Sad day for the runner.

Sorry about the crash, I hate to read these kind of threads. I hope the upcoming insurance saga works out ok for you.

I'm interested in the airbag deployment issue. Can you estimate how fast you were driving at the time? Although that mailbox looks pretty solid I am still surprised that they were triggered, especially from a close to offset collision.
 
Sorry about the crash, I hate to read these kind of threads. I hope the upcoming insurance saga works out ok for you.

I'm interested in the airbag deployment issue. Can you estimate how fast you were driving at the time? Although that mailbox looks pretty solid I am still surprised that they were triggered, especially from a close to offset collision.



Techno dont qoute me on this but I believe Toyota has the same safety feature that Honda has incorporated into their vehicles for added safety. its called the crumple zone which kinda explains itself, instead of taking the hit and not damaging the body it crushes itself taking the blow off the person driving and passengers but im guessing his bumper keep this from taking full affect still triggering the airbag which is super sensative to any kind of impact to the bumper or front end.
 
Ok, thanks. With the limited info, this does look like a perfect example of how non-airbag compliant aftermarket bumpers run the risk of this happening. (I'm not knocking these bumpers, just stating the risk) Very little front end body damage, but a few thousand dollars worth of airbag damage/replacements.
 
This 4runner is a total loss. A 96 4runner and the airbags went off, - its gone. Bent frame - its gone. He tweeked the body so hard that the tailgate doesn't open smoothly. The OP definitely needs to buy it back from the insurance company and find a another 4runner to switch the parts on too.

The sad part is that the insurance company probably won't give anything extra for the mods unless he added it to policy before hand . IE aftermarket bumper and wheels. The funny part is the stock bumper cost more then the aftermarket one.

The important part is that nobody got hurt.

I am sure the owner of the mailbox is PO'ed. It looked liked like a Fort Knox mailboxes.

Singtoe is exactly right regarding insurance. Take the buy back option. They will not consider giving you any "added value" for aftermarket (improved) parts, wheels, tires, bumpers, etc.
 
Agreed.
But id put it on any future runners in a heart beat.
It's quite possible that it saved my life. Either way I'm sure its totaled.

Thanks every one for the regards of my well being.

If I can't find a third gen I'm still gunna stay in the 4runner world and get a fourth gen.
 
Agreed.
But id put it on any future runners in a heart beat.
It's quite possible that it saved my life. Either way I'm sure its totaled.

Thanks every one for the regards of my well being.

If I can't find a third gen I'm still gunna stay in the 4runner world and get a fourth gen.



well as long as u stay in 4runner then ur ok in my book lol but seriously if you do go up in generation def. hit me up on parts cuz im looking to do some more mods to mine
 
Wow. What a lousy thread to start my standard t4r.org morning. You had one of my favorite builds. Glad to hear you're ok. Just shows you how it doesn't take removing your eyes from the road for too long can be pretty dangerous. I cringe every time I drive by someone who is texting or obviously concentrating much more on their current phone call than to the road.

And don't leave us for a 4th gen!
 
lol a 4th gen would be only if i cant find a 3rd gen.
3rd gens are hard to come by though.
especialy under 150k miles
 
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lol a 4th gen would be only if i cant find a 3rd gen.
3rd gens are hard to come by though.
especialy under 150k miles

dont limit your self to the ones not even broken in yet :) hey at least 3rd gens are cheap enough now. Mine blue books for under $3500....
 
I never really curse but HOLY SH$T MAN ............. MY god that could have been bad...

I am so sorry for your loss but I can already hear the gerbils spinning in that head of your about the next build :hello:
 
That bumper might be why tbe rest of that truck is so tweaked, if the front end crumped with the stock bumper it wouls have sent less of a shock to the back of the vehicle, but because the front end was so stiff from the bumper i would imagine it caused some of the extra body damage!
 
Singtoe is exactly right regarding insurance. Take the buy back option. They will not consider giving you any "added value" for aftermarket (improved) parts, wheels, tires, bumpers, etc.

Is buy back a guaranteed option? I hate the idea of them saying the truck is not worth much but it's too valuable for you to get back for your parts. I just put shocks and tires on mine that cost more than some rusty 96s I could find around here.
 
Is buy back a guaranteed option?

I don't really like the term buyback. You are requesting a cash payout instead of repairs. If they say it is totaled then they HAVE to pay you the full totaled "value" - you have the right to keep the broken vehicle and the money.

They can't just seize your property.

Ideally you could take the cash and buy another vehicle then part out the damaged one. I am sure the engine is worth a pretty penny - didn't it only have 120K ..?

...

That bumper might be why tbe rest of that truck is so tweaked, if the front end crumped with the stock bumper it wouls have sent less of a shock to the back of the vehicle
I am pretty sure the ARB bumper has crush zones for exactly this reason.
 
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Agreed.
But id put it on any future runners in a heart beat.
It's quite possible that it saved my life. Either way I'm sure its totaled.

That bumper might be why tbe rest of that truck is so tweaked, if the front end crumped with the stock bumper it wouls have sent less of a shock to the back of the vehicle, but because the front end was so stiff from the bumper i would imagine it caused some of the extra body damage!

Yeah, I wouldn't say that the bumper is what saved your life. You probably would have been better off with the stock bumper, because the aftermarket bumpers don't absorb hardly any energy. Same thing for damage in other parts of the vehicle and bent frames. You would have more damage up front, but not as much elsewhere.

Definitely sad to see one go this way. I thought from the first pic that it was LBJ failure as well.
 
The insurance company's buy back offer should be somewhere around $1000-1300. Your mods are worth more than that. I would buy it back like Singtoe said, then part it out or sell it after you take the mods off.

With the insurance $$, I don't see any reason why you wouldn't be able to buy a new 3rd gen, buy your old one back, swap the mods, sell off what you don't want and still come away the same or maybe even with a little $$ left.

BTW, 3-4 weeks for your insurance to look at it? That's ridiculous. I would tell them that's unacceptable and you need YOUR money so you can get a new vehicle NOW or drop that hokey company and go with one of the many out there that will pay you within 7-10 days or less.
 

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