Front suspension issues, frustrations and disappointment

[willb0125]

Toyota has decided that now the passenger side front LCA bushings are no good and they are going to replace the entire LCA, just like the drivers side last week. If they want to keep throwing parts and labor at it I really dont mind, hopefully this is the final fix.

What are the chances of the bushings on both front LCA's going bad by 26,000 miles? I do about 300 miles a week on smooth flat highways and a few trips to the beach.

 

[wfo9]

Toyota has decided that now the passenger side front LCA bushings are no good and they are going to replace the entire LCA, just like the drivers side last week. If they want to keep throwing parts and labor at it I really dont mind, hopefully this is the final fix.

What are the chances of the bushings on both front LCA's going bad by 26,000 miles? I do about 300 miles a week on smooth flat highways and a few trips to the beach.

Makes no sense... I think they(the dealer) are just trying to make easy money.

 

[SQUAWK3274]

Mine was like butter for the first 5,000 or so miles and now its annoying me everyday. I think it needs a full Icon Stage 7, seems like the only reasonable course of action now.

I have the same intermittent shimmy/shake of the wheel around 60 and 80 on my '14 Trail. Just like you said it comes and goes randomly. Sometimes it's hot out, sometimes it's cold...same roads...sometimes it's there, sometimes it's not. I had Cooper Discoverer tires on stock trail wheels: shimmy. TRD Pro wheels added, same tires: still shimmy. I replaced the front shocks with Bilstein 5100: FIXED!!.......for 2 weeks..then randomly came back :mad2: I will say, however, that the shocks have greatly reduced the frequency of the shake spells. So strange and frustrating!

 

[willb0125]

Makes no sense... I think they(the dealer) are just trying to make easy money.

The money is between the dealer and Toyota for now so it really does not concern me at all. All of this has been done under warranty except for $100 alignment the dealer performed last month.

I think they finally resolved the clanking and pulling issues. It only took about 8 trips to the dealer and replacing both front LCA to do it. I wont say 100% its fixed forever since I have less then 200 miles since the last repair. So far the truck drives straight and does not sound like the suspension is going to fall off every time I turn the wheel. It also seems like steering and ride are tighter then before, understandable if all of the bushings in the front LCA were totally shot or it may be a placebo effect.

 

[krravi]

I have this same issue and surprisingly it is more pronounced after I serviced my vehicle at the dealer. Oil change and tire rotation and the 4runner never felt the same!

I went to the dealer and got the wheels aligned but still I get that feeling of driving a unibody rather than a body-on-frame vehicle which is why I bought the 4runner in the first place.

A long time back, I hit a really bad and wide pothole in a road. Saw it at the last minute and didn't want to slam the brakes for fear of getting rear ended. Loud thud and I think the right suspension might had bottomed out and hit the bump stop. But didn't notice any handling issues so I didn't bother to check.

Having said that, I am curious about how the sway bar works. Say if the right suspension is kaput, will the sway bar also transmit those vibrations to the left suspension? Considering that is the link between the left and right? Because the vibrations and rough ride isn't necessarily coming from the right suspension that I can feel or notice. So was curious.

Plus, I am still under warranty period for axles and such I think. I know its 36k miles for the suspension which I believe is just the strus and the coils. But will the warranty cover the rest?

I plan to take the wheels off and inspect the bushings and check for any play on the ball joints.

The suspension does dip like a boat so I am going to get the suspension upgraded anyways. Once I do that and the problem persists, then its off to the dealer for some diagnosis.Or maybe, wait to install the new struts after diagnosis as I don't want the dealer to blame the new suspension I put in.