Looking for some help. I have looked all over. The gas struts for my liftgate / tailgate on my 2004 SR5 4runner are shot, the liftgate no longer stays up at all under its own power. I am looking for new ones that are not the $100+ ones directly from Toyota. I have found plenty of options that are for the years before and after 2004 and from what I have been told they will not work. Can anyone point me in the right direction.

Thank you in advance for the help.

you mean like these? eBay - New & used electronics, cars, apparel, collectibles, sporting goods & more at low prices on 2nd page of compatability page it says for 04

Buyer Beware. Do not get these struts from PartsAvenue on Ebay. I did and they do not fit the 03 and 04 4Runner. I'm returning my parts to them for credit currently. Your only option for our years are OEM struts. Our design is slightly differnt from later models....I don't know why.

maybe try this place. Toyota Hatch Strut

Thanks for the thoughts. Looks like I might just get them from Toyota to make sure I get them right. Kind of a bummer they had to change things up for 2004.

Not sure why you're saying that, I have those struts on my '03 4runner and they work great.

try these Lift Supports Systems | Hood | Window | Trunk | Hatch | Auto Parts By Lou

Sorry to revive an old thread.

Anyone have experience with LiftSupportDepot.com liftgate struts? I installed a pair of high-lift struts back in Feb, and one failed about a month ago. They sent 2 replacements, and right after I got it replaced, the other side failed. Replaced it, and both failed. It seems the metal they use for the ball sockets is not strong enough, and the retention pin rips right through it.

FWIW, I've been running a set of Strongarm 6107s from Lift Supports Depot since mid-2016 without issue. Obviously, they could have changed suppliers sometime in the past 5+ years.

How about new OEM struts for ~$34 each + shipping? (Or get free shipping by adding something to get you to the $75 free shipping threshold.)

I can personally vouch for Cobb County Toyota and these parts (I replaced my aftermarket hatch struts with OEM a while back). I get any OEM parts I need there by ordering online and picking them up. Even with shipping, you still get new OEM parts for about what the aftermarket ones cost.

Before their online parts store was available, they provided a generous veteran's discount. They're so good that I go out of my way to give them my business despite passing right by another Toyota dealer on my commute. To be crystal clear, I have no affiliation with Cobb County Toyota other than being a loyal customer.

The 6107s don't have the bolt bracket required for the top of the liftgate. How would you take the bracket off the original strut to get it to fit on the insertion joint of the new strut? More generally, How do you remove the old,/original struts from the balls? I"ve broken one 12mm wrench and burned some paint around the ball with a torch trying to get this thing off. Any help? or link to a video on youtube? I can find very few things for my 2004 4Runnner.

Does anyone else have a 4th gen 4runner and find parts that fit 03 or 05 but not 04?

I just ordered 2 struts from Cobb County Toyota and added an air filter to get free shipping and tax free. That's a good deal, Thanks! Are they easy to replace?

Yes, the process is pretty intuitive.

I just today put new OEM struts on my '03. What a difference! I would say, it's often worth the price to use actual OEM stuff. Toyota quality is pretty much unbeatable and many aftermarket parts are so so shoddy. It was about $100 for the pair but well worth it.

Sorry, just now seeing this.

When the rain stops, I'll take a look at how things are mounted. Don't remember it being that big of a deal. Hardest part is finding a brace you trust to hold up the liftgate while you're swapping parts.

Don't recall transferring any hardware from original strut to the replacement. The OE balls should have a retaining clip, that once released, will let the ball pop off with maybe a little persuasion if there's any corrosion or dirt in the ball socket.

Pretty sure part fitment for the 4th Gen is consistent for all years...nothing special about 2004.

This guy has a video of a Strong Arm 6107 replacement on an '05...admittedly, I didn't watch every second of it, but skipping through seems pretty straightforward...except when he gets out a torch. I definitely didn't need heat or even Liquid Wrench to remove the body side ball posts, assuming they had to be replaced...maybe that's a regional environmental issue, but I do live in a salt air climate.
Toyota Lift Gate Piston Replacement - YouTube

As you can see in the video and on the Lift Support Depot 6107 Product Page, it does include the liftgate mounting bracket already attached to the strut.