Ball Joint Failure - My Turn

[ttora4runner]

Went back though all my auto repair receipts and found one from May 29, 2010 in which the left lower ball joint was replaced - with one from Checkers/O'Reilly auto parts (Moog). So I wonder now if it was a piece of crap ball joint or if it was due to some other act that would've caused it to fail. If it was truely the part that failed.

Are those parts covered under warranty at all?

[Obi..]

*Need I remind anyone about the balljoint recall? I don't have access to the print out or tech sheet anymore, someone needs to do it by vin lookup or find the exact "Service Bulletin" if it was not deemed "Recall". The reason is the "Service Bulletin" I saw dated it back to 1997, unlike the general issued recall discussed here: http://ezinearticles.com/?Toyota-Tru...quoia&id=47735

Here, let me find my lawyer cap for a second, **GLAD YOU'RE OK!**

Combine that with your arms being replaced minus a "proper" repair of all new joints and it seems to me a call into Toyota Corporate in Irvine is in order. If you are a squeaky enough wheel they'll allow the repair to be done at another Toyota or Lexus dealership of your choice (the way I went when Piercey refused liability over my headgaskets) and either have that dealer comp you, give you a refund, or make the dealer who did the arms credit the other dealership. Ask corporate to show you the repair slip showing the mechanic's name and where he/she showed the inspection of the ball joints was performed and they were tested and deemed "safe and/or adequate" and then point out "adequate" does not necessarily convey "safe" to the NHTSA http://www.nhtsa.gov/ .

It got me a full refund for the head job, gaskets, misc parts, labor and a rental car credit.

[YotaFun]

NorCal I have the Toyota Information System website up.
The Campaign for the ball joints included the following
01-02 4Runners
01-04 Tacoma 4WD and Prerunners
02-04 Tundra's and Sequoias

[ttora4runner]

Someone just noted on another forum that the bump stops on the LCA are missing and from looking the photo and a few others it looks like they were never reinstalled with the new lca due to the lack of wear marks.

How would this affect it?

[Seanz0rz]

i knew the arms looked weird, but i couldnt put my finger on why.

missing bump stops would cause massive uptravel exceeding the specified range of the balljoints and shocks. you might have just found the reason for your failure...

[Obi..]

^That!! Nail 'em to the wall!!

[Obi..]

NorCal I have the Toyota Information System website up.
The Campaign for the ball joints included the following..

There was another one, I'll see if I can find the info when we return stateside to all the glowing fallout.

I know I am not wrong, or at least hope I am not, in the meantime try searching non-US-spec stuff. It may have sourced from a vehicle that was used here but was not US approved when someone stopped in for a repair while traveling the states with their vehicle. For the life of me I cannot remember how it went, but it was the newer front end like your guys rigs, not like mine and it wasn't the international Hilux with my style front end. I'll ask C'Dan and Beno about this when I can.

[KZN185W]

The bump stops can be seen on the last picture. they're near the shocks.

but not on the accident pic showing the LCA up close.

[Scuba]

Ya, the bolt was still in it that's what I dragged down the street. The ball of the lower bj was completely exposed.

So the 4 lower ball joint bolts were sheared, or backed out, or something along those lines. Over torque those bolt and they begin to get fatigued due to heat cycling from the stress. Undertorque them, or fail to use locktite, and the bolts fall out, leaving maybe one or two in there, which then shear.

If they were the last to touch them. This is 100% NO QUESTIONS ASKED their fault. Sue them if they won't fix it.

[Seanz0rz]

NorCal I have the Toyota Information System website up.
The Campaign for the ball joints included the following..

There was another one, I'll see if I can find the info when we return stateside to all the glowing fallout.

I know I am not wrong, or at least hope I am not, in the meantime try searching non-US-spec stuff. It may have sourced from a vehicle that was used here but was not US approved when someone stopped in for a repair while traveling the states with their vehicle. For the life of me I cannot remember how it went, but it was the newer front end like your guys rigs, not like mine and it wasn't the international Hilux with my style front end. I'll ask C'Dan and Beno about this when I can.

the only recall was as avy mentioned above. toyota did extend this to earlier 4runners on a case by case basis to ease customer concerns, but nothing prior to 01 was within that recall.

there is a tsb concerning the checking of the ball joints, that covers all vehicles with IFS, PG027-02.

btw, those bump stops dont just rattle them selves loose. they were most certainly not replaced during the last service, so i think you got them on that. now its just making them admit to it...

scuba, the upper attachment of the lower ball joint is still bolted to the knuckle. the actual ball joint itself failed, where the ball pulls out of the socket (much like dislocating your hip or shoulder... and nearly as painful) no bolts backed out or sheered, it was a failure of the component itself, not the attachment mechanisms.