My Radiator Fan Exploded Today!

So attached is my Rock Auto cart. From what I've read it's best to replace all components in the system. Looks like it's a bit cheaper to go with combination water pump/fan clutch, then add the fan on, then do the shroud. My dilemma is getting it home now. Or to the shop that fucked up in the first place, given that's what happened. It's about a 35 mile trip back to home base, less to the shop. This couldn't have happened closer to my destination and farther from home that day. I've looked into U-Hauling it. The problem there is that the truck I currently have doesn't have equipment rated high enough for the trailer and weight of the Tacoma. I'm thinking of limping it to a different shop 3 miles or so down the road in Waldoboro and having them fix it.

 

So because the shop thought they knew better than to replace what my Maine inspection told me I should have replaced(idler and alternator) I'm now looking at a $1200 repair for their fuck up. I'm beyond pissed. Is there any recourse I have or just bite the bullet(which I'm planning to do)?

 

You are not alone. This just happened on my wife’s 2014 4Runner with 342K miles on it. She was driving from our home in SoCal to our ranch in Montana. North of Idaho Falls, the fan disintegrated as she was passing a car at 65 mph on flat ground. She got it to the side of the highway and shut it down before over heating. Got it towed to Toyota dealer in Idaho Falls. They were as shocked as I was. Pieces punched dents in the hood causing paint separation. Clearly these fan blades are not fiber reinforced plastic and have a duty cycle that Toyota has not informed us of. She has a 2023 ORP at the ranch and we intended to relegate this one to winter driving and off-roading.

 

Any damage to radiator or HVAC components outside of coolant reservoir? I'm still shocked my radiator wasn't spent after that. Mines still going strong at over 226,000 miles now post repair. Dents are the only reminder it happened.

 

I don’t know the extent of the damage yet. Toyota will start on it tomorrow and they have been instructed to contact me (not my wife), as I do all the work on our vehicles. The fan pieces did punch dents into the hood with the paint separating. Wife thinks it took out a coolant hose. I’m just going by pictures and handling this by phone from the SoCal area.

 

This thread has me thinking that replacing the engine fan should be a preventative maintenance item.

 

It is for some of us. It's plastic and prone to brittleness with the heat/cold cycles. I replaced mine at 200K along with the radiator, thermostat, water pump and fan clutch. Those and new coolant was about $300. Cheap insurance and peace of mind as far as the cooling system is concerned.

 

Yeah, 200K mile duty cycle/replacement sounds about right.

 

I was thinking to check those 10mm nuts that hold mine on after seeing this thread.

Could it be that it slipped free and then exploded things?

 

You can see from the images showing the aftermath on my truck that the nuts holding the fan in place are still holding down the remaining bits of plastic. So I don't think that is the case. Good idea though and worth checking if you're unsure.

Mine was definitely a clutch failure as stated previously in this thread.

 

So what was the outcome with insurance? In our case, the fan blades shot up into the hood creating at least 3 outie dents with paint removed.

 

Yeah, my insurance laid a big fat no on it. They labelled the hood damage as cosmetic and not covered.

 

I can get an undamaged OEM hood from local salvage for $250, but would have to repaint. Will continue looking for one and the same paint color. I had just bought a turbine HVLP sprayer and inflatable paint booth with the intention or repainting a ‘94 and ‘99 K2500 Suburban diesels, plus a ‘73 Bronco that I have. I guess this 4Runner moves to the top of the list.

 

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/2nd-gen-hood-swapping-thread.617612/

 

Your insurance doesn't cover cosmetic damage? I haven't heard of that excuse before. So if someone tagged your car all over as long as they didn't get paint on the windows or lights and only on body panels they wouldn't cover it? What else doesn't your policy cover? Might be time to switch companies.

 

Or might be time to read your insurance contract. I’m the last to defend insurance companies. That said, for your example one would need comprehensive coverage (covers loss from flood, fire, theft, vandalism, etc.), which is optional and not required coverage such as liability.

 

Insurance typically doesn't cover things caused by a mechanical failure, unless that also results in a collision -- and then, they might only cover the damage caused by the collision and not the mechanical failure if it was obvious what caused the collision. An extended or 3rd-party warranty might cover the mechanical bits, but not the cosmetic bits. There's lots of people that would like to speak to you about that . . .

 

I've got a used black 06 Tacoma hood for sale right now for $150. It has a few chips in the front and could use a re-paint but otherwise flat if you need it. I'm in Northern IL close to Wisconsin.

 

Confirmed with the dealer service that the fan clutch seized. It punctured the radiator, sliced a hose to the oil cooler, but she pulled over and shut down quick enough that it never lost oil pressure and the dealer service confirmed there was no engine damage. I asked them to match Lithia Toyota online parts pricing and they are checking on that. Either way, the parts get shipped from Portland, OR.

 

Thanks for the offer. I am located in SoCal, but also have a ranch in Stevensville, Montana. Unfortunately, both are geographically distant.