Front Suspension Lower Ball Joint Problems of Toyota 4Runner

I was traveling approximately 70 mph on a straight highway. I felt a bump and then heard a grinding noise and saw sparks from my front left wheel well. I pulled to the shoulder and saw my front tire, wheel, and brake assembly were detached and lodged under my vehicle. On further inspection, the lower ball joint gave out and my wheel assembly detached. Very hazardous and would have led to a collision if I had not been so late at night. This is a known problem with this ball joint and Toyota issued recall on 2001-2004 4runners for the issue. Needs to be expanded to older years. Joint assembly was redesigned for 2005-current models to correct the problem. See attached photos.

See all problems of the 1999 Toyota 4Runner 🔎.

The front suspension lower ball joint seperated from the knuckle and broke off while I was driving and left me in on coming traffic that I had to get out of the way of. Toyota has a recall for the exact same issue for Toyota 4runners from 2001-2004 (special service campaign 50j ¿ front suspension lower ball joint 2001 through 2002 4runner). It should be expanded to include additional years. It is extremely dangerous and can potentially put lives in jeopardy. . Read more...

While daughter was driving on highway. The left front lower ball joint failed causing the wheel assembly to come off the car frame. Speed was the posted 55 mph. No other traffic, thank goodness. Was able to pull off the road for assistance. This is a stupid design. A major component if it fails should not cause this type of catastrophic failure. It dangerous and Toyota should warn the consumer of this stupid design.

I see that you guys have ordered a recall on 2001-2002 Toyota 4runner for the lower ball joint failing. The part number for the lower ball joint is the same for years 1996-2002 and there are numerous posts of people having their ball joint fail on years prior to 2001. Can you please explain why only years 2001-2002 are covered? this is a liability and Toyota should know that the same part number is covered for all 3rd generation Toyota 4runners and it is failing on all 3rd generation 4runners. Please do a quick google search and you will see numerous people getting into accidents, flips, etc. On 4runners that are pre 2001 (1996-2000) because of lower ball joint failure. This has the potential of people bringing suit against Toyota as well as the safety commission for their negligence in fixing this matter.

See all problems of the 1996 Toyota 4Runner 🔎.

2002 Toyota 4runner recall id from NHTSA: 05v225000 auto recall date: 05/17/2005 vehicle component: suspension:front:control arm:lower ball joint estimated vehicles affected: 768379 2002 Toyota 4runner defect summary: on certain sport utility vehicles, due to a manufacturing issue in the front suspension lower ball joint, there is a possibility that the surface of the ball of the joint may have been scratched. The ball joint may eventually experience excessive wear and looseness, resulting in increased steering effort. Defect consequence: the lower ball joint may separate from the knuckle causing loss of steering control and a crash could occur.

See all problems of the 2002 Toyota 4Runner 🔎.

Driver's side lower ball joint separated, axle dislodged and wheel pushed into wheel well. . Read more...

See all problems of the 1997 Toyota 4Runner 🔎.

This description is a supplement to odi # 10423371 where ball joint failure occurred twice on the same vehicle. I investigated and found the lower ball joint on the passenger side that failed is part # 43330-39585. The repaired part is #43330-39415, both manufactured by ty (Toyota?) which suggests there was a problem with the original. When asked, Toyota did not inform us of the part change and assured us the driver's side lower ball joint is sound. The part 43330-39585 (lower ball joint) is in the 4runners dated '91 up to 2004. There are recalls of this part number only in the 2001-2004 timeline. Toyota recommends inspection every 15,000 miles. Toyota dealership provided me with a multi-point inspection 3500 miles prior (4 months ago) and provided me with a positive (green) check in all areas of interest including suspension and cv joint. There were no warning signs to the failure as the Toyota dealership helps demonstrate. Our family had just gotten off a highway drive and loosing a wheel at those speeds would have been a disaster. Any other events as this please file a complaint. This should be unacceptable to happen twice on the same vehicle. Please investigate this thoroughly and provide me with answers.

At 317,800 miles the front end was rebuilt. Within a week the right front ball joint separated from its mounting resulting in a low speed single vehicle accident. I suspect counterfeit bolts, but unfortunately saved no parts. This was a falcon k90262 right lower ball joint. At 322,055 miles a second low speed accident occurred, the falcon k90263 left lower ball joint failed catastrophically pulling the ball from the socket. Upon inspection the sealed joint appears not to have been lubricated at the factory and shows very visible signs of wear. Repairs were made using another brand of parts. I have the part in a bag, where it was placed uncleaned, after repairs, should you wish to inspect it. Had either of these accidents occurred at highway speeds the outcome would have been very different. Thank you for your attention.

The contact owns a 1998 Toyota 4 runner. While driving 3 mph the contact heard a loud noise on the front passenger side of the vehicle. After examining the vehicle, the contact noticed that the front passenger side wheel was pointing in the opposite direction of the other front wheel. The contact also noticed that the lower ball joint had separated from the vehicle and the cv joint boot had separated from the axle. The vehicle was towed to a local mechanic where the upper and lower ball joints and cv joints were replaced. There were no prior warnings. The current and failure mileages were 223000.

See all problems of the 1998 Toyota 4Runner 🔎.

The suspension recall on my 2001 Toyota 4runner was done at around 60k miles. It now has 116k miles and the problem is back,I can turn my steering wheel about 1/2" in either direction and not have the wheels move,when driving the steering wanders and occasionally grabs in what feels like a flat spot. . The campaign no is 05v225000.

See all problems of the 2001 Toyota 4Runner 🔎.

I purchased a used 2001 Toyota 4 runner 4 wheel drive last year with approx 88 k mile. Prior to giving it to my daughter I replaced the tires ( goodyear) and took the vehicle to my local Toyota dealership on 6-2-2007 requesting a full check of the vehicle to verify road worthiness prior to giving it to my 16 year old daughter. They suggested and performed 90 k maintenance package including suspension inspection and front end alignment. She returned to virginia and has been driving it daily on paved roads to high school. She has not taken it off road or used the 4 wheel drive. Last weekend she was slowly turning into her friends driveway and the right front wheel broke off the axle collapsing the wheel and ripping out the front axel. A state trooper passing by indicated at highway speeds this likely would of flipped the vehicle. Thank heavens she was going less than 10 mph. The vehicle was towed and at a local repair shop it was noted that the lower ball joint "dropped down" triggering the catastrophic front end failure. Toyota recalled 210,000 axles on the prados vehicle ( not distributed in USA) which is on a similar platform as the 4 runner. Blog entries describe similar failures with the wheels snapping off. I contacted my Toyota service manager and described the failure. I requested he evaluate and asked if they missed this on their inspection in June. I also request that they cover the repair costs of approx. $600. 00 to include a detailed inspection and l ball joint replacement. He indicated they would not cover the repair expenses. My concern is this failure should not have occurred if the joint was assessed as road worthy June 2007 and only approx. 9 k miles have been added since then with no pothole or off road trauma noted. How can I be assured that this won't happen again maybe at highway speeds with life threatening outcomes? have similar complaints been filed? does this warrant further investigation by your agency and or Toyota?.

Vehicle is not handling right; body feels very loose and unstable going over bumps in the road. Took it to a Toyota repair shop who indicated that front, right lower ball joint was loose, worn and needed to be replaced. That ball joint was already replaced by the dealer when purchased in 8/05 as part of the manufacturer's recall. Took vehicle back to the dealer where the work was originally done and after 3 hours they confirmed that the ball joint did need replacing. However there is only a 1 year warranty on the replacement and they wanted over $400 to replace it. So you're telling me that I get over 4 years on an allegedly defective ball joint but only 2 years on the supposedly good one? updated 09/28/07.

- the contact stated that while driving the 1998 Toyota 4 runner with 80000 failure mileage at 15 mph the right front wheel came off. The vehicle needed to be towed. The mechanic stated that the upper and lower ball joints were sheared. The vehicle had been repaired. The current mileage was 106,870.

: the contact stated while driving 20 mph under normal road conditions, the front right lower ball joint separated. There were no warnings prior to the incident. The vehicle was taken to the service dealer, who determined the front right lower ball joint had fractured.

See all problems of the 2004 Toyota 4Runner 🔎.

We are the original owner of a 97 Toyota 4runner 4wd that appeared to have a lower ball joint failure. I have notified Toyota and was issued a case number- incident: 061011-000352. Our vehicle has less than 133,000 miles on it and is not subject to any off road conditions. Vehicle was being driven on back streets at less than 30 mph when the right front wheel dislodged and tucked up under the wheel well. Only the steering linkage was attached. These joints are a non serviceable part and there are no warnings of possible failure or preventative measures. I can't imagine under any normal circumstances that this could be or should be acceptable. This indicates to me that this design is either faulty by design or an improper installation from the factory. After eventually receiving the damaged parts, I examined the lower ball joint closely and it was clearly evident that the lubrication in the joint became hard and clumpy. I could hardly move the joint in any range of motion. I would firmly believe this could cause undue stress on the upper ball joint, consequently causing upper joint separation. Under further investigating I have found recall campaigns on lower ball joints on certain years and models. However this ball joint assembly spans from 4runners, tundras, tacomas, and sequoias, from '95 to '04. At concord Toyota (were my vehicle was repaired (CA)), I became suspicious with a few incidences I experienced of a coverup of the lower ball joint problems which I would be happy to detail if requested. I am aware of Toyotaã‚??s q. C. Problems likely because of their quest to take the top spot in manufacturing and their shared parts in different models. Toyotas response to our specific problem was that our warranty period has expired and it is our responsibility. Mine is that this is above and beyond warranty. It is about safety and is a potentially huge liability for them. I share an other concern about the old drivers side ball joint now.

: the contact stated the recall work for NHTSA recall # 05v225000, pertaining to the lower ball joint, was unable to be performed on the vehicle within the noted 24 hours. The vehicle was taken to the service dealer who determined the repair would take 2 days. The contact stated that the dealer refused to provide a loaner vehicle during that time. The service manager was consulted, who was unable to address the issue. The manufacturer was consulted, who offered to send out paperwork for an investigation.

I received a safety recall notice from Toyota concerning a defect with the front suspension lower ball joint in 2002 Toyota 4runners (ref NHTSA campaign id number : 05v225000). I contacted Toyota on 9 may 2006 to begin the process to replace the defective parts. My situation is unique. I'm in the military and currently stationed in seoul, south korea. There are no Toyota dealerships in south korea, however, Lexus (owned by the same parent company) is located in seoul. It took the Toyota customer service folks til Aug to notify me that my issue had been forwarded to Toyota hq in japan for resolution. In September I followed up since no one had contacted me about the situation. I was told by Toyota that Toyota hq had up to 4 months to work the issue. Toyota would also not provide the contact information for the office in japan handling the issue and also would not provide the contact information for the vendor that would accomplish the recall work. This is unacceptable as I'm driving my wife and one year old child in this vehicle with an identified defect in the front suspension. Any assistance you can provide to have Toyota quickly resolve this matter would be greatly appreciated.

On April 17th at 5:45 am while driving on I-465, I felt a loss of steering in the wheel. I did nothing to the wheel, as one would normally do when driving on ice. I was driving in the middle lane, the vehicle crashed into the highway divider and then careened off the road. A carmel police officer came to the scene and an accident report was entered. Front ball joint(s) failed and front wheel folded under vehicle; this resulted in the loss of steering and crash on interstate highway. The vehicle hit the concrete highway divider and then bounced across the interstate and off the road. When the vehicle was examined at the repair facility it was suggested that the cause of the accident was the failure of the ball joint. It appears that the lower ball joint(s) were not replaced. The old assembly(s) do not appear to have been touched. There is a consistent pattern of rust on the assembly(s) and nuts that have not been disturbed. I spoke with a Toyota representative and was told that my vehicle id was a part of the recall ssc 50j or NHTSA campaign id number: 05v225000. I was also told that the work had been completed at obrien Toyota on September 9th 2005. The ssc 50j completion label was not applied to the vehicle. I called the dealership the first part of may and spoke with the service manager, dan johnson, who assured me that the part had been replaced on both front suspensions. He stated that this service was performed by joe, who was one of his best mechanics. My complaint is either that the recalled part was not replaced or that the replacement part does not work.

: the contact stated while driving 20mph, the front passenger wheel fractured and detached from the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who determined the lower ball joint was worn. The vehicle resides at the dealer waiting additional inspection.

2002 4runner was unstable after purchase, consumer had tires replaced and an alignment. Front and rear tires blew out. Consumer received letter of front suspension ball joints after accident occurred.

1998 Toyota 4runner left front passenger side ball joint failed causing the front passenger side wheel to become disengaged, breaking the tie rods and the front half axle. ** answer required***. The manufacturer was contacted but they refused to provide any assistance because the vehicle was out of warranty.

The contact owns a 1999 Toyota 4runner. On may 9, 2005, the vehicle's lower ball joints failed and the tire detached from the vehicle. The failure occurred while driving 35 mph. The vehicle was towed. There were no warning indicators before the failure occurred. The contact stated that the vehicle was purchased in February of 2004. The engine size was unknown. The current mileage is 161,000 and failure mileage was 135,000.

My car has been shaking in the front when I apply my brakes and also when I get to a speed of about 70mph. I replaced the front brakes and roters on the car, knowing that there was absolutely nothing wrong with them, but no mechanic could figure anything else out and they gave that a shot. I have kept the original brakes and roters to show that they were absolutely fine. I have spent a total of about $133. 00 for these repairs with no success. I seen the recall that was posted on the world news on 5/17 and the symptoms that they were describing matched what my SUV was doing. I have not received a recall notice on this problem yet.

2002 Toyota 4runner recall- lower ball joint customer wants to know if techs are required to be certified mechanics and have certification from Toyota on the diagnosis and repair of Toyota vehicles*.