wheel lug stud broke at 90 ft lbs on 2010 4runner

[Jed]

Torque wrench or not, if your studs are damaged like mine (and probably everyone elses) they are going to break. The studs are defective from the factory and prone to stretching. Once you torque them once and they stretch the next time they will basically just fall off. On mine I was able to break one at 50ft-lbs.

Ready my post a few up ^^^

Wheel studs are designed to stretch....that's how they work. It is tension between the nuts and studs that keeps the wheels from falling off!

I wouldn't say that the factory wheel studs are defective. They just aren't the highest grade available. You can replace them with a higher grade if you desire. They're only about $2/each.

 

[Koz]

Torque wrench or not, if your studs are damaged like mine (and probably everyone elses) they are going to break. The studs are defective from the factory and prone to stretching. Once you torque them once and they stretch the next time they will basically just fall off. On mine I was able to break one at 50ft-lbs.

You are absolutely correct, something is wrong. You will be seeing a TSIB.

Koz

 

[StuB]

This is common to all Toyota 4x4s and has been for a long time. Especially the true ones like the Tacoma, Tundra, Sequoia etc.. My "tire guy" who is a friend of mine and has a home shop, and is a senior Porsche tech at our local Porsche dealership has seen this for about ten years now he says. And my "tire supplier" who owns a tire shop about an hour north of Portland here on Interstate 5 sees it fairly regularly, especially on the Tacomas he says. He gets a lot of people who live near or in the Cascades up there and sees many well used rigs roll through his service bays. He keeps a good supply of studs and nuts from NAPA on hand and just takes care of it as it happens.

This was a problem on our '88 FJ-62 during it's full 246,000 miles with us as well.

Its a bit ironic, comical and irritating that I keep buying the japanese manufactured Toyota "trucks" for their durability, engineering and reliability to have such a simple and seemingly easily rectified 'Achilles Heal' persist.

 

[Jed]

You are absolutely correct, something is wrong. You will be seeing a TSIB.

Koz

I never had this problem with my 3rd gen, but I've somehow managed to snap two wheel studs so far on my 4th gen. Just for the record, I don't really consider it a problem because it was most likely my own fault for overtightening them in the first place. But still, the 4th gen has been around since 2003 and I still haevn't seen a TSB or anything from Toyota yet. Anyone waiting for one should probably not hold his/her breath!

 

[Koz]

I never had this problem with my 3rd gen, but I've somehow managed to snap two wheel studs so far on my 4th gen. Just for the record, I don't really consider it a problem because it was most likely my own fault for overtightening them in the first place. But still, the 4th gen has been around since 2003 and I still haevn't seen a TSB or anything from Toyota yet. Anyone waiting for one should probably not hold his/her breath!

Over six years with my 4th gen and never snapped one.

Koz

 

[Jesse1983]

This is common to all Toyota 4x4s and has been for a long time. Especially the true ones like the Tacoma, Tundra, Sequoia etc..

the true ones? what does that mean? and are the 4runners not true?

I had 3 Tacomas before this 4runner, a 95.5, 2001, 2005. Never had one snap on any of them either.

 

[StuB]

Simmer down Jesse1983,

I meant Highlanders, Rav4s and such are not true 4x4s.

We snapped a stud when I installed my BFGs at only 70 ft/lbs of torque on my new TE two months ago. My FJ-62 snapped 5 over the miles and 1 on our FJ-60 before that. Then there were a handfull on the 1st gen '84 4Runner before that. All hand tightened and torqued. And the people I know in the industry say this is common. We are talking about 1 in 100 or so studs is bad it seems. That is a high percentage IMHO.

There are obviously people who have not been afflicted with this and that is great. But there are too many of us who have experienced it first hand. It's also not that big an issue. I just keep 5 studs and nuts in the vehicle but it could have been fixed by now too.

 

[philsey]

So, am I to conclude that Toyota has a supplier that manufactures lug bolts which have, for some time, been more prone to failure on 4X4's than on their other vehicles?

And what about the Taco? Isn't the 4R built on the same/similar frame? Is it not reasonable to think the lug bolts are the same?

This whole issue is perplexing - but with so many Forum members reporting broken bolts, it certainly cannot be ignored.

 

[Jesse1983]

Simmer down Jesse1983,

I meant Highlanders, Rav4s and such are not true 4x4s.

it's just a weird statement to make. to group Tacomas, Tundras, and Sequoias, as the true 4X4's, but leave out the 4runner. I didn't, and still don't, know what you're saying.

 

[harper7]

Broken wheel studs is NOT a Toyota only,or a 4Runner only problem !Go to any forum and they all have these problems. I was in BMW and Porsche forums before this for years and the same ship.I had a Yukon Denali before the 4runners and they were broken all the time by tire shops.

Complaints of inferior wheel studs from the auto manufacturers over and over again and is far from anything new. Just google "ford broken wheel stud" or "any make or manufacturer-broken wheel stud".:ybrick:

My personal opinion is it is a IMPACT WRENCH PROBLEM that is industry wide in the name of speed of putting the wheels on by the tire shop/dealer gorillas.:wow:

An impact wrench is a high torque tool that also hammers the nut as it is turning it on without any way to tell what your torquing it to. Impact wrench - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia So they inherently overtorque your lug nut on while the hammer in the impact is beating on it.Do you think that might stretch and weaken the studs. DAH! (slaps forehead)Then they break out the torque wrench on it. All they are doing is verifying that it has minimum torque.It has already been waaaayyyy overtorqued and stretched/weakened!

I work in an engine shop and have for years and we wouldn't be caught dead using IMPACTS. They are taboo and not the way bolts and nuts should be tightened by real mechanics unless they have a regulator of some kind to control the torque. We have torgue guns that are calibrated to run them down below the final torque setting and then we bring them up to final torque by hand with a calbrated hand torque wrench.Real important bolts we'll bring them up to torque in stages(like all of them in a pattern to 60ft/lbs then 90, then final 120) to insure an equal clamping force and equal the stresses on the bolts.

Some have said they have brand new studs break.... I would have to say that is a very very rare thing if they were installed correctly for a new one to break with it being torqued correctly.

As Jesse has said, I too have had my wheels off many, many times, at least 15-20 and have not had a broken one.Matter of fact 6 years of owning a 4Runner and never had one break. I now only go to one Discount tire store that puts my tires on and I trust and I tell them to not overtorque them and I will be watching them.

My 2 cents on "supposed bad Toyota wheel studs!":hatsoff:

 

[StuB]

Geez Jesse1983,

Do I need to make a specific list of models, production years and the like for you? I'm not trying to say anything! But it does seem like you are scratching for some kind of fight!?

I just generally thought people would understand that I meant the basic body-on-frame with a true transfer case in the driveline type vehicles versus the "softroader" unit-body construction types that share platforms with sedans and minivans. Perhaps I was too naive in that assumption or should have been more specific. Whatever.

 

[4RBob]

This is the first vehicle I've had with a broken wheel stud problem. That includes 4th Gen 4Runner's, many Jeeps, and other vehicles. And I've had broken wheel studs on two separate occassions with this vehicle.

 

[Jesse1983]

Geez Jesse1983,

Do I need to make a specific list of models, production years and the like for you? I'm not trying to say anything! But it does seem like you are scratching for some kind of fight!?

believe me, I'm not looking to internet fight you, lol. I totally agree with Harper. this is not a Toyota specific problem. I've had Toyota trucks for almost 10 years, and I've worked on all of them, and never had a broken stud. not once. any list of models, etc., that you could make would all be hearsay, nothing more.

 

[4RBob]

if it was a non-issue, would we have a 4 page thread going on a one year old vehicle? i don't see any long threads in the 4th gen section re: broken wheel studs and that is after a 7 year run.

 

[mckinley]

Between my wife and I, we've had 2 landcruisers, a tundra, a tacoma and a 4th gen 4runner over the years and never had a problem with the wheel lug studs breaking and have had the wheels on and off many times and often taken off by shops using impact wrenches. Agree that it can happen to any vehicle and that it that impact wrenches can contribute to the problem.

Gotta agree with 4rBob though, this doesn't seem like a non-issue. I have a hard time believing that its just a coincidence that within 30 days of buying my 5th gen new, I had a stud break the very first time that the tires were taken off when this has never happened with my other toyota vehicles. Add to that the many posts in this thread.

On a side note in reference to my previous post, I had to have the car towed from Tires Plus to the Toyota dealer because they refused to continue putting the wheels back on the car after they broke the first lug b/c they claimed that there was some kind of lubricant on the stud. This could have certainly been CYA but anyway, they would only put the wheels on and hand tighten the lugs so that I could get it on a flat bed--needless to say I was really pissed off.

 

[Jed]

Yes, this is an issue and I'll explain why:

First of all, I agree that overtorqueing the wheel studs is in fact the reason they are snapping on so many 4Runners. So basically, if you don't overtorque your wheel studs, chances are very good that they will not break.

But (and here's the kicker), in the real world, wheel studs do tend to get overtorqued. Impact guns may be to blame, or even a gorilla with a lug wrench. Either way, it happens and it's hard to avoid. What makes the 4Runner's wheel studs seem easily broken is the fact that they are not the highest grade available and therefore are inherently weaker than higher grade studs. That's why I can overtorque the wheel studs on my other cars over and over again without snapping them. As everyone knows, overtorqueing wheel studs can lead to other problems like warped rotors. So a calibrated torque wrench is probably a good practice to get into.

So the moral of the story? Simple-- either be really careful not to overtorque your 4Runner's wheel studs or simply replace them with a higher grade stud so that you don't have to be so careful. Or, if you're like me you can do both--replace them for extra strength, but still be careful not to overtorque them.

 

[philsey]

Maybe Harper, et al, is/are right; that IF the Toyota lugs are hand tightned with a proper torque wrench, they won't break.

That however, is not the reality of the real world. I have owned cars for 50 years, (sigh) had countless tires replaced, rotated, had seasonal snows on and off, etc etc etc. And the reality is that I have NEVER seen a tire shop, alignment shop, dealer shop, ANY shop that didn't use an impact wrench to remove/install wheels. In fact I had never even heard of this issue before this thread.

So, blame the impact wrench 'gorillas' if you wish. But if Toyota thinks that nicely-calibrated torque wrenches are in use in the shops changing wheels in this country, they have their heads up their arse.

Their bolts should be manufactured to the rigors of the real world, not some engineer's arbitrary 90 ft/lbs.

That this is even an issue is silly. To think that every time I have any tire work, I'll have to go to the service manager and say "now y'all be careful with my "truck", and be sure to hand-tighten the lugs to exactly 90 ft/lbs, or else THEY'LL BREAK".

Horse Puckey! I thought I bought a Truck, not a wuss-mobile.

 

[Jed]

Maybe Harper, et al, is/are right; that IF the Toyota lugs are hand tightned with a proper torque wrench, they won't break.

That however, is not the reality of the real world. I have owned cars for 50 years, (sigh) had countless tires replaced, rotated, had seasonal snows on and off, etc etc etc. And the reality is that I have NEVER seen a tire shop, alignment shop, dealer shop, ANY shop that didn't use an impact wrench to remove/install wheels. In fact I had never even heard of this issue before this thread.

So, blame the impact wrench 'gorillas' if you wish. But if Toyota thinks that nicely-calibrated torque wrenches are in use in the shops changing wheels in this country, they have their heads up their arse.

Their bolts should be manufactured to the rigors of the real world, not some engineer's arbitrary 90 ft/lbs.

That this is even an issue is silly. To think that every time I have any tire work, I'll have to go to the service manager and say "now y'all be careful with my "truck", and be sure to hand-tighten the lugs to exactly 90 ft/lbs, or else THEY'LL BREAK".

Horse Puckey! I thought I bought a Truck, not a wuss-mobile.

Years ago, this couldn't have happened because wheel studs were stronger in general than some of the ones we see today.

I remember when I first started wrenching on cars. I got myself a brand new IR impact wrench. At the time, it was the most powerful impact wrench made, with 650 lb.ft. of twist. My buddy in the next bay over borrowed it because he couldn't free up the lugs on an old Alfa Romeo he was working on. I told him to go ahead and try my new impact gun. Well, he hammered away for a good 30 seconds before he snapped one of the lugs into two. Turns out the old Alfas had reverse threads on one side of the vehicle and he was actually tightening it the whole time. But the point here is that my same old impact wrench would snap a 4Runner's wheel in 2 seconds. Yes, they are not as strong as they should be...

 

[Koz]

Broken wheel studs is NOT a Toyota only,or a 4Runner only problem !Go to any forum and they all have these problems. I was in BMW and Porsche forums before this for years and the same ship.I had a Yukon Denali before the 4runners and they were broken all the time by tire shops.

Complaints of inferior wheel studs from the auto manufacturers over and over again and is far from anything new. Just google "ford broken wheel stud" or "any make or manufacturer-broken wheel stud".:ybrick:

My personal opinion is it is a IMPACT WRENCH PROBLEM that is industry wide in the name of speed of putting the wheels on by the tire shop/dealer gorillas.:wow:

An impact wrench is a high torque tool that also hammers the nut as it is turning it on without any way to tell what your torquing it to. Impact wrench - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia So they inherently overtorque your lug nut on while the hammer in the impact is beating on it.Do you think that might stretch and weaken the studs. DAH! (slaps forehead)Then they break out the torque wrench on it. All they are doing is verifying that it has minimum torque.It has already been waaaayyyy overtorqued and stretched/weakened!

I work in an engine shop and have for years and we wouldn't be caught dead using IMPACTS. They are taboo and not the way bolts and nuts should be tightened by real mechanics unless they have a regulator of some kind to control the torque. We have torgue guns that are calibrated to run them down below the final torque setting and then we bring them up to final torque by hand with a calbrated hand torque wrench.Real important bolts we'll bring them up to torque in stages(like all of them in a pattern to 60ft/lbs then 90, then final 120) to insure an equal clamping force and equal the stresses on the bolts.

Some have said they have brand new studs break.... I would have to say that is a very very rare thing if they were installed correctly for a new one to break with it being torqued correctly.

As Jesse has said, I too have had my wheels off many, many times, at least 15-20 and have not had a broken one.Matter of fact 6 years of owning a 4Runner and never had one break. I now only go to one Discount tire store that puts my tires on and I trust and I tell them to not overtorque them and I will be watching them.

My 2 cents on "supposed bad Toyota wheel studs!":hatsoff:

I agree completely!

Koz

 

[hiker_jon]

Hand tightening

Hi,

I just read this thread and it worries me. I do expect that in the middle of nowhere I will need to change a tire. This is especially a worry until I replace the OEM Bridgestones. Any advice on how to properly tighten a wheel using the wrench supplied with the vehicle?