97 Maxima Strut rod broke

[linkman]

I replaced this strut around two years ago with the rockauto monroe strut inventory closeout piece. Out of no where today the strut just broke between the rod and base. Could this because of some cheap metal? I lost the top part with nut on the road. Looks like the thread area broke. When jacking the car up to change strut should the jack be placed on the control arm? Why would a strut just break into pieces like this? Something in particular I should check while fixing this?

thanks in advance

 

[javacontour]

I'd approach it that way, lifting the vehicle with the jack AND a jack under the control arm so the spring doesn't unload.

You may need to get a compressor on the spring and compress it a bit before you can remove the spring/strut assembly. I'd be prepared for that scenario.

 

[d00df00d]

^^ What javacontour said.

Check your strut bearings to see if they are seized. If they are, then they may have contributed to the problem. Otherwise, you probably just had some cheap dampers and some bad luck.