Well, I guess by the laws of nature it was bound to happen and my turn was up. It actually happened this morning during the rush hour commute. There I was stopped in traffic on I-80 going towards the Bay Bridge and I notice this truck stopped behind me and a semi behind it. I thought nothing of it. Then BAM. I was like "wtf?!?" I thought the semi hit the guy behind me. Turns out the guy behind me was trying to reach for his cell phone and lurched into my rear. The tow hitch receiver obviously got hit first and the trim got pinched a little. His bumper took the brunt of the damage. The guy was nice and very apologetic. Usual info exchange. Time to go buff it out when I get home. I don't think it's even worth the trouble replacing. He had to be going <5 mph so I gather the frame is pretty much unaffected. Here's the pisser - I ordered a Rhino hitch step a while back and cancelled it for reasons I forget. Just glad my 2 yr. old (who was laughing the whole time in the back in her carseat) and I are ok. My 2005 is now officially "old". Time to give it to my wife and get myself a 2007 'runner Sport in fantastic Galactic.

Yeah right, not for a while. Just had to vent. Sorry, bad phone pic:

Attached Images

 

It looks minor, but you should still bring it to the dealer to have it checked out. Even a 5mph crash releases several hundred foot pounds of energy against the body and frame. Plus have the dealer make it good as new. Your time is valuable, why should you be bothered with it? Get a rental car while the dealer works on it and bill it to the dumb ass that can't pay attention.

I'm sorry to hear you got reared but was glad to hear you and your 2 yr old was OK. I had the same experience some time back. Luckily, I installed a tow hitch for that very reason. You see, I don't tow anything it's main purpose is to give a little protection. It did the job, I got some scratches(which I'm upset about) but the other guy was leaking coolant and had a smashed grill(traffic stopped so I and the other guy was doing some hard braking and his nose was dipping and caught my tow hitch). I did not even bother exchanging info. After we confirmed that everybody was OK, I said that it's cool with me and I took off and left him stranded on the side of the interstate.

Like you, I felt my 2005 was roughed up but passed with flying colors.

I was rear-ended last February, and only had very minor damage to the rear bumper cover. The Lexus SUV that was pushed into my 4Runner by a Dodge Ram was not so lucky, though. {Ram hit Lexus; which then hit me.}

The relatively minor damage sustained by my 4Runner is a testament to its body-on-frame construction and high build quality.

As with you, my child (son who was 7 at the time) was secure in the rear seat and barely felt anything but a "bump" upon impact. He said it was like falling off the sofa and onto the floor.


Cars can be fixed, but people aren't always so fortunate. Nice to know your little one was okay.



Here are some shots of the damage sustained. Of course, the stealership's body shop fixed it for about $390 - paid by the Dodge Ram driver's insurance company.






-- Damage sustained in February, 2006 --

Thanks for the advice, guys. I think I will bring it to the stealer and get it checked out just to be sure as 007Runner suggested.

Jeff, I remember that post of yours when you got dinged in the rear. Just curious, did the shop mention anything about any damage to your frame?

I crawled underneath the rear this evening just to inspect the undercarriage and everything superficially looks ok. I made sure my tire winch and rear hatch auto closer worked for good measure. Then again, I really wouldn't know what to look for. I guess I will also be attaching the hitch for good measure too. Looks like I'll be making a trip to Kragen for a hitch lock and a ball. I'm not towing anything anytime soon until next summer, but might as well have it attached. Plus the ball is very noticeable and should deter tailgaters. I just hate all the stupid paperwork I now have to do. If you ever come to California avoid I-80 like the plague. We call it the dumb@ss express here.

I doubt there's any frame damage, but it's always a good idea to get it checked out. Also, I would have them make sure the hitch isn't damaged or out of alignment (looks like a weight carrying hitch).

The tow hitch will do wonders. I have one on my Mazda and about four months ago, I got rear ended. I had zero damage to my car, but left a nice 3" hole bumper and shredded the heck out of the gal's license plate who hit me. Luckily for her, there's a metal bumper support beam which kept my hitch from puncturing her radiator.

Also, dingo, I noticed you're from Cali. Most drivers here can't drive and when the rain comes, they just outright suck.

LOL

You got that right, Uneek. It pisses me off everytime that when it rains here in the Bay Area there are always those several dumb@ss drivers out there who think they can actually drive FASTER when it's raining. F'n idiots. They have no regard for others' safety let alone their own. I say those people deserve to swerve out of control and hit the sound wall all by their lonesome while everyone laughs at their stupidity. It sounds cruel of me, but hell, they have it coming. I wish people would pay more attention.

Anyways... I made an appointment with my stealer Toyota of Beserkeley. My advisor said he will inspect the frame, hitch, and trim for me no charge. We'll see.

sorry to hear about your accident. i also got lightly rear ended last week by a old beat up civic. i didn't see any damage so i let him go. i am also from the bay...want to hit hollister hills?

No frame damage.......everything is still A-OK. Besides, I got the repair done at the dealership because my 4Runner is leased and I don't want them trying to penalize me for using non-OEM parts.


When I turn the vehicle back in during January of 2008, they'll see in their computer that it was they who fixed it; and they obviously used genuine Toyota parts.