Freak accident with trunk support strut

RDOOGZ89

RDOOGZ89

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So, yesterday I go to open the trunk to take out some groceries when something crazy happens. The trunk support strut popped off the little ball joint, slammed the trunk shut and shot into the rear window causing it to literally explode.

I can only assume that excessive wear caused this to happen. I am just glad no one got hurt as my wife and 2 year old daughter were standing next to me. Just figured I would share this story and tell people to check those support strut ball joints to make sure they are not to worn out.
 

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Wow... never heard of this happening before. Got these lifts on a lot of vehicles. I'll be checking mine for sure. Glad everyone is ok, but that really sucks.
 
That rear door has had me worried for years, i really try not to use the rear cargo area unless forced to.

It's the one item i feel Toyota has over engineered, i would much more like to have just a simple system not a motor driven self locking door.
 
Im just glad everyone was standing clear when it fell. That door has so much weight it would cause some damage if it hit you in the head on the way down.

I had drop it off to replace the glass this morning. That was simple enough but now I am going to replace that whole strut assembly for that side. I am definitely going to be very wary of that door moving forward. Definite design flaw.
 
OP, this is my nightmare. I literally was thinking about this the other day. Absolutely crazy, glad no work me got hurt.


Ralph Blake said:
That rear door has had me worried for years, i really try not to use the rear cargo area unless forced to.

It's the one item i feel Toyota has over engineered, i would much more like to have just a simple system not a motor driven self locking door.
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I feel that’s excessive. And I went to the 5th gen for awhile and really missed the door close feature.
 
Yikes! Glad to hear everyone is okay. I've noticed that when the window is down, that my hatch will take some extra effort to open due to the weight shift. I think I might be replacing my struts sooner than later now just for peace of mind.
 
RDOOGZ89 said:
Im just glad everyone was standing clear when it fell. That door has so much weight it would cause some damage if it hit you in the head on the way down.

I had drop it off to replace the glass this morning. That was simple enough but now I am going to replace that whole strut assembly for that side. I am definitely going to be very wary of that door moving forward. Definite design flaw.
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There's a recall/warranty for the exploding rear windows. Should have taken it to the dealer and told them that the defroster made it blow out. Think it's good through 2018. Might still be able to go by the dealer with the invoice and get reimbursed.
 
Drunner97 said:
There's a recall/warranty for the exploding rear windows. Should have taken it to the dealer and told them that the defroster made it blow out. Think it's good through 2018. Might still be able to go by the dealer with the invoice and get reimbursed.
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This is a great idea, I will definitely give it a shot. Nothing to lose.
 
If I recall correctly, the defroster replacement calls for inspection of the heater wire connections for confirmation.
 
Yeah I just rolled in with no back window and had already cleaned up all the broken glass mess and what not and just said I would like to take advantage of the recall at this point in time... they said wow when they seen no window and asked if everyone was ok ..I said yeah it was just me that doo doo'd on the seat when it happened ...they laughed and said sir go ahead inside and we will get this all taken care of for you..no inspection since I left nothing to inspect and no questions asked.

Went smooth as can be
 
Was the strut that failed an OEM part or a replacment? I bought Monroe replacements and was really disappointed with the quality. I installed them, but the ball joint seemed much looser than OEM. I stood back and shook the door hard and one popped off, so I returned and used OEM parts for the replacement.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk
 
well that sucks, like everyone glad no one was hurt.

one advantage to my 2nd gen, tail gate folds down. That being said we are sort of looking for a 4th gen to replace my wife's car with if we find a good deal.

Will chock this up to add to the list to remember to check
 
Hmmm....the one on my passenger side has been making a racket for a while. I've tried cleaning it then applying some spray silicone. This only lasts a few days then it's back to making a terrible groan after the hatch is maybe half open up to the max height. Did you have any symptoms like this before the failure or was it just the slightly loose ball/socket joint?

My hatch goes up and stays up fine so I don't think either strut is "bad" but maybe one side is lifting more of the load than the other. I'm not sure how I can tell.....

Sounds like OEM is the way to go on these? I just replaced the hood struts on my Honda with some aftermarket ones and they seem fine. But my hood goes up maybe 2% as often as the back hatch. That's definitely where I probably shouldn't cut corners.

Glad nobody was hurt. My fridge lid could use a similar strut. I parked on a slight hill and my wife was putting groceries in there when the lid flopped closed. It clobbered her in the head and she had a nice bruise for quite a while. I can imagine what kind of damage that rear hatch could do.
 
RDOOGZ89 said:
So, yesterday I go to open the trunk to take out some groceries when something crazy happens. The trunk support strut popped off the little ball joint, slammed the trunk shut and shot into the rear window causing it to literally explode.

I can only assume that excessive wear caused this to happen. I am just glad no one got hurt as my wife and 2 year old daughter were standing next to me. Just figured I would share this story and tell people to check those support strut ball joints to make sure they are not to worn out.
Click to expand...

Now i am going to have paranoia everytime i open the rear hatch door praying the strut doesnt pop off and hit my head/decapitate me in the process.

*brings bicycle helmet*
 
Mine has been groaning since installing my Gobi ladder. Is anyone using aftermarket struts? If so, which ones don’t suck??


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
DZNUTS said:
Mine has been groaning since installing my Gobi ladder. Is anyone using aftermarket struts? If so, which ones don’t suck??


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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There's a few threads on replacing the hood struts, but I'm not certain if they're the same length. It could at least give you direction in terms of model. I think I bought mine off of Amazon for the hood.
 
DZNUTS said:
Mine has been groaning since installing my Gobi ladder. Is anyone using aftermarket struts? If so, which ones don’t suck??


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...


I used StrongArm brand in the past with excellent results. I put them on my 2005 Acura TL and just one was plenty strong enough to hold up the hood. Had to be careful opening the hood cause it would shoot up with a ton of force!!

Amazon sells em. I was looking last night after reading this thread to replace my 4runners with them

here is the HOOD
https://www.amazon.com/StrongArm-62...automotive&vehicleId=1&vehicleType=automotive


and the HATCH
https://www.amazon.com/StrongArm-Li...-4&keywords=toyota+4runner+strongarm+liftgate


good luck!
 
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