Problems with 2004 Toyota Tacoma SUSPENSION

On january 19, 2011 at approximately 7:15 am, i was driving approximately 15 mph on a dirt road, came around an approximate 90 degree right hand turn heading down hill, slid on mud or ice and hit a rut. after all wheels had passed through the rut the vehicle drove up and over a small rise (bump) in the road. after coming over the rise, the right front of the vehicle dove into the dirt and the truck came to an abrupt stop. i turned off the truck and got out of the vehicle to inspect the front end. the right front ball joint had completely separated from ... ??? ... what ever it is supposed to be attached to. the right front wheel was perpendicular to the wheel well with the inside leaning toward the front of the vehicle. i have several photographs of the vehicle taken moments after the equipment failure. i'm glad this happened where it did because only a few miles further into my trip to work, i would have been traveling 75 mph on the interstate. amen! i had never received any notification from toyota concerning recall no. 50j. i only accidentally came across the information while surfing the web within the past week. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 toyota tacoma. while driving 5 mph and making a right turn the contact heard a groaning noise in the front passenger side wheel. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where the technicians stated that they could not diagnose the failure but the wheel bearing on the vehicle was tightened. after the vehicle was taken to the dealer the contact was driving 65 mph when the front passenger side tire came off of the vehicle. the wheel assembly broke as well. there were no injuries reported. a police report was not filed. the vehicle was towed to the dealer. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 24,000. updated 2/23/11 *cn the consumer stated the vehicle coasted to a stop on the shoulder of the highway. updated 02/28/11

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 toyota tacoma. the contact was traveling 55 mph when the front passenger wheel came off. right before the wheel came off, the vehicle started pulling to the right. the vehicle was towed to a mechanic who stated that the vehicle experienced failure in the lower ball joint. the contact spoke with the manufacturer and was told that the vehicle was not included in the recall campaign 05v225000, suspension. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileages were 385000.

this is a long shot in the dark but its worth a try. toyota has a recall out for the 2004 toyota tacoma ball joint. the recall summary : on certain sport utility vehicles, due to manufacturing issue in the front suspension lower ball joint, there is a possibility that the surface of the ball joint may have been scratched. the ball joint may eventually experience excessive wear and looseness, resulting in increased steering effort. consequence: the lower ball joint may separate from the knuckle causing loss of steering control and a crash could occur. remedy: dealer will replace the front suspension lower ball joints free of charge. the recall began on july 5, 2005. i own a 2004 toyota tacoma and i was coming home from los angeles my steering felt kind of funny felt like i had a flat tire so i pulled off the road and checked the tires but everything seemed to be fine i continued driving i came into town and turned onto vista chino off of the hwy 111 in palm springs all of a sudden the whole front of my truck collapsed and went sliding down the road not being able to stop thank god it didn't do that on the freeway or even in town someone could of lost a life i had it towed to the shell station at the corner i called toyota and had it taken over to the dealer. i looked online to see if there were any recalls and sure enough there was. i called the recall number corporate toyota they asked for my vin# they said that my truck does not fall in under the recall. they had a tech fly out from the factory and said the same thing because my truck was manufactured on a different date. i have done some research and there a lot of consumers that are running into the same problem that i have been through with the vin#. i could of lost my life or taken someone else's in this collision. its obvious it is the same problem in the recall, tires just don't break at the ball joint while your driving tires should stay intact to your vehicle. *tr

Feb 6,2010 as i was driving south on figueroa in highland park, the lower ball joint on right front tire completely broke causing my tire to fold under the truck. my vehicle is a 2004 tacoma toyota with101,560 miles. since i was going about 20 mph, since it was raining at the time, there were no injuries, however if the failure had occurred on the freeway at much higher speeds, the failure could have resulted in my losing control and leading to a very serious accident, resulting in serious injury or even death. i had my truck towed to nearest repair shop and had the lower ball joint replaced. i went to the dealer where i originally purchased my truck, and i was dismissed, with service manager saying it was out of warranty, and the failure could happen any time. i did have two more contacts with this dealer (bob smith toyota in la cresenta) but no help at all. i reported it to toyota customer assistance in torrance, ca. and was told that this was not covered by any recall and there was nothing they could do (i spoke with dawn and the reference # is 10021153 of my call). i did more research and found that there was a recall on my model and year of my truck for the exact failure that occurred. the nhtsa campaign id# is 05v225000 and covers toyota model tacoma from 2001 to 2004. the nhtsa action # is ea04024. the description of the recall is the "component front control arm lower ball joint". neverthe less i was told twice that my truck was not covered by the recall. since the recall is listed by nhtsa i don't understand why i was told my truck was not covered. i feel this is very dangerous defect that can result in serious accidents. also, what other action can i take to have the other lower ball checked to be sure it is safe, or replaced if necessary. i am retired, and i need to use this truck daily but feel very nervous when ever i drive it. *tr

I got a letter from toyota motors stating that certain model years of tacomas had rust damage to the frame and i was informed to bring it to the dealership where they would perform a rust test on it. mine is a 2004. they said the rest wasn't bad enough to replace the truck,of course and kept it to spray on a rust preventative on the frame. within one year the coating they applied began to fall off peel off and obviously didn't work like planned. my sister had a 98 tacoma with the same issue and you could put your finger through the frame. they bought her truck back at the corporate office at 150% of bluebook value. that's what should happen now also. i've paid 20k$ for the vehicle brand new and a major reason was everyone likes the tacoma and its fairly easy or lets say was easy to resale before all the problems they are having. now i've gotten another letter saying there is more than one recall and now have problems with the spare tire holder plate possibly rusting and falling off. its pretty obvious to me and all the customers who have had the problems, that toyota must be forced into actually replacing the vehicle or pay the 150% book value without argument. is anyone going to make this right? i have had 2 mechanics tell me the truck is unsafe and not road worthy. luckily i have a company vehicle otherwise i would be very challenged. the bumper all the way to the front is totally rusted out and i don't wanna hear lip service saying its due to salt or something i just want a billion dollar company to be responsible for their product. i haven't driven the truck but 10 times since getting the coating applied and the sad thing is i love the truck and cant drive it. please help us. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 toyota tacoma. the contact felt that the steering was very tight. while driving 20 mph, the front driver's side tire fell off. the vehicle was taken to the auto shop and repaired. the mechanic stated that the lower ball joint failed. the dealer and manufacturer stated that the vehicle was not included in nhtsa campaign id number 05v225000 (suspension:front:control arm:lower ball joint). the manufacturer took a report and informed the contact that he would be notified by a toyota representative. the current and failure mileages were 77,000.

Purchased 2004 tacoma for $18,000, from right toyota in scottsdale, az in june 2006, received bill for $25,000+!! so much for agreeing on a price! i also purchased an extended warranty for $2200 (included in the $25,000). weeks after getting the truck i noticed the rear passenger side seemed to give when turning corners. i assumed i needed to adjust to driving a truck with hard suspension. unfortunately it persisted so i took it into camelback toyota and had them check it out. they assured me that everything was in tip top shape, i got the feeling they never really checked anything out. they just assumed that it would be unusual to see this stuff breakdown, a valid thought, but they were of no help. here it is now, a year and a half later, and its just getting worse! so i took it into earnhardt toyota and the first 2 visits they performed needed front end alignments and tire balancing. they looked at it recently after me yelling at them, and told me that my entire suspension system needs to be replaced. apparently my leaf springs are bad ($1700 purchase and install), and front struts ($650), and rear shocks ($450) as well! so $2800 to repair a truck that i purchased directly from toyota not 1.5 years ago, and even purchased a warranty. they assured me that everything was covered under the warranty. they lied. now i owe $18000 on a $14000 truck! steer clear of right toyota, they totally scammed me. *tr

During a 23000 mile servicing, camelback toyota informed me i would need to have the brakes serviced, because 95% of the pads have worn down. i am aware of a recall on these trucks lower ball joint, but the service agent did not tell me that at the time i brought it in. i was never informed by the dealer of this recall. now, i am being charged for repairs, while the vehicle is still under warranty, for brake system failure (excessive/premature pad wear), and i believe this damage is because of the recall suspension issue. *jb

2004 toyota tacoma will not pass inspection due to worn steering rack bushings. according to my mechanic (and confirmed as plausible by dealership service dept), this was caused by defective lower ball joints. also, there is a current service/recall bulletin for just this problem. however, dealership and manufacturer representatives both insist the bulletin does not apply to my vehicle. this makes no sense as the problem exists. the bumper to bumper does not apply as the vehicle is currently 2k over. *jb

I was driving on the road in my 2004 toyota tacoma when i saw my tire go rolling ahead of my vehicle, the truck leaned over to the left, skidded sideways and then stopped in the middle of the road. i got out of the truck and my tire was in the ditch and my chassis was on the ground on the left side. i called a tow truck and they said it looked like my ball joints just separated. i had the vehicle towed to my mechanic and he said the ball joints looked like they gave way and this allowed the wheel to fall off. i have mechanical breakdown through my insurance company gieico and they told me i would have to get a letter from toyota stating if it wasn't under warranty from our local dealership in tallahassee, florida legacy and spoke with a service member (robb) he told my that there wasn't a recall on 2004 toyota tacomas and i would have to pay to have it towed in to check and see if it was still under warranty. this occurred on 12/13/05 and as of 12/15/2005 there still wasn't a determination whether or not it is under warranty. my concern is after reading about a recall on the internet stating that the ball joint may separate from the knuckle, that my vehicle should be a part of the recall and the wheel falling off could be a result from a defect. the dealership isn't accept responsibility for the recall or even looking at the vehicle in this regards. if they don't warranty the ball joints, then my mechanic will fix the problem, but i will keep all of the old parts in case they need to be examined. *jb

My 2004 toyota tacoma double cab prerunner v6 sr5 has 18,000miles and has had the following problem for a while. i did not notice it until about 2 months after i had purchased the vehicle. which tells me that the problem could be a progressive issue. the truck continues to show an increase in the problem. problem description: when driving the tacoma down the road the tacoma drives fine. but when approaching an intersection where the vehicle is brought to a complete stop is when the following occurs. the vehicle will shift to the rear and a jerk sound is heard and felt. when releasing the brake on the vehicle you will feel and hear another more intense jerk. when you press on the throttle pedal to move forward from an intersection the vehicle displays yet another jerk. all of these feels as if it is coming from the rear. i took the truck to the dealership for it's regular maintence and questioned the service advisor about this issue. i was told in a very "i don't have time for you manner" it's a tacoma it will always do that. i can't nor will i accept that answer.

Dt: the contact owns a 2004 toyota tacoma. had truck lifted on 6-7-04 for $3700 , and on 6-24-04 got the truck retorqued which tightened and aligned it. around february 2005 heard a clanking noise from the brake system, and the steering wheel shook. while pressing on the brakes and the truck shook and it turned to the right, suspension was loose. on 3-7-05 took it to a toyota dealer to inspect vehicle and fix it. consumer refused to deal with the other companies because they were rude and intimidating. vehicle was not under a warranty because another company tightened the bolts and charged consumer $80. the toyota dealer replaced rear:axle:spindle. *ak

One of rear shocks had to be replaced in less than 5,000 miles on a new 2004 tacoma. *ak

While traveling on the bruckner by-pass i executed a 90 degree turn to a side road. when i turned the truck came to a sudden stop. i inspected the truck and found both rear springs broken and the rear axle shifted to the right jamming the tire into the wheel well. the truck was empty and not used as a hauling vechiele. the manufacturer replaced the springs. the original springs were clearly defective and could of resulted in a major accident if they had failed on the main highway.