This happened in my 2002 Tundra, 4x4. The nut fell off on the left side and, upon making a u-turn, the wheel came off. I'm glad it came apart at a slow speed! The threads on mine were also perfect so I just put a new nut and cotter pin on. Very strange!
I was using my 2003 taco for deliveries in Houston on a bad lower ball joint. That afternoon saw a guy get hit by a car right in front of me on a bicycle, that made me slam the brakes. Later that afternoon pothole finished off the ball joint in my truck skidded on the lower control arm. I was lucky I was only doing 20-25 miles an hour. A good Samaritan stared my floor jack well I creeped it out of the middle of the road on three wheels, took me to the auto parts where I bought the lower ball joint, swapped it out and I was on my way ha ha
A girl I know called me one day needing help. Her truck did the same thing on a mountain road right beside a 300 foot drop. Her hub & wheel broke off & went to the bottom. Luckily the rest of the truck stayed on the road. I went down the nearly cliff & got it for her. Lucky to be alive right.
Dude ruined a thousand dollar set of tires that had no business on a 2wd truck in the first place. How do you drive far enough to wear a tire out without noticing….
That's wild - that little missing 50 cent cotter pin nearly caused a major accident! If this is a corrosion issue (as some of the comments suggest) we should be pro-actively checking and replacing those pins - just having a look at them at each oil change, etc. It would be a 50 cent, 2 minute job, no need to even lift the vehicle. Of course, the other explanation is that the pin wasn't replaced during a previous repair. Whatever the cause, this is a great inspection tip. Thanks for making this video, Peter!
If the lower control arm was causing a lot of unusual movement on that lower ball, I suppose it might have stressed the castle nut and sheared the pin.... but I dunno. Was the nut even torqued to spec, or did whoever did the last replacement just hand tighten it and expected the pin to hold things together? Maybe a reused cotter pin was part of the issue, but both ends are sheared off, not just the bend end. Going out to check mine right now, even parked in the snow.
Maybe, but the entire lower ball had to be moving in an unnatural way to shear off both ends of the cotter pin... and the castle nut has a torque setting (I don't remember the exact number, but it's over 100 ft-lbs) which could have been ignored by someone thinking the pin would hold everything in place after hand tightening and a quick twist with a ratchet. The control arm bushing issue probably played a big part in the movement. It sure did with the tires.
I wish you lived in NE Pennsylvania so I could bring you my wife's 2022 4 runner to service. You have sooooo much integrity in what you do for your customers!!!!
Thank you Peter. Very helpful Nice find. Sounds like it eventually stopped raining in your area of California and the weather has gotten a little warmer. Just in time for St. Patrick's Day ☘️ :). All the best to you Peter. I'm still keeping my 09 Forester on the road with 234 k miles. Engine oil and filter change every 3k miles. Good night California and Bay area. 💤 :)
I’m assuming you are in California and as a Texan, I’d love for you to move to Texas! I have an ‘06 4Runner and ‘08 Sequoia Platinum. Both high mileage and in need of your touch. 👍🏽
Dealers are the most dishonest people in the world, find an independent repair shop that you can trust or you can do it yourself, it is not brain surgery.
It’s a royal pain, especially so if there is rust involved. Most bushings on modern vehicles aren’t really designed to be a service item. For the dealer/mechanic it’s basically: Parts $ + Labor $$$= $$$$ for a bushing swap or Parts $$$ + Labor $$= $$$$$ for a control arm swap. For a little extra money you get all new control arm(s). For the mechanic/dealer it’s less “fighting” (cutting/drilling/pressing) the mechanic has to do and less liability re-installing old questionable parts. It makes sense for them. It’s an easier job and they pocket a little more money. Anyone with any business sense would do it that way, so you can’t really blame them.
The beach & ocean will sometimes create a nighttime salt-air fog that cause a vehicle not covered or sheltered to get saturated with condensation but when sun burns off moisture, a crystallized salt residue is left behind to do it's worst. It is a most extreme environment for metal.
That new Snap On needle nose pliers is the greatest thing since sliced bread. Who wouldn't think you could improve on a pliers, but they did. A branch might have snagged that cotter pin. I never heard of that either.
This happened to my sons 99 4Runner….. passenger side we lost everything and it indeed cost him 1200$ and we did both side rebuild and all new components. Nice job
That’s insane. I know that the majority of drivers have little to no knowledge of how cars work but I believe that, as part of driver’s ed, people should have basic knowledge of engines, suspensions, etc and tests for a license should include questions about these things. I mean, everyone should do even a basic walk around of their vehicle every week or so and I’d this driver had, he would/should easily have noticed the uneven wear on the tires long before they reached this point. And if he went one step further and did a basic check of the suspension he would have seen the loose castle but. But, if he doesn’t have this knowledge, at least, as you say, he had that 6th sense, and the luck of the cancelled app’t, so he’s got that going for him! Drive safe!
you are correct, if the lower ball joint nut has any play in it then allows the going up and down eventually sheer the cotter pin, and the nut starts to come loose.
I really need to replace my lower ball joints (215k miles). I've had the new OEM parts sitting in my garage for about a year haha. The owner of that Taco lucked out. I wish your shop was nearby, I would have you do the much needed clutch replacement and steering rack. The 1 indi Toyota tech that had a shop here moved a couple years back. Haven't found another that I trust.
Never seen a cotter pin that big on a ball joint fall out plus the nut coming loose too. Angels looking down on him. A two-lane highway with oncoming traffic and that let go.
He was lucky I had a wheel come loose one time and the only tool I had was a water pump pliers to tighten the nuts. So I tightened them as tight as I could and drove it about two miles to home and backed it in the parking space. Well the next morning I went to pull out and the wheel fell off and the fender caught it not causing any damage I was lucky.
From what I could see, I would replace brake pads, rotors, control arm bushings, lower ball joints and the struts. I am guessing, $4,500 in repairs. Thank you for the video, I learned a lot.
@@transformer889 Depending on the cost of living in the area but with parts and labor, it may be that bad. Also, Toyota parts are expensive, also I am thinking high end performance parts. With standard parts, including struts, maybe 3000. What is your guess?
@@Spartan77 Brake and rotor $100/wheel then $200 for the rest a total of $400+300 =$700 for parts and labor. This is a fair price but my stepson paid $800 for an oil change and changing two belts because he is stupid, and I bet the same guys would do the job for $4500.
@@transformer889 Unwise yes, sorry that happened to your step son. I was wrong in my estimate, that is because I tend to prefer the performance parts, like the Fox struts. That is my fault and I should have adjusted for standard OEM parts. Sadly, replacing both front rotors, pads, control arm seals, , lower ball joints and struts, plus labor, would run about $2,500 to $3,000 in my area. Fox struts for the Tacoma can go for $2,000 or more alone.
@@scottmaday6167 You are correct Eureka area. Where are you Joe Payne? I recommend if you love more than a few hours away to find someone locally. It is much easier to deal with someone and build a relationship with you and value you as a customer and be able to help you.
He'll most likely be doing the job, so get that penetrating fluid a chance to do its job, if he doesn't get the job, he'll not have incurred much expense spraying on the WD 40, will he?
