Hi, I’m writing more as a precaution to Toyota Tundra drivers. This week I was leaving our local dump and only driving 15mph because there are so many big 18 wheelers on that road. After just completing a mild curve and on a straight a way, the entire front end dropped to the ground!! I had no steering and no brakes. The truck basicly dragged itself to a stop after about 75 ft. The drivers side tire was under the car and the entire front suspension was on the ground. It was difficult to get it on the tow truck because of the tire situation. That was done and we slowly drove to a mechanic. I had just had the car on the lift at another mechanic shop 2 weeks prior, to do regular maintenance and rear brakes. They must not have seen an upcoming problem with the ball joint. I spoke to Toyota and they were no help. They said that the lower ball joint was on recall not the upper. I tried to say that it was the front suspension and wether it was upper or lower it should NOT have happened. That vehicle should go to the car grave yard before this should happen. How many people have to die to get on the recall list? I’m very unhappy with their service, but if I had been going any faster, on a freeway or a curvy road, I would not be here to complain. Please warn your listeners to have it checked out. I would hate to hear of a tragdety because of this. Thank you. I love your show.
What is the model year of this truck?
How many miles on the odometer?
How many miles on the car, year, still under warranty? The Toyota name is being steadily tarnished and its off my list of cars to buy, but problems can happen with any car.
The Recall is for the lower ball joints only. It’s incumbent upon the owner of the vehicle to have the vehicle inspected on a regular basis for looming problems. You may note that the owners manual will state something to the effect of “Inspect suspension” or something of that nature at regular intervals. That means checking ball joints, tie rod ends, control arm bushings, etc.
So how old is this truck and how many miles on it? My assumption is that it’s well out of warranty…
@Candacehix, perhaps it would help you to know that ball joints are wear and tear items. They don’t last the lifetime of vehicle, and are a very common thing that needs to be replaced. They should last a very long time - so by saying “commonly” replaced, I don’t mean often. Let me ask you this - if your tires wear out should there be a recall? Same kind of thing.
Of course, you didn’t say what year the truck is or what the mileage is, so that could make a difference.
Ball joints do wear out, as do many other parts of the steering and suspension . . . on all vehicles
It’s unfair to imply this is a Toyota Tundra specific problem, if that’s what you’re doing
I suspect your Toyota Tundra is several years old, and has racked up a fair number of miles by now
Please correct me if I’m wrong
Do you always take your truck to the same shop for maintenance?
I agree with all the other posters. And I too would like to know the age and mileage of the vehicle.
I guess that this is just one more “drive-by” posting, and that we won’t get an answer to our questions.
I too believe this is just a “drive-by” posting. I asked my cousin about a vehicle traveling at only 15mph and having the front end suddenly drop. He is a state police detective with many years as a traffic accident investigator. He said that the truck would stop short before it ever traveled 75 feet unless it was traveling downhill on an icy road. The truck would have no steering to speak of but the rear brakes would work normally. In addition…a faulty or worn ball joint would be noticed in the steering and in the wear of the front tire on that side long before it ever failed. Any one else suspicious?
There are generally signs, even subtle ones, leading up to ball joint breakage.
I would strongly suspect that in many cases the reason someone does not post back is because they do not like the direction responses may be headed. The original intent may have looking for an affirmation of a subjective opinion and lacking that pat on the back the poster chooses to back away.
My gut feeling is that the Tundra is probably 10 years old with well into the 6 digits on mileage and one has to wonder when, if ever, the suspension was ever even inspected.
^
As I usually do, I agree with ok4450.
All too often, we see new folks on this board who go ballistic when we don’t affirm their wrong-headed assumptions. In this case, I think that the OP has chosen to just fade away after seeing that we are not in total agreement with her beliefs.
In either scenario, the fact remains that many people who come to this forum (and probably to most other forums) only want to get support for their beliefs, and do not react well to disagreement. Personally, I would rather have somebody just fade away than to refer to me (and the other forum regulars) as shills for the automotive industry.
This is my opinion
OP logged on with one purpose in mind
To post the story, and to express their opinion that Toyota Tundras are bad
OP doesn’t really want to hear what we have to say
I suspect OP hasn’t even bothered to see if anybody responded
After reading the post again, I think the OP was simply trying to warn others of a serious problem that he had, to hopefully prevent it from happening to someone else. I don’t think the OP intended to revisit the thread. Perhaps venting anxiety was an additional purpose.
I think venting was the PRIMARY purpose
You may be right.
Agreed, the OP was not asking for replies. She? was not also asking for questions. If she panicked, she might have stepped on the gas.
Hopefully 2 things will have happened.
There was no ranting to Toyota Motor Company or any friends, relatives, and neighbors about a Tundra being a POS.
The original poster WILL do a follow-up read of this thread and seriously consider the value of regular chassis inspections; especially in the ball joint area as that is the one area that can be absolutely lethal. The schedule says to check them every 30k miles and that should hold true no matter who manufactures the vehicle or what model it is…
Zombie thread…