sr5v8-4wd was towed w/ front lift only.

[MatKimChi]

sr5v8-4wd was towed w/ front lifted only.

Hi, all, I'm pretty new here. I hope you guys can help me out.

My wife recently involved in a car accident. the policman didn't know that we need a flatbed towing truck. So our 05 sr5 (v8 4wd) was towed with the rear tires on ground about 4 miles in local road. The worst thing was, transmission cooler hose was broken in the accident. There might not be enough trans oil then.

The best thing is my wife is fine, no injury at all. I start to worry about my 'runner. Should I have dealer do a full inspection on 4wd system and transmission? The guys in bodyshop said my runner's fine and nothing to worry about. Maybe they just wanted to comfort me.

Thanks in advanced for any input.

 

[roccos_van]

WAS IT IN NUETRAL???

That's what you should find out.

 

[MatKimChi]

WAS IT IN NUETRAL???

That's what you should find out.

The truck driver asked for key and did shift the stick but my wife couldn't remember it's in N or D. It's her first car accident and you know she didn't know much about what to do.

I know towing a front drive car needs to shift to N. is that same for full time 4wd? thx.

 

[T4RMatt]

I am sure he put it in neutral, I dont think it would roll if it was in D. Because the center diff was unlocked (I am assuming) it should be ok. It certainly is not good to tow this way, but given that it was only 4 miles I would not lose sleep over it. At this point I would be more worried about them not fixing the body correctly, specifically the paint. I hate the way my tailgate looks now that it has been poorly painted and will eventually have to do something about it.

 

[MatKimChi]

I am sure he put it in neutral, I dont think it would roll if it was in D. Because the center diff was unlocked (I am assuming) it should be ok. It certainly is not good to tow this way, but given that it was only 4 miles I would not lose sleep over it. At this point I would be more worried about them not fixing the body correctly, specifically the paint. I hate the way my tailgate looks now that it has been poorly painted and will eventually have to do something about it.

T4RMatt, thanks for your explaination. I am wondering if the damage goes to transmission or the 4wd if 1. towed with front end lifted; 2. transmission oil was leaking during towing.

 

[Good Times]

If any damages are found on the drivetrain at the body shop the towing company is liable for all damages.

Here's why:
Even if the tranny is in neutral, the driveshafts will rotate and then rotate the transmission. There is a high likelihood that it will bind and cause severe damages to the rest of the drivetrain. I'm no drivetrain expert though. The tow driver should know that all FULL TIME 4wd vehicles be placed on a flat bed NO MATTER WHAT. The only way to avoid this is by removing the rear driveshaft so it does not rotate the transmission.

I would follow up with the body shop and have them inspect the drivetrain even though it was not in the accident. They might just say it's fine as they don't realize the extent of what happened (let them know that the tow driver towed it and not flat bed'd it) but I would make sure by having them note that the drivetrain is completely fine in writing. Make sure you do everything in writing so when you drive your 4runner off the body shop's lot if you find any problems it's already noted and you know who to go after. This is something you should not take lightly.

If they find damages to the drivetrain, go after the towing company or better yet let your insurance company know that you are concerned that the towing company may be inadvertantly damaged your drivetrain as they towed the vehicle and not use the flatbed as Toyota specifies in the manual. Have it noted and if damages are found have your insurance company go after the towing company.

I really nope nothing happened though but it never hurts to be proactive and take steps and note everything. I know it sux and it's only a vehicle and your wife is completely fine but you really want to avoid any headaches later on. As long as you note all possible problems, if you encounter problems later on you can fall back on the parties involved.

Good luck.

 

[otterball21]

Even if your truck wasn't towed by a flat bed. the tow truck that pulls up the front wheels... they have to put the two small wheels on each wheel on rear wheels...

I think they are called dollies... but I forget... I had my truck almost towed away like that...

 

[simple_guy35m]

4WD towing

Hi All,
I have 05 V8 4WD Sport 4R.
I live in Alexandria, VA. It is very common for vehicles to be towed in my apartment complex. Is there any way I can put in a request that if my SUV is towed a flat bed has to be used. I hate to say that people have no concern for other's property.
Thanks

 

[otterball21]

usually a sticker of 4wd... or awd usually lets the tow truck know......... or a really really good alarm system with a paging system would help!

 

[simple_guy35m]

usually a sticker of 4wd... or awd usually lets the tow truck know......... or a really really good alarm system with a paging system would help!

What kind of an alarm system would help.........please elaborate.

 

[otterball21]

A two way paging system with a tilt system or shock sensor system built onto it.


Viper 791XV

try checking into that

Clifford matrix RS3.5

 

[MatKimChi]

I really nope nothing happened though but it never hurts to be proactive and take steps and note everything. I know it sux and it's only a vehicle and your wife is completely fine but you really want to avoid any headaches later on. As long as you note all possible problems, if you encounter problems later on you can fall back on the parties involved.

Good luck. [/B]

Thanks for you guys advice!

Now one more headache discovered. Dealers said they can't check 5sp auto trans fluid level. Trans is sealed and they have no way to service it. Also the bodyshop may not use toyota WSATF, because they cannot provide me any proof of using toyota genuine atf. and no way to know if the bodyshop overfilled or not.

It's not a perfect world.

 

[MatKimChi]

they put generic atf into tranny.

And the bodyshop refused to flush the tranny with WSATF.

Seems for my 'runner's sake, i have to pay the flush myself. Called couple of dealers nearby. They quoted around $330. They all said flushing a WS type trany was painful.

btw, WS = *World* Standard type for recent 5spd 4runner/sequoia/landcruiser..that's what I learnt from toyota.

 

[Fro-Runner]

I'm betting there is a few folks in here who "DEBADGED" thier complete vehicle and are now wishing they hadn't done so. That 4WD on the doors and rear hatch could come in pretty handy to a tow driver on a cold snowy day. I left the 4WD symbol on my rear hatch door....only debadged the side doors.

Also, Matt you mentioned that the V8 tranny is sealed......which reminds me of why I'm happy I bought my V6!