corrosion on back window motor

[Jan777]

Hi all,

a few days ago my rear window busted when I was opening it. There was no obvious cause for it. It crumbled into 1000 pieces without any impact from outside.

Now the spare glass has arrived and when my mechanic opened the cover from the back door the entire lifting mechanism was found totally corroded! (see the pics)

I have not had this type of corrosion on any Toyota I ever owned. OK the car is 10 years old but well kept.

Is this something other 4Runners also suffer from or am I just the unlucky one?

The mechanism is not excessively expensively with 120 Euro (140 USD) but I wonder if this type of corrosion is affecting also other parts, then I would have to dump the 4Runner.

 

[ZebRuaj]

I noticed a few rusty bolts inside my tailgate when I was running the wires for my reverse back up camera.

You might want to replace the rubber window seal. Also check the seal up top where the wiring harness runs through. Those are the only two vulnerable spots I can think of that would let moisture in.

Or previous owner left the rear window down too many times during rain storms.

 

[wc11]

My 3rd Gen motor & arm assy rusted like that as well and had to be replaced after about 11 years. It does get exposed to the elements so not surprised.

On my 4th gen, I made sure to spray with rustproofing every year (Krown) so it is less likely to happen.

 

[97BlackAckCL]

I've seen this on the door lock motor but not the window motor.

The door lock motor, they actually changed the design on the replacement part and added an extra gasket since it was such a common occurrence. I too have noticed rusty bolts under the tailgate

 

[Hyaline]

Mine have been rusty too. While drilling out the license plate holes I found moisture in the liftgate. It's par for the course. Keep rust proofing it and it should be ok. But that's the trade off for a rolling rear window :noidea: