[eykei]

Left axle (output shaft) broke into two pieces at the red circle. I changed the axle with a used OEM axle from eBay (couldn't find a new one on any website)

After just a few miles of driving with the replaced axle it broke in the exact same spot, leading me to believe another steering component is the actual culprit. Does anyone know what it could be? I had the left wheel bearing replaced about 15k miles ago.

[Richneerd]

change both rear axels from a junk yard or pick and pull. I did the same.

While you're under there look into flushing the trans/diff it helps smooth the ride.