Importance of regular inspections..

I have a 2018 with aftermarket extended travel and enjoy occasional off roading/mudding adventures. Last week while driving to work the UCA bolt nut apparently became loose and fell off which led to the bolt to slide out causing the UCA to detach from the frame. Luckily I was only going about 20 MPH when the front wheel bent into the wheel well.

With the help of the tow guy and hi lift jack I was able to get the bolt back through the UCA and tow it to my house. I have since installed another nut and torqued it to OEM specs with some Loctite. Luckily, it looks like the truck only requires a new alignment. I asked the Toyota parts rep if he has ever heard of this happening and of course he said "no".

I can only chalk this up to a random event but looking back it made think about the importance of regular inspections, especially if you use these trucks in harsh environments which can put more stress on the suspension, etc. I assume that the nut became loose while wheelin' and slowly unthreaded with vibration from driving. I'm so thankful that this happened going low speeds on a side street and not off road or on the highway.

 

Which nut and bolt are talking about? The balljoint nut?

 

That's why all those bolts have to have a cotter pin to prevent stuff like this from happening rule 101

 

The bolt that holds the entire uca in is what he is talking about. Gotta make sure they are torqued under load. Not in the air.

 

The UCA bolt and nut are not cotter pinned, just torqued.

 

Nope, but they should

 

Get yourself a paint pen. Makes the "inspection" quick and easy!

 

That bolt is nearly 10” long how the heck did it work it’s way all the the way forward and out the front. Now if it was put in back to front like some guys do cause it’s easier I could see that happening.

 

Probably moved forward just a couple of inches, enough for the rear bushing to cave in a bit.

@Jrgymie is in New England. Unless he thoroughly doused the bolt in Fluid Film, in a couple of years rust will keep that bolt in place permanently.

 

That would make more sense.

 

This is not the first time I've heard of this happening, but as hard as it was to get that bolt in there to begin with I can't imagine it working out. I had to slightly bend the inner fender to even get it in. I'm sure others have more experience and it went smoother, but damn. Dually noted, I really need to get a torque sheet and develop a quick check routine before hitting the trails.

 

^ Maybe that's where I went wrong. Definitely torqued it to specs per install instructions but it was on the jack and not under load. Regardless, I threw some loctite on the nut and thought about putting a second lock nut as added safety measure since there is enough thread.

 

Everything should be rechecked after 200 to 250 miles.

 

The bolt only slid about 1/4 the way out (sliding forward towards the grill) which was just enough for the rear portion of the UCA joint to come disassembled. Yes, it was an absolute PITA to install it initially, never mind on the side of the road and in pouring rain. Luckily, the tow guy was there helping me guide it (bang it) back in. I can't imagine what would have happened off road without assistance. Feel somewhat lucky since the experience could have been much worse.

 

That's a nice trick my dad taught me when installing scope rings on my guns, funny you mention it here. Loctite but not .