Just purchased this beautiful 1999 IJM Runner 3 weeks ago back home in Idaho. Drove it across the country to school in Arkansas in 3 days. After the 2000 mile journey(with our only issue being ABS engaging during heavy snow and refusing to disengage, I unplugged the ABS to resume normal braking), the drivers rear tire was made a screeching noise at slow speeds, like going slowly through drive-thru or beginning accelerating. Didn’t affect how the car felt. The screeching noise stopped a few days into school. And today, she wouldn’t shift into gear at all. This was after parking her, so I thought she maybe needed a jump? At this point, the major issue was showing itself. I pulled out of the parking lot and into the lot of university’s gym, and on my way out of that lot, my car wouldn’t climb out and into the road. I threw her into neutral and let her roll down the hill and gently back into the gym lot away from traffic. We called a friend over to check it out and it wouldn’t shift into gear anymore. I thought I might’ve messed up my tranny, but didn’t see signs of it. It shifted into 4WD and started going forward and backward. 2WD was not engaging. I pulled out slowly in 4WD to park it near my dorm, and as I turned left my driver’s left tire came out, axle and all, while I viewed it out my left mirror. The axle came clean out, and the end rested on the road. Going 5mph when this occurred, I came to a very clean stop, I’m surprised I didn’t even hear the ‘tink sound when the now 3-wheeled vehicle came to rest it’s 4th point on the brake drum, still intact. I got her towed, and she needs a completely new rear axle assembly! Thankful this didn’t happen at ANY point on our journey across America. I’m on foot for now but I stay runnin, you all do the same.
TLDR: Just purchased a 99 runner, ran from ID->AR in 3 days, then my tire came out axle and all when I got to school. Need new rear axle assembly!
