1997 Toyota 4RUNNER

MY WIFE WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE WHEN SHE HEARD A SOUND AND THE VEHICLE SWERVED, AND THEN CONTINUED TO BE DIFFICULT TO CONTROL THE REMAINDER OF THE RIDE HOME. WHILE I WAS TRYING TO TAKE HER DESCRIPTION AND BEGIN TROUBLESHOOTING WHAT COULD BE WRONG, I NOTICED THE VEHICLE FELT LIKE IT WAS ON ICE. IT FELT LIKE THE REAR WAS TRYING TO COME AROUND, A VERY WEIRD FEELING IN THE SUMMER. TRYING TO FIGURE WHY, AND SEVERAL MINUTES OF LAYING UNDER THIS VEHICLE IN MY DRIVEWAY I FINALLY FIGURED IT OUT. THE DRIVERS SIDE REAR CONTROL ARM ATTACHING POINT IS ROTTED AND BROKEN FROM THE FRAME. I COULD NOT BELIEVE IT. THIS IS SO DANGEROUS. I HAVE OWNED ONE OF THE RECALLED TOYOTA TACOMAS, IT WAS BOUGHT BACK FROM ME BY TOYOTA MOTOR CORP. I OWN A 2000 TOYOTA TUNDRA AND IT IS BEING RECALLED FOR ROTTING FRAMES, AND ROTTING SPARE TIRE BRACKETS. I FIND IT HARD TO BELIEVE THAT TOYOTA IS NOT DOING ANYTHING ABOUT THE 4-RUNNERS. THIS 4 RUNNER IS THE SAME YEAR AS THE TOYOTA TACOMA, AND TWO YEARS OLDER THAT MY TOYOTA TUNDRA. THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF THESE ON THE ROAD, AND THANK GOD THIS DID NOT HAVE A DISASTROUS OUTCOME. AND BY THE WAY, BOTH OF MY SMALL CHILDREN WERE IN THE VEHICLE WHEN THIS HAPPENED. SERIOUS DEFECT THAT TOYOTA NEEDS TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR. I CANT SELL THIS AS A USED VEHICLE AND I CAN'T TRADE IT IN TO A DEALER. HELP! *TR

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. *TR

DRIVER'S SIDE LOWER BALL JOINT SEPARATED, AXLE DISLODGED AND WHEEL PUSHED INTO WHEEL WELL. A SEPARATE, BUT EXACT INCIDENT HAPPENED ON THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE SAME VEHICLE LESS THAN 5 YEARS PRIOR AT 131,000 MILES (HTTP://WWW.ARFC.ORG/COMPLAINTS/1997/TOYOTA/4RUNNER/10173792.ASPX). WE WERE ASSURED BY TOYOTA DEALER REPAIR FACILITY AT THAT TIME THAT THIS IS A UNIQUE INCIDENT AND UPON INSPECT THAT THE DRIVER'S SIDE SUSPENSION WAS IN GOOD CONDITION. THE SUSPENSION HAS BEEN CHECKED IN THE INTERIM AND SHOWED NO SIGNS OF FUTURE FAILURE. AGAIN, BOTH SIDES HAVE NOW FAILED ON THE SAME VEHICLE UNDER LIGHT DUTY CONDITIONS.

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. *TR

SERIOUS CORROSION ON REAR DIFFERENTIAL CASING AT BELOW FILL BOLT, LEAKING FLUIDS. DEALER UNABLE TO DO ANYTHING BECAUSE PART IS NOT A COVER AS IN MOST VEHICLES. DEALER ONLY SOLUTION IS TO REPLACE ENTIRE REAR DIFFERENTIAL WITH ALL PARTS. THIS SITUATION PRESENTS A SERIOUS THREAT TO LIFE AS THESE COMPONENTS ARE SEVERELY AND UNUSUALLY RUSTED. *TR

WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT THE SPEED LIMIT (60 MPH), THE VEHICLE SURGED/JOLTED FORWARD PULLING TO THE RIGHT. I WAS UNABLE TO REGAIN CONTROL OF VEHICLE CAUSING ME TO MERGE INTO THE DIRECTION OF A TRACTOR TRAILER. I TRIED TO TURN AWAY FROM TRACTOR TRAILER TO AVOID COLLISION. MY VEHICLE HIT THE REAR TIRE OF THE TRACTOR TRAILER AND I BEGAN TO SWERVE OUT OF CONTROL. MY BRAKES DIDN'T SEEM TO HELP EITHER, THEY DIDN'T FUNCTION. THIS RESULTED IN THE VEHICLE ROLLING OVER 3+ TIMES, THE CAR WAS TOTALED. ALL PASSENGERS WERE HOSPITALIZED BUT NO OTHER VEHICLES OR PEOPLE WERE HURT FROM THE ACCIDENT. MY CONCERN IS REGARDING THE PERIODIC ENGINE SURGE AND/OR JOLTING AND LACK OF BRAKE CONTROL. THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD THAT MUST BE ADDRESSED IN ORDER TO AVOID FUTURE INCIDENTS. WE WERE VERY LUCKY TO HAVE NOT BEEN KILLED IN THIS AUTO ACCIDENT. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 TOYOTA 4RUNNER. THE CONTACT RECEIVED RECALL NOTICE # 02V021000 FOR THE REAR SUSPENSION IN DECEMBER 2006. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE PARTS WERE ON BACK ORDER AND HAD NO ESTIMATE AS TO WHEN THEY WILL ARRIVE. ON MARCH 29, 2007, THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THE DEALER WOULD BE NOTIFIED AND SHOULD HAVE THE PARTS AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT WAS GIVEN REFERENCE # 200704020883. THE CLOSEST DEALER WAS 70 MILES FROM THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE. THE CONTACTWAS AWARE OF THE SAFETY HAZARD INVOLVED AND THE HEIGHTENED RISK OF BEING INVOLVED IN A CRASH. THE CURRENT MILEAGE IS 122,000. *AK

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 TOYOTA 4 RUNNER. THE CONTACT RECEIVED RECALL #02V021000. FOR TWO MONTHS THE CONTACT HAS BEEN WAITING FOR THE PARTS TO HONOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE CONTACT WAS AWARE OF THE SAFETY RISK INVOLVED, AND WAS NOT PLEASED WITH THE RESPONSE FROM THE DEALER. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGE WERE 119,000. *AK