Ball Joint Failure - My Turn

[octanejunkie]

I recall reading somewhere the service interval on LBJs is 100K miles under normal operating conditions; probably less if you wheel hard or launch over some sweet jumps Not so ironically this is the same service interval as our timing belt service.

Everyone who cares about their vehicles should keep a log book of repairs, notes, etc with dates and mileage as well as any work done (obviously) so you can track your history and plan/schedule future maintenance.

Replace your LBJs every 100K minimum, along with your timing belt/water pumps, etc and like @SD_Brian42 said, your cost will be between $250 and $400 for the LBJ service (depending on who installs them) vs. potentially over a thousand bucks and/or injury/death.

OP, glad your insurance is stepping up! Who is your carrier?

 

[ToyotaBrah]

Pretty ridiculous that they could perfect an SUV so well, yet it has one literal fatal flaw. Do other Toyota trucks share this issue?

 

[phattyduck]

Pretty ridiculous that they could perfect an SUV so well, yet it has one literal fatal flaw. Do other Toyota trucks share this issue?

First gen Tundras, Sequoias and Tacomas do.

I don't really think of it as a fatal flaw. Its a weakness, sure... but this is a problem that starts to happen after 100k miles (mine were still good at 270k miles). At that point, just about any vehicle manufacturer would consider the vehicle to have completed a full lifetime of service. Go buy a Jeep and try to get over 100k miles on just about any component...

-Charlie

 

[squabeggz]

That looks like the perfect spot to catch a little air...just sayin' :eyebrows:

 

[mako88sb]

If you do write an article please mention that because of this forum and it's community there are countless 3rd Gen owners that have avoided this failure, myself included, ive replaced mine preodically over the last 350,000 miles and 18 years twice with oem lbj's.

Yes, I replaced mine a couple years ago after reading about it here plus I mentioned it to 3 other 3rd Gen owners who quickly followed with their own replacements.

 

[Asaspades93]

Been there, done that. but my entire LBJ assembly ripped out of the spindle...
I have a video of it somewhere, just gotta figure out how to upload it

 

[JMat]

First gen Tundras, Sequoias and Tacomas do.

I don't really think of it as a fatal flaw. Its a weakness, sure... but this is a problem that starts to happen after 100k miles (mine were still good at 270k miles). At that point, just about any vehicle manufacturer would consider the vehicle to have completed a full lifetime of service.

Agreed. I've had my '98 since 2003 and wasn't aware of the issue until I read about it here a few months back... Haven't done a lot of hard wheelin but it has spent a lot of time off of the pavement. Finally changed my original LBJ's at 328K. I was really living on borrowed time.

 

[pluton]

Hi all, I too experienced the sad sad LBJ failure on my '97 4runner at 291,000 miles on New Years Eve.

Nice photo...where did it happen? Just wondering...

 

[anapraxis]

Nice photo...where did it happen? Just wondering...

Death Valley NP!

That looks like the perfect spot to catch a little air...just sayin' :eyebrows:

I know. Thankfully we were rolling along at about 5mph, otherwise things could have been catastrophic.

If you do write an article please mention that because of this forum and it's community there are countless 3rd Gen owners that have avoided this failure, myself included, ive replaced mine preodically over the last 350,000 miles and 18 years twice with oem lbj's.

I learned my lesson the hard way in failing to read these boards! So much good information from fellow toyota owners. I'll post a link to the article when it's published. Probably a couple weeks from now.

 

[HappyHooligan]

So sorry to see this. I replaced mine at 149K before my 3K trip across the country and I'm so glad I did. Well worth the peace of mind.

 

[johnbyebye]

I must say that those of you who have experienced failures are fortunate they happen most frequently at pretty low speeds.

 

[kball]

Hi all, I too experienced the sad sad LBJ failure on my '97 4runner at 291,000 miles on New Years Eve. I'm writing an article about the experience and would like to talk to anyone who has had the same problem... if you're interested in sharing your story, reply to this and we'll get in touch offline. I can keep it anonymous if you prefer. Deadline to get it in to my editor is Jan 16, 2019, next week, so hopefully some of you respond! I want to get the word out for safety's sake.

I'm hoping your article will be more about warning people about keeping up on maintenance more than bad mouthing a "bad design". You got almost 300k miles out of your (original?) bjs. Most people don't get 300k out a vehicle period.

 

[Wedgy]

I replaced mine at 166K shortly after getting the vehicle about a year ago only to have a similar type failure almost happen. I replaced all the front end bushings, ball joints, tie rods etc. then got it aligned but they didn't torque down an out tie rod and put the cotter pin in after centering the steering. I had a slow pull to the left under braking that got worse(scary to hit the brakes) so I ended up replacing the brakes, pads and calipers only to discover the loose tie rod end when doing the drivers side. It had 3 turns left before it would have popped out.

 

[Mudeprived]

Ball Joints are a wear and tear part. The issue I see here is HOW it fails when neglected. Don't let em go long and you won't have this issue.

Every vehicle I bought to this day underwent ball joint, tie rods, and wheel bearing replacements before I dedicated them to DD duty. I also replace shocks and springs if it has over 100k. It is common practice for me to ensure a safe operating vehicle with minimal tire wear. This probably explains why my tires last long enough to dry rot.

I don't know how some folks go 200k+ miles and still feel confident enough to run these old parts.

 

[northstr99]

I know this a very old thread but just wanted to chip in my 2¢ worth - my LBJ failed as I was rolling thru a parking lot going maybe 1 mph - lucky me! Just prior to that I'd been rolling down the freeway with 2 fiberglass kayaks on top and a half ton of sakcrete in the back - ! I nearly crapped myself thinking what would have happened if it had broken while I was going 80, just minutes before.

The steering felt kind if sluggish and like it was wandering a bit just prior, but I assumed it was the weight in back. I had Schwab replace both sides and check the uppers while they were at it. Don't take chances, get that stuff fixed before you DO have it happen on the freeway!

 

[96RedRunner]

Witnessed failure firsthand at Lowes last Tuesday. Saw a 3rd Gen following me couple vehicles back I pulled into loading lane he came along side stopped.
We decided to pull back into parking lot to BS, 100' further as he turned right into parking spot boom LBJ let go. Had just got off Interstate doing 70 MPH 30 min prior was leaving fixing to do same.
We both glad we decided to stop and BS, Ha money he spent on BJ's kept him from buying hood I have for sale.

 

[nobb]

Was watching this documentary and the militia's Prado has its LBJ casually fail at 0:33. This is happening all over the place yet without data being compiled of all the failures, Toyota can simply brush their hands of any wrongdoing.

YouTube

 

[brillo_76]

Have we heard of ball joints failing that are replaced on a schedule and dont have oversized rims and tires on them? It's a known issue and Toyota changed the design in newer generations of tocumas and 4 runners correct?




Sent from my SM-J337V using Tapatalk

 

[Greaser]

Yikes. Just got myself a 200k mile '00 SR5 and did timing belt and LBJ's immediately and thought I was a little paranoid for worrying so much about the LBJ's....but maybe not. Now onto the low idle/CEL and whirring sounds at freeway noise.

Good luck getting yours sorted out, hopefully the failure didn't damage anything else.

 

[Jidaran]

There used to be some really informative photos in the post below that showed the problematic aspects of 3rd gen ball joint design, looks like the links are down though:

https://www.toyota-4runner.org/3175578-post169.html

IIRC, all but the 3rd gen LBJs are under compression, while ours are under tension. It's not so much that our ball joints fail at higher rates than other designs, it's that when they do, the result is sudden and catastrophic.