Lug bolt broken on a new 07 w only 1K miles

[tempusage03]

Dear all,

I just bought a 07 4Runner in the end of Sept., and drove about 1K miles. I tightened my lug nuts on the alloy wheels w/ craftsman torque wrench ($80 from Sears) which was set to 80 (according to the manual) yesterday.

All the nuts were not tight enough and really need tightening. And to my surprise, one lug nut failed off duriing tightening! Has this ever happened to you? Is it safe to drive my 4Runner to my dealer, which is about 20 miles away? Thanks!

 

[ProMed]

All the nuts were not tight enough and really need tightening. And to my surprise, one lug nut failed off duriing tightening! Has this ever happened to you? Is it safe to drive my 4Runner to my dealer, which is about 20 miles away? Thanks!

How loose were they?

In my opinion it is safe to drive 20 miles with one lug missing.

It seems to be rather common to read about guys on this board snapping lugs, so they must be rather weak. Personally I haven't had any issues yet with my 06, thankfully. With my spidertrax spacers and lift I have had to take my tires on and off rather frequently and actually just tightened them last night to 80 ft/lbs with a Craftsman torque wrench after pulling the tires to spray the wheel wells with a rubberized underbody coating.

 

[tempusage03]

Hi Promed,

Thanks for your reply.

I didn't measure the torque on the lug nuts. What I can tell is that I can tighten the nuts by at least 30 degree, and for couple nuts I need to tighten by almost 90 degree.

I called Toyota dealer and was told Toyota warranty may not cover it because I (not Toyota trained technican) broke it. Is that ridiculous?

 

[tempusage03]

Call and tell Toyota that 4Runner lug bolt/nut has problems

Dear all 4Runner owners with lug nuts broken experience,

I think we all should call Toyota at 1-800-331-4331 and document our cases of lug nuts broken experience to let Toyota aware of this problem, and ask Toyota to provide a solution to the problem. I have already called that phone number and have my case documented.

I have called couple dealers and one dealer's comment is that "you are not a trained toyota technican, and you broke the bolt. Toyota is not responsible for the problem." But are car owners alloweed to change a flat tire?!

I don't think replacing the bolt and nut will solve the problem. My 4Runner is brand new with brand new bolts and nuts, but the bolt still broke using a good torque wrench. Imaging how frustrated and devestated a 4runner owner could be if he/she tries to change a flat tire on the road side and ends up with a broken bolt!

Please let me know your thoughts. Thanks!

 

[BC4Runner]

I've rotated my tires 4 times on my 06 and have used a Craftsman torque wrench with no issues so far.

It looks like I should keep my fingers crossed.

 

[tempusage03]

Lug bolt and Craftsman torque wrench

Hi ,BC4Runner

Thanks for your reply. I got a new Craftsman torque wrench for my 4Runner because the previous one broke. The only reason why I got another Craftsman is because this is the only one available in stores, and I am going to return it soon.

Here are the issues with 1/2 craftsman torque wrench ($80).
1. It has only 1 year warranty, and after 1 year pretty much the owners have to throw it away if it breaks because Sears won't repair it. And in my case, I used it 6 times in 3 years, and the lock O-ring broke by itself. The repair need is the plastic ring and recalibration, but Sears won't do it.

2. Sears won't recalibrate it after 1 year, and these 1/2 torque wrench can be off very easily (according to users comments at sears.com). So after several years, the owners have to throw it away even nothing is broken.

I heard Craftsman torque wrench tended to go higher. 80 reading could actually correspond to 100-120. So this may lead to over-tightening the nuts.

I am looking for a better quality torque wrench with the manufacture standing behind it. I will let you know if I find one.

 

[Ohio4R]

It should be the dealers fault for not tightening the lugs to spec.

 

[tempusage03]

Norbar torque wrench

Hi,

I plan to buy the Norbar SL2 torque wrench by ordering it from Nobar USA directly at 1 866 667 2272. It is $144/each with 2 weeks of lead time.

Here is the product info if you are interested: http://www.norbar.com/products_description.php&category_multid=1&range_multid=13&id=1201

Here is an article about it http://www.engineeringtalk.com/news/nor/nor110.html

It has lifetime warranty against manufacture defectives, and can be re-calibrated for $45 plus shipping. The tool comes with NIST certfication and an error of +/-4%, accurate enough for tightening lug nuts. I discussed the re-calibration part with the Norbar technican, and it turned out that the wrench may need to be calibrated every 5 years if I use it only 3-4 times a year.

I also checked other high quality torque wrenches, such as Snap On. The same/very similar 1/2'' Snap On costs $250/each, and also comes with NIST certificate and error of +/-4%.

 

[00328]

I snapped off one of the studs the first time I rotated my tires at 5K miles. I wasn't anywhere near 80 ft/lbs. Dealer fixed it for free.
I don't torque 'em anymore after that, I just get 'em snug and then another 1/4 turn.