Rear Ended today

R

robsonj

New member
Hey There,

So today we got rear ended square on. We were stationary, think we got hit at about 20-30 mph. Can't tell you how impressed I was with the 4runner at taking the impact. Everyone came out fine with a bit of whip lash, generally ok though.

My question is though, the hitch mount took the brunt of the impact (And caused the majority of the damage to the muppet that hit us!!), it is now bent about 20 degrees off axis. Does that mean the chassis is bent or more a case of replacing the cross bar if it is replaceable, I don't know if it is bolted together or welded in and is part of the chassis.

The 4runner is a 2013, so just trying to asses if they'll write it off if it is bent.

Thanks for any advice.

Cheers
Jonathan
 

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Sorry to see this, glad to hear all involved where ok.

Can't comment if it's a WO being your truck is only 2 years old.
 
If the hitxh is bent then your frame is bent. Should be easily straightened though. Shouldn't be totalled.
 
Rear end damage

I've been rear ended twice in my Jeep GC. I feel your pain. No one was injured but it damaged the bumper and tailgate one time and just the bumper the 2nd time. Repair cost around $1000 both times, IIRC.

I see the tailgate, lower side panels, bumper and back window are trashed. Add the tow hitch too. I'm thinking about $5000 to repair.

When it goes in for repair the insurance company should provide a rental of equal value. That may need to include a 4x4 SUV. You get to chose the repair shop, so long as the price is within reason.
 
When I got rear ended my hitch also took the majority of the impact. It was bent almost exactly like yours. Dealership told me that it would be better to bend it back rather than cutting out the cross member and welding a new one it.

They used a hydraulic press to bend mine back out. Looks good as new now.
 
Sorry to hear it. The frame is surely at least tweaked in the rear, but as others have said, this can be fixed relatively inexpensively in most cases.

Book road or Naper-Plainfield road, perhaps? Looks like Springbrook Prairie Forest Preserve in the background. I grew up around there and had someone cause an accident that really messed up my first car just a few blocks away.
 
No it was Naperville/Butterfield 4 way. Was a stop on red right turn, so I made the mistake of stopping!!. We were heading to the movies to watch StarWars! We still made the movie

Am not to concerned about the insurance, farmers have been really good in the past assuming the at fault party has non - she couldn't produce at the time of the accident.

I was just trying to figure out if I should brace for a total loss.

My only concern with it being straightened etc is that we do tow a trailer with it, hopefully no significant weakening involved in the straightening
 
I was wondering how safe someone in the 3rd row would be in an accident like this and it looks like they would be ok! Was it a truck or a car that rear ended you?
 
Well, driving it a bit things not looking so good. Feels like it's pulling to the right and sagging to the right a bit. Also the driver seat making a lot of noise when trying to raise and lower it. Airbag light is on, seatbelt sensors not working.

Still impressed that the 4tunner kept my family safe but starting to think it may be the end for this truck.
 
I would do whatever you can to get it totaled. Straightened frames are rarely ever going to be back to normal. It's kinda like aftermarket paint. No bodyshop will ever put paint on that is equal to OEM paint. Nor will a body shop ever get the frame back to the same condition as it was originally. Is close good enough? In some cases I'm sure it is.

What would concern me a great deal is also the resale hit due to frame damage. I would probably want a 50% drop in price relative to other similar non-damaged cars to consider one with a repaired frame. Diminished value claims can be a PITA, but can be done.
 
Vehicle needs to be tore down and thrown on a rack to determine what it needs. From the photo hitch plate looks to be at quite an angle that would lead me to believe it needs to be replaced along with the cross-member it attaches too.

Careful of the info you are receiving in this thread. Repairing hitches or the supporting cross-members is a large liability for a shop or insurer to take on. Don't want that 2 ton trailer to rip out a faulty repaired hitch. Most opt to replace.
 
My wife got hit in her GX470 this past summer, and the damage to the rear of that truck looked very similar to yours, minus the broken window. She was also pushed into the vehicle in front of her (a 5th gen 4Runner, oddly enough), so the front of her GX was also damaged.

My guess at that time was about $10k in damage, which turned out to be only about $300 off from the body shop's initial estimate. Once they tore the truck down, that $10k turned into $21k, and the truck was obviously totaled at that point.

That $21k estimate included the complete replacement of the frame, which I was a little shocked by. Not shocked that the frame was bent, more shocked that they would actually replace it. I asked them about straightening, just out of curiosity, and was told that they no longer do that, and haven't for years. I would guess other body shops may still do it, just sharing what I was told by my local shop. Also, the insurance co. didn't even attempt to argue the point.

Just sharing my experience, for what it's worth. When I saw her truck after the accident, I would have never in a million years guessed it would have ended up totaled.
 
Yea, it's in the hands of the body shop now, they're gonna put it on a rack for a 360pt inspection. It's not drivable as the rear tire is ready to pop due to the hitch putting pressure on it. He did say the rear crossmember would for sure need to be replaced. Abs could be screwed also due to us being stationary when hit.
 
Man that sucks. Glad you and the family made it out without injury though. Hopefully the insurance takes care of you guys.
 
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