Catastrophic failure caused by lift?

Isn't this a pretty widely known issue?

Glad you're okay OP. I'd have everything swapped out with new BJs.

Oh and Monte, do you mean the knuckle!?

 

+1

There was a lower balljoint recall on the 1st Gen Tundra covering up to 2005.

 

x2

OP, glad no one was hurt much, you may not like what I'm gonna say but here goes....

I find it hard to believe that this suddenly happened, ball joint failures like this are due to neglect, it HAD to have driven & handled like shit for awhile before it sheered, luckily you were going slow when it finally signed off

 

Say what??

 

That's not the lift. That's driver error. Your ball joint had been worn out for a long time.

 

I always check mine for play mostly due to the first gen problems and the tundra problems. I usually squeeze the lowers with my large pair of channel locks and then lift up at the bottom of each front wheel when I do an oil change. You can definitely notice when they are loose.

 

"All of the sudden, my car runs out of gas."

No, your car was low on gas for at least 40 miles before it finally gave up. You just didn't pay any attention to it.

 

hm that sucks. toyota replaced my balljoints according to a recall ... recently though i removed my strut and unbolted the lower ball joint and swaybar and after putting everything back together i have a little squeak .. not sure if i didnt notice it before or if it is new but now im scared

 

Havnt seen one do that in quite sometime. I haven't looked closely to be sure but I'm thinking the load is transfered in the same manor as 1G. A design which requires a different method to check for play than your standard setup. Seen many worn out balljoints missed due to ignorance.

 

Ball joints are not hard to check, first look at the rubber grease cup that encloses the stem. Is it ripped ,torn or is it even there ?? After that if its damaged you can bet its dry of grease usually, with front of vehicle raised off ground grab the wheel at 12 o'clock & 6 o'clock & wiggle it there should be almost zero play, do the same thing side to side by grabbing the wheel at 9 & 3 (o'clock) Or if you see shiny metal below the rubber grease cup thats another indicator that a lot of wear has taken place as the ball is wearing away at the socket, this is really what you're looking for because the walls of the socket are getting thin, after that 1 hard bump or pothole too many & seperation takes place.....

Check tie rod ends pretty much the same way..

 

Will definitely check in the morning. Only thing is my bjs were replaced last year

 

See if your VIN was included in the LBJ recall. Mine was, and Toyota replaced them immediately for free, and aligned it. Just call a dealer and give them the VIN. If so, they should be doing this repair for you.

A batch had a manufactuting defect, hence the recall.

As other have said, several members have had the LBJ nuts come loose and the bolts come out, some hanging by a thread. Inspect regularly.

 

My driver side lower ball joint failed me on my 96 in September of 2011, ball joint wasn't leaking nor was anything loose because I had recently checked all of them after I noticed my passenger side upper ball joint was leaking. It can happen without any signs, I had no vibrations and my alignment was perfectly fine.

 

Had the same failure on my 1996 Tacoma stock height. Recently installed Moog lower ball joint and it's forge steel, not sure if the stock/oem are forge or not.

 

I couldn't tell, way to much damage...

 

They are all forged then detail machined - cheapest way to make them.

1st gen Taco lower ball joint will pop out when it fails. Toyota inverted it for 2nd gens so the weight of the truck keeps the ball in the socket even when the joint wears out.

 

^yep the design isn't the best b/c it is complete fail if the joint goes.

i checked both my lowers a week ago by lifting the lca's and placing a prybar inbtwn the joint to get good leverage. my pass side didn't budge at all while my drivef moved a few mm with me pulling as hard as could on the prybar, but i think it is still good enough to last until summer time or spring break at least. i think they say more than 5 mm displacement at 50 lbs is a go for replacement.

but i'll certainty be calling dealer to see if i can get replaced for free but doubt it b/c the mytoyota website which has my VIN has given me any eligible recalls

we had a very bad ball joint on an '85 volvo and the car and steering wheel would shake excessively at a certain turning degree. OP did you notice any shaking at all?

 

did someone say BJ?

 

^Grinding noises in a BJ is bad news.

 

Unless it's....


No... not that either....