Lower Ball Joints - Toyota's WORST FAILURE
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- Опубликовано: 4 авг 2023
- Explaining the lower ball joint issues on 95-06 Tacomas, 00-06 Tundras, 96-02 4runners, and 01-07 Sequoias.
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Hey thanks for this video, my mechanic replaced my 200k OEMs LBJs with the sankei's fairly recently. The same explanation was given, that they were oem equivalent...well just ordered some new OEMs and gonna have him replace them again, not gonna mess with what I like call our truck's Achilles heel!
Glad the video helped! It would be great if the Sankei’s were OEM equivalent, but it’s just not the case. Good luck with your OEM install, I hope they treat you good
My 2000 Tundra is on its 3rd set. I replaced them every 100k.
That’s a good replacement interval!
Ur truck has 300,000 miles on it
😮buy the ball joints with grease fittings and lubes at every oil change,works on my 2k tundra with 300k on da clock...
@@JoeReese-kh1jc as long as they are taken care of they will last and last
@@JoeReese-kh1jcis that hard to believe? Lol
My friend was talking about getting a tundra and yesterday was mentioning all the stuff you just mentioned in the video. Still love my pathy, but great to still watch your other content
Oh, awesome! Glad the Pathfinder is treating you good!
My driver side snapped after taking a left turn at 25mph right after driving down a highway going 75mph after the shock of what happened I’m so glad it happened when it did and not on the highway
Best explanation I've found yet! Thanks.
2k tundra Colorado mountain roads, 6 ball joint failures in 5 years100k mi.
Moog problem solvers,Moog standard, napa...
Thanks Tyler. I replaced my lower ball joints in my 2001 Sr5 4.7 tundra. I have 211000 miles on this bad boy. After watching your chapter here I dont want to have an issue with the ball joints. Thanks again!
Awesome!
Back in tech school we spent so much time specifically learning about the absolute beast role, L ball joints played. So far in my career I've seen 3 lower ball joints failures. As an Auto tech I say without a doubt, It's def on my top 5 catastrophic failures I'd hope to never experience while driving
Ya! They’re absolutely vital! Not a safe failure to have happen on the road at all
Your videos are the shit. Perfectly explain everything I needed. Been a huge help to fix up my 02 tundra Keep up the videos homie
Thanks! Glad you get something out of them
i just had mine replaced yesterday 4/6/24 at 256,444 in my 97 4ruuner not because i had to but i wanted to
Great video, thanks
Thanks so much for making this video - I can't get this issue out of my head, despite not having one of the models in the original recall. I've got a 2nd gen (2014) Tacoma, however, it's for a 2" front, 3" rear Bilstein lift, and I recently got SPC upper control arms. both the lift and the UCAs were installed by offroad specialty shops. Ever since I got the UCAs though, I started hearing - almost immediately - at slow parking lot speeds, with full lock right or left turns, a kind of rubbing noise. I thought it was impossible that my tires were suddenly rubbing, since they weren't prior to the UCAs. I started troubleshooting with a friend, and he asked me to send him photos of my LBJs. They do have clumps of grease on them, and he suggested I have a shop check them out. I did, and the shop confirmed they don't see any issue at all with either wheel bearings or those LBJs but, I still am not 100% convinced. Currently i'm at 104k miles and besides that strange, slow-speed rubbing sound, there's literally nothing else going on. Truck drives amazing.
All this to say, what would you recommend for a 2nd Tacoma not in this recall? Still do them at around 100k miles? In spring, I plan to upgrade lower control arms and i think at that time, i'll have them do the LBJs too. I like you do mostly mild off roading to just go camping.
forgot to mention that when the shop checked out the LBJs and bearings, their theory on the rubbing sound was that with the new UCAs, the tires are making better/more contact with the ground.
The 2014 has the updated ball joint design, which means you don’t have to worry about a catastrophic failure.
I would think some kind of bushing is making the issue? It could be a ball joint, the lower control arm, even a swag bar link. I would just slowly keep going through parts on your front end.
Thanks for watching!
Found myself here after mine just came apart today. Happened after I heard some weird noises and I was inspecting it at the parking lot at work. Super freaked out thinking what could have been If i made a few different decisions today
Dang, that’s a close call!
Excellent vid!
Thanks!
I’ve lived all over Africa and see this gen of Toyotas with this failure constantly. Vehicles here are poorly maintained and overloaded, so it makes sense, but it is such a common failure. Great video, I was curious what the difference with my LC120 as the wiki for it says “redesigned front suspension.”
Yup! I believe every other Toyota after this gets a “ball joint on top” design
Thanks for the info Tyler. I got my 2006 Reg Cab Tundra in Nov 2006. Dec 2006 got a new set of LBJ. Have 77K miles so far. Get them checked every oil change. Not sure how long TOYOTA will continue to make these.
There parts department is pretty good, so I think they’ll stick around
Great video on an important topic, thank you
Thanks you, and thanks for watching! I appreciate it
Total chaos redesigned that lower ball joint to a uniball
Just replaced the LBJ's, inner & out tie rods on my 2000 2WD Tundra today - Used the Duralast Gold parts. Then came across your video afterwards (sigh). The ''Gold" parts clearly had more care in manufacture than AutoZone's base parts. These included zerks. I found no significant information on the Gold parts, either positive or negative.
Not excited to redo the job right away. - I plan to inspect every 10k, inluding inspecting the upper ball joints, which I did not replace. Also did not replace the upper/lower control arms, sway, steering rods, etc. So regular inspection is on my upkeep list.
One advantage of living in the desert is zero rust on my Tundra. This video will be helpful when my Lowers arrive from McGeorge Toyota. They were only 116.00 each. I'm going to put Bilstein 5100 shocks on during the process.
Great video thank you! So did Toyota make any improvements whatsoever to the ball joint through 2006?
With the tundra, the ball joint got bigger when they went up to the double cab. Otherwise, I don’t think they improved it. The defect of the ball hanging below the knuckle is present on everything of that era, unfortunately.
Tenneco Automotive (DRiV) is recalling certain aftermarket ball joints for 2004-2007 Toyota Sequoia and 2004-2006 Toyota Tundra vehicles, MOOG part number K80521, K80522, NAPA part number NCP2601633, NCP2601634, ACDelco part number 45D2344, and 45D2345. The ball joint housing may have inadequate hardness, causing premature failure.
Good video information
Thank you!
I happened to me after getting out of the highway on a quiet small narrow street...
Mine just snapped going 70mph on i95. Surprisingly not much damage from what I can tell but I’m wondering what all will need to be replaced
Wow.. I wonder what year the white Toyota truck was on the Short.. where the driver side Oversized wheel flies off and lands in front of other vehicle that flies and flips on the highway...
In the past 4 years, I've had ball joint failures occur 4x on my 2001 tundra sr5 . This is not only costly but the thought that it could happen again is always there, especially when driving high speeds on freeway.
Then I would suggest you go OEM only with new bolts…
How does the new design with the ball of the ball joint on top fit into the old socket/bracket? I just picked up the newest design ones at the dealer ($350 for both including tax with my Military discount)
There is no new “design”. The ball on top is a different joint for later model Toyotas.
I have something to tell you about Double Wishbone suspension Honda from the 90s lol
This failure has happened to me and my dad on the road. Right side ball joint. Literally slid down the slope.A major design flaw imo
2003 Toyota Tundra.
I have and have had others that fall into this year range it comes down to checking your shit lol even more often if you beat on it I have never had one break because if I find play I replace it it's pretty simple 😅
Yup! It is simple, but for people who are used to never checking or assuming ball joints are fine, it definitely becomes a problem
My lower ball joint just broke on my 2007 Sequoia. Luckily it happened while i was slowly approaching a stop sign. It did damage my upper ball joint when the tire and wheel boosted loose from the upper control arm. Are the 2008 Sequoia's a better design? I love my 07 but it maybe time to get a better, newer model.
Yes, the 08 is an updated design that doesn’t suffer from the problematic failures
@@208Tyler thank you for the quick reply and for creating the video. Well done!
@@TexasTinyHomesRockThanks! I appreciate it
where'd you get the new bolts for the lbj's? Having trouble finding them listed anywhere.
I got them off of the same website I got the LBJ’s. I’ve heard McGeorge Toyota has been changed or gone away, but toyotapartsdeal should have them one way or another. I had to do some googling, since they vary by year
@@208Tyler McGeorge was bought out by another dealership, but they are claiming to provide the same discount that McGeorge was. We'll see how long that lasts.
@socalpaul487 McGeorge is now Ourisman. I bought my Lowers for 116.00 each. The regular price was around 175.00. I'm pleased with the discount.
Welp just had my second one go out while driving, thankfully both at slow speed, $1000 is looking real cheap compared to a 3rd set of front end running gear
I had an LBJ failure. I replaced them with OEM. The OEM just failed after about 50k miles. This is an unsafe design, and I’m getting rid of the vehicle. So much for Toyota quality…
What did Toyota say about the recall replacements failing?
@@user-zn3hn5be1v when I had the failed joint off, I noticed that it was NOT OEM. I had insisted the shop put OEM on, and they opted to save a few bucks. This was a reputable and highly recommended shop… I still think it’s an unsafe design.
Terrible. What year was your truck?
@@dirtnsmores 2004. I still have the truck, but I don’t use it as a family vehicle anymore. When I replaced the ball joint, I found that the “reputable” shop that swore they used an OEM ball joint, actually used a knockoff… I did the replacement myself. It was annoying, but decent mechanics are seemingly impossible to find.
uniball sux for every day use . last about year.
I have 2002 4Runner and I called Toyota dealer and they said that it is not a recall but they sell a recall part that cost 189$ for 2 lower ball joint replacement isn’t free.
Replacement is or isn’t free depending on vehicle and dealership. There were recalls for certain vehicles
What do you recommend doing with a 2000 Tundra 4wd SR5…. We had original ball joints replaced…. They didn’t last 75,000 miles….
Now it is not quite 300,000 miles and needs it’s 3rd Replacement
…. Is their a specific brand to look for that would hold up longer ?
OEM holds up the longest, as I explain in the video.
I have been using sankie 555 sb3806 Japan. This is an upgraded version that come sealed like the oem ones. This seems good to me. I did a replacement in 2018 and it has held fast without any play. It can be rotated by hands with a smooth feel even when new.
Anyways whether oem or aftermarket you need to check for play time to time. I had a failure but i had ignored (was ignorant of) all the tell tale signs of squeaking when turning, clunking when braking and a steering that had become vague and refusing to centre after turning. It doesn't just pop out without warnings.
I’m about to buy a 2006 Tundra with less than 90k. When do these typically fail? Apologies if you said it in the vid and I missed it.
Usually the original ones last for 150k miles or more
Weak LBJ only applies to some Toyota truck/SUVs. Sedans & Sienna oem LBJs are good till ~170K+ ( depends on potholes # )
2000 model replaced at 307k. 307k on OEM!
That’s great!
It's not only the LBJ - the whole front suspension is underbuilt. Wear may show in tie rods, sway bars, steering, control arms, springs, shocks, all bushings and boots.
Besides design and install, driving and location are immense factors. I've seen 1st Gen Tundras in Texas go past 400k and check out like new from bumper to bumper. Conversely, in Hawaii, many look like rusted artifacts. Keeping the truck clean and dry is a major win - PLUS inspecting for wear in each component, so wear doesn't cascade through parts.
Inspection, right replacements, keeping the truck clean and dry, and even dry storage all play into
Good roads make a huge difference - There is a reason that the off roaders buy expensive beefed up parts.
Finally, use and driving habits play a large role. People ''going through'' a lot of LBJ's should examine their driving habits and conditions. Slower driving, slower stops, preventative route planning, & not overloading can determine wear & damage degrees.
heard somewhere that the Tundra's with LBJ recalls had "beefier" LBJ's put in to prevent this failure? is there any legitimacy to that?
Not really. Double cab tundras and later model AC trucks have larger hubs/brakes/ball joints, but still the same silly design
@@208Tyler thanks for the input, Tyler. Hoping my recall replacement LBJ's last awhile!
390k on og ball joints. 😢 alignment folks claimed they felt good..
I’d be a little nervous haha
What did Toyota do to fix this desgn, if not going to the conversion style with the ball on top? Anybody know?
They changed the design to ball joint on top, like I show in the video. That’s the fix
@@208Tyler How does the new design with the ball of the ball joint on top fit into the old socket/bracket? I just picked up the newest design ones at the dealer ($350 for both including tax with my Military discount)
@@user-zn3hn5be1v that ball on top joint only shows up on later model Toyotas. The ones with faulty joints still use the same design.
When Toyota replaces the joint via recall they still install the faulty design ones? They denied my 2001 Tacoma ball joint for recall even though the ball fell out of the socket almost causing my son to crash. They said my VIN was not in the recall even when the exact ball joint problem occurred? How can it only be specific VIN'S?
But only for newer models. 1995-2005 Tocoma new OEM balljoints still the crappy design that can fail?@@208Tyler
It's #13 on the parts diagram. Coincidence? I think not!
I have replaced all components on my 01’ access cab and put my OEM ball joints through hell. I also live on a mtn where I hammer corners and I have to say if there was a sure fire upgrade I’d pay it gladly with the peace of mind I would not fly off the road and die. OEM ball joints are still very expensive. If anyone has alternatives I might have not found please advise. I’ve even contemplated fabricating a new joint but I’m no engineer and would probably end up killing myself anyway.
I would look at the total chaos uniball setup then
so the T100 is immune to this issue?
Correct
You didn't really touch on how important it is to torque the bolts to spec. There are different torque specs for the captured washer and flange bolt.
I my experience Moog last longer on my truck than oem. Did a side by side install and I'm going on 4 years on Moog when the OEM only last me one year. My thought is the ptfe liner cannot handle the forces I put on my truck and the metal with grease holds up better. Negligence is why these fail.
No, I didn’t. This was mostly a video on why the ball joint fails and what to replace it with. In my video where I install new ball joints, I provide torque specs for each model year of the tundra.
That is surprising and suspect. That goes against almost every other account I’ve heard. Moog has a recall that they put out last year. I’m not sure that’s the correct conclusion either. How long did your original OEM’s last?
@@208Tyler I have a Tacoma. The part number for the Moogs I have were not under any recall I have found. I'm not the original owner of the truck so I don't know how long the originals lasted. Two years in a row I replaced oem from McGeorge so I decided to look for a better option and bolted one oem in and one Moog and found my answer.
Toyota did NOT honor my 2001 Tacoma balljoint failier. It fell out of the socket while driving. They stated only certain VIN's were recalled. I don't believe that. 250k on my tuck which my son was driving, when driver side balljoint came out of the socket. Thank God no accident. My VIN is; 5TEWN72NX1Z740069 Anybody know a way to force Toyota to repair this?
Because they are claiming that there was a manufacturing defect that only affected limited numbers of ball joints. 250k is far longer than the generally recommended 90k-100k replacement interval.
Question…..Toyota still replace this for free?…..
es but only if you VIN matches their recall list. The recall is VIN specific. How they can say that is beyond me?
YES (typo)
@@user-zn3hn5be1v Because they claim it's a manufacturing defect that only affects a limited number of LBJs. Plenty of OEM LBJs are known to have exceeded 200k but the general recommendation is to change them at 90k-100k miles.
My bolts broke off
Yes, that can happen as well
Toyota fan boys are silent. I have seen ball joint failure so many times end in disaster. I call it the 4runners last ride.
Actually, Toyota fans talk about this all the time. Although it only applies to the first gens
This is kinda a freaky thing. I know it was a big issue on first gen Sequoias. How often should ball joints be changed on a 2nd gen Sequoia? I have a 2016 with 80k miles.
2nd Gen sequoia doesn’t have this issue. Not sure what the suggested interval is, but 50-100k would be reasonable, but not as urgent as on a 1st Gen
I disagree with your dismissal of the role of lubricants in determining the lifespan of the ball joint. I think the cause of wear is that the top part of the socket experiences extremely high pressures due to the flawed design (like you already explained). The ball stud eventually pops out when enough wear happens to allow it to do so. By keeping it greased up with a high performance grease, you can at least minimize the amount of wear that happens in the high pressure zone. I think Moly based grease is particularly appropriate for this application since it's rated for higher pressures than most other greases can withstand.
The lubricant argument is a red herring in this discussion. It doesn’t matter. The OEM joint is better, lasts longer, and happens to rely on PTFE, not a traditional grease lubricant. You can’t inject grease into the OEM unit. I have no claim or care to delve into the effectiveness of greased vs non greased, because it doesn’t solve the fact that the OEM unit is the best available. No one is exceeding the quality and endurance of OEM ball joints even by using greasable units.
All that the grease vs non grease talk applies to is other designs that are inferior regardless.