There are at least some parts that are from OEM suppliers that you can get for cheaper from a parts store. Specifically in my case, Koyo rear bearings from Napa. They are the OEM bearings and they are cheaper than dealership prices AND you get the a set of retainers with each.

Denso rebuilt alternators seem to be good quality also.

Greetings, first post.
I wanted to share my story of a failed lower ball joint on a 2001 SR5, stock, no lift, 218k miles. The driver's side lower ball joint failed while traveling on the Interstate at 65mph. KABOOM!

Somehow, the tire/rim/assembly wedged under the front running board (like a ski). The brakes failed, too, so I had to dodge morning rush hour across two lanes, pull out of a spin and glide to a stop in a place suitable for a wrecker. I was very lucky.

The lower ball joint recall from Toyota on this vehicle was performed in 2006 by the dealership.

This is evidently still a problem for post-recall vehicles which almost put me into a ditch and ruined the vehicle (or worse). If the tire/rim had not become lodged like it did it is my opinion that things could have turned out quite differently. The only part holding the tire, rim, and brake assembly was the steering linkage (!).

PLEASE BE AWARE OF THIS DEFECT ON POST-RECALL VEHICLES AS THE PROBLEM EVIDENTLY PERSISTS.

Attached Images

     

Well, they didn't change the ball joint design. Oh, and they aren't lifetime parts - your lower ball joints were 18 years old with probably >150k miles on them... If the boot was damaged and allowed some grit to get in there or corrosion to happen, this will be much more likely to happen.

Glad to hear the damage wasn't worse, and hopefully you used OEM parts. The aftermarket ones last about 1/10 as long as the OEM lower ball joints.

-Charlie

That's nuts, but glade you are safe and the 4runner isn't damaged that badly. Yeah ball joints are a wear item and need inspection/replacement over time. Have the ball joints been replaced after the recall was done? 19 years is a long time for ball joints.

I have had the vehicle for just over a year. I did check recall notices and no flags then. No other service records that I can locate so I would presume they have not.

Enjoy the carnage!

Thanks, me too! That's good advice on this repair.

I'd say about half of the 3rd gens I see entering the local PnP lots are there because a lower ball joint failed.

3rd gens are tough as hell, but LBJ's are one place you can't cheap out on. Replace them every 100K at the most, sooner if you see any damage in the boot. Don't wait until it breaks. There's very little warning and the failure mode is catastrophic.

Thank you - catastrophic is how it was. My goal in posting was a reminder of this issue, particularly for new owners. As a self-described Toyota household this is something I have overlooked in the many years of owning Toyotas.

Although few on this forum may need it, Youtube has a concise video to test for this by AdventureTaco called "Testing a Tacoma Lower Ball Joint for Play in Less Than 30sec" that may be helpful.

That recall was due to manufacturing defects found on the actual ball of the ball joint, not a design defect. Scratches occurred on the ball at some point in production for a large batch in a particular time period and this could have led to premature wear. Once the recall was performed, the issue was eliminated. Your ball joints failed because they were old.

Now I'm scared.

My lower ball joints went over 210k miles and showed no signs of needing to be replaced. My right side one is still original from 1998 but I plan to replace it.

And that's the scary thing, there is no pattern. My ball joints are older and have more miles and they've been fine while newer ones with fewer miles fail.

Not a fan of final destination moments. I do the FSM LBJ inspection every time I rotate my tires while doing oil change.
Harbor Freight flexible mount dial indicator $40 iirc makes it too easy once you get the how-to down pat.