One problem related to steering tie rod assembly has been reported for the 1998 Toyota 4Runner. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
Two weeks ago I was driving down a flat paved road and my lower ball joint (atm 1012460) came off for no reason causing me to skid to a halt. My tire was sideways and pushed into my fender causing damage to the wheel well and other parts. This part (lower ball joint) was replaced 8 months prior along with tie rods, axle, control arm, upper ball joint and a number of other items in that area. Riebes auto parts replaced the faulty ball joint, tire, fender, and other parts that were damaged. I just got it back last night and my wife stated it felt like it was pulling to the left. I drove it to my mechanic and on the way the other side popped of going 15 mph on a flat road. So all the same damage again. This is a serious issue because y wife and kids were just in the car a few hours before this happened. If it would have occurred on the freeway it would have resulted in rolling. Altrom lower ball joint for a 1998 Toyota 4runner was the part.