So 6 months ago I hit an open manhole cover. Blew out the rear driver side tire and bent the wheel. Since the accident I have replaced the rear driver side tire and wheel and had to replace the front tie rod. I do regular driving around town and the other day (6 months post accident) noticed that the inside of both rear tires had worn completely bald. One tire is 6 months old (5k miles max) and the other tire has maybe 10k miles at most. The outside tread of both tires looks fine. Both front tires show no irregular wear. I got an alignment but all they can do is front end alignment. I'm going to a shop tonight to get a diagnosis and estimate but wanting to do due diligence on here to see what may be damaged from the manhole cover incident and what kind of costs I may be looking at. The alignment shop did verify that the camber and tow are off in the rear. Any advice would be appreciated!
Pic Attached

Attached Images

 

the rear axle housing is bent.

Thanks - how much should I expect to pay - not an option for me to do any of it myself (lack of tools, location, and general ability)

It could be a bent axil shaft. That's easy to check. My money is on that The axil tube is bent. I think it is the weakest part of the T4R rear end. I got hit from behind once that bent the tube. Replaced the axil and later got hit again on the other side that bent the tube.

I would recommend taking it to a place that does 4-wheel alignments. Not that you can adjust anything back there but hopefully it will shed some light as to what is going on. I also think the axle housing is bent. IIRC, the FJ uses the same rear axle.

Did you report this incident with the man-hole cover? If it is properly documented the city might be liable for any damage. I know of a friends parents that hit a pothole that was large and formally complained about. It bent their wheel, blew out the tire and messed up something else in the front like a tie rod but i am not sure. The couple filed a police report for insurance purposes but the police officer told them to contact the city with the issue and the city paid to have their vehicle fixed since they had not corrected the problem in a timely manner. Long shot but worth a try???

I'll bet it handles real wobbly in the wet (based on one of my unhappy life experiences).

Yep, he should have done it right away. Unfortunately that was 6 months ago so good luck on that. Not doing that right away is going to cost him a few thousand.

There is a difference between using an alignment machine for adjustments and diagnosis. The way that it works is that they put your truck on the rack and take the measurements. Some components can be adjusted, some can't, but all angles can be measured. In your case, only the front can be adjusted, but there is no reason that they can't identify that something in the rear is bent because you clearly have something bent. You have a solid rear axle so there is nothing that can be adjusted. You will have to replace parts. It could be axle, could be springs, could be frame, etc. The alignment machine is the tool that will help narrow it down.

looks like the rear differential is toast. you'll need to have it removed and checked for straightness. the only way to fix it is to replace your differential. there's no way you can align that kind of differential.

Thank you all who have replied thus far, I really appreciate it - no solutions yet but an update for those that are interested:
- A body shop who just looked at it quickly said that it was probably the differential that was going to need the work, the mechanic said that this portion of the 4Runner usually is the weakest on the back.
- Estimated cost is $2500, working with insurance now to see about coverage and then will get it into the shop.
- When the accident actually did happen I did not file a police report or report it to insurance due to the cots being about the same as my deductible. However I was successful in settling with the municipality that was responsible for improperly placing the manhole cover. They paid for about 90% of my initial costs (the new tire, wheel, rod). Mainly comes down to proving that that they were negligent in the maintenance of the manhole, in this case they took it off and didn't place it back on. Now that I have this more serious problem the settlement looks less peachy, but hopefully insurance will step up at this point to take care of the $2500.

And yes - it has been super wobbly in the wet, especially slushy snow. . .

Check it yourself. On level ground, Check air pressure in both rear tires make them the same psi use block of wood and a level check "good" side first check for plumb even if a little off remember where bubble is check other it see if its same or very close (equal but opposite direction). Then check Toe assuming you had alignment done after repairs were made to front. get front wheels pointed as straight forward as possible run string from the front of the front tire to the rear of rear tire string should touch front tire twice and rear tire twice with out bending the string again check both sides. post results

I have an '03 4runner V8 4wd. I got hit on the rear driver side tire while it was parked on the street and bent the lower tie rod. I replaced it then thought it was all good until 2 weeks later I noticed outside wear on both rear tires. I looked and studied the rear axle and components for weeks and nothing was out of wack or bent. I finally found the answer on a youtube rear tie rod replacement video. The springs tend to push the axle in opposit directions, driver side forward and passenger side backward. I loosened the tie rods and used come alongs to pull the axle until it looked evenly spaced from tire to wheel well on both sides. I tightened the tie rods real good. No more outside tire wear. But why? More research needed. It turns out that the torsen differential in the axle is sensitive to wheel spin and compensates for it by transfering load to the other wheel. So the tires were always dragging because the torsen differential was not aligned with the axle and the wheel spin was not even on both sides. Correct me if I'm wrong but I fixed my tire wear. Very high tech 4wd system on my 360,000 miles Toy. I don't trust mechanics at all. I do ALL my fixes by youtubing...driveaxles, starter, waterpump/timing belt, brakes etc. MyToyDoctor.

I have your same vehicle, but the rear axle position is not adjustable to my knowledge. It is held in a fixed position by the upper and lower control arms, they are not adjustable. Maybe your ( I forget what the rod is called) the one that runs across the rear of the rear axle from side to side also got bent but not enough to see visually.