen wrench. (We had the right Allen wrench on the trip and I could have checked/tightened those connections at anytime.) So this rack failure was clearly my fault. The possibility of endangering other folks on the road is a complete nightmare. One thing that we have been doing that seems like a good idea is to have a safety strap around everything (snug but not too tight) that goes inside our car (we close the back doors on it). That strap is our last line of defense and may make the difference in our being able to pull over before complete rack failure and separation occurs.
Coincidentally Van Douglas had a rack problem during Gorge Champs week and got the nose of his Huki sheered off in the process of it coming completely off of his car. I don’t know the details of that rack problem. But a number of Gorge paddlers have reported rack issues in the last year or two. Here are links to some of those discussions.
August 17 2022 Roof Rack Failure (facebook)
September 11, 2022 Roof Rack Failure (facebook)
Dan Mayhew Jul 23 #34172
I know many stories of boats flying off cars at low speeds. Can't imagine the danger at high speed. So glad no people were injured, and that your boats made it back safely.
Paul Reavley Jul 23 #34173
Yes we were very fortunate.
Duncan Howat Jul 23 #34174
Not to disparage the pious (Ed read “Prius”), but seeing how the boats are probably worth more than the car, or soon will be, I'd just bolt right through the roof, and go older school on the Yakima. Bomb proof. The liability of losing boats on I-5 would probably burn through your excess layer of your insurance. It would mine.
Paul Reavley Jul 23 #34175
Yes - bolts through the roof with reinforcement is definitely being considered. Replacing the 2005 Prius is also being piously discussed.
Dan Mayhew Jul 23 #34176
If you want to be one of the cool kids, get an Element.
samtaylorpdx@gmail.com Jul 23 #34177
Paul;
I run those same Yakima racks. One of the things I noticed is that the plastic ‘bracket’ that surrounds the bolt is a wear point. When that gets worn, the rack has more of a tendency to slide. It’s a pretty cheap part so now I replace mine every couple years just as insurance. I also highly recommend making sure you have the Allen torque wrench that comes with the yakima racks these days- it makes it easy to double check that everything is tight enough.
I know lots of folks leave their racks on all year. Personally I take mine off a couple times a year, usually for a longer road trip with no boats (GASP, I’m sorry I know) and I think it helps to take everything off now and again, check it all over, and reinstall and tighten.
Very glad no one was hurt. Even with what I think is a pretty solid setup I still get nervous a times in big crosswinds.
Sam
gsouthstone Jul 24 #34181
I second what Duncan recommended. My racks are bolted to the roof of my “boat rack on wheels” green Honda wagon. Tim N. can tell you about how quiet his car got after his rack with 4 boats went airborne. I myself, when not using a full truck lumber rack or equivalent, never travel at freeway speeds without tying down both the bow and stern of each boat that probably did cost more than anything I drive. Very “old school”.
G
(Update from Paul Reavley 2025: We are still driving the Prius. We switched from our Yakima rack to a Thule rack which seems to have a better design for fitting into the Prius door opening completely and sitting securely on top in the grooves that run along each side of the car roof above the door openings. Also the Thule tightening system employs only one easily accessible tightening screw for each mount - which we check regularly but have not noticed any significant play developing in them. We are still fans of Yakima racks, but in the specific instance of racks for cars that have no side rails or at least in the case of the Prius - Thule seems to have a better design.)
