Buyer Beware: KTJO 4X4 Driver's Side Grab Handles w/ A Pillars, HUD, and Bowl Lights

Well, guess Brian is no longer helping her as that's a bad email address now. I was told by him a replacement part was packaged and waiting to go out, then I'm told by Katie through IG that she hasn't heard about this one and it's not on her list... despite the fact that I've been emailing the warrantyclaim email address also since 1/6 (and she had previously responded to my IG dm about it). This is beyond ridiculous.

I'm really hoping this is due to a disconnect between my IG and email, but geez this whole process has just been so frustrating.

 

But it looks beigey when the sun hits it just right.

 

So much for the fixed CS.

 

I am glad to see that other truck manufacturers have eliminated the driver's side grab handles for safety reasons.....

2021 Ford F150 interior:



2021 Chevy Silverado interior:



2021 Ram 1500 interior:



2021 Jeep Gladiator interior:

 

His Instagram CS page was also killed.

 

Toyota playing the long game. They save the $5 or less ish per handle manufactured and retain an extra million bucks or so each year for frame replacements on the much smaller percentage of Tacos coming in for such.

 

Interesting.

I wonder if the issues outside of TW are as bad or worse than we have seen? Given the typical mentality of social media posts and comments, it might be boom time?

 

Man this thing's just like the truck should have been. Love it!

 

I noticed my package did not have the instructions. I know it was posted in the thread somewhere. Anyone have the post # so I can print one off?

 

With how inept KTJO's entire operation is, there's no way the issues are confined to just TW.

 

Instructions? LoL! No packages had them. Plug-n-Play, am I right?

The instructions were posted on the KTJO4x4 website well after we were receiving the kits.

 

Haha senior moment Tony. Thanks I'll check it out.

 

Hahaha! That's not on you. Clear instructions should have been up months ago with a link in ship notifications.


Honestly, the instructions are crap. The only big deal are the shorter bolt goes up top and pinch the nutplate closed a bit and drop it on from the windshields side so that it says in place.

 

Should be getting mine today, now I need to track down my new tweeters that are floating around the house somewhere...

 

@tonered might as well add me to the list on the first page since it seems Brian is not there to help out anymore. I got 2 top covers in grey and I live in Morristown TN. Brain had sent me an email stating that a replacement cover would be sent out ASAP with a return shipping label for the other cover. Also I would get another email when my cover gets shipped. That was a week ago today and haven’t heard anything else from them. I’m thinking now that he may be gone that if I don’t exchange with someone then I’ll have to wait for her new order of 1000 handles to come in before I can get an exchange. Who knows how long it will be before this batch arrives and then prob gets sold before we get our replacements. Ok vent done

 

And someone mentioned that removing the plastic cover over the vent/tweeter allows for an easier install. I don't know the number of the post offhand.
And I still can't install mine due to this:

 

Man. I had a pleasant exchange with him and where he checked on my order and responded within a few hours. Miss ya, big guy.

 

The only thing I can say is that the full sizers are uncomfortably large on the inside. To me, they feel like a rolling living room. I like the size and space of the Taco. So in my mind for the full sizers, there is no chance of the handle being an issue in a collision.

For the Jeep and our Taco, the A pillar is a lot closer to our head path, esp in the small overlap test, which the Taco aced and, I believe, all others failed or performed poorly.

Unfortunately, the steering wheel airbag is smaller than the passenger side. I believe it deflates faster so that the driver can continue to try to steer if needed? Also, the previous small overlap tests were only done on the drivers side. Recently, because automakers didn't take the obvious step, the IIHS has started rating the passenger side also. I'm not the biggest fan of a self-serving group like the IIHS, but the benefits are real, esp if we look at the real world results in all the collision threads.

I cannot fault Toyota for deleting the handle late in the game, but I do feel that they should have offered a kit for those that wanted it.


Having bounced my head off the headliner above the door a bunch of times while off road, I can see why a handle up there is a no go.

 

Maybe I did it wrong, but I scratched my OE pillar trim trying that. Yes. Without the speaker grille, the pillar trim goes in easier, but getting the speaker grille back in alluded me in the past.

Futz with the front of the pillar trim first. I have found that angling it outboard, under the airbag is the best way to get the tabs in the proper spot. Otherwise, the very front one won't go. The OE on both side and this one are the same like that. You don't need to see it, just feel for it. Once the tabs are in, you can drag the trim inboard and into place.