2000 Toyota 4RUNNER

I BOUGHT A TOYOTA YEAR AGO, MY FIRST EVER CAR PAYMENT, COUNTING ON TOYOTAS BEING RELIABLE. NOW I HAVE 4RUNNER IN DRIVE WAY WITH BROKEN REAR TRAILING ARM & FRAME ROTT I WISH DEALER WHICH SHOULD IT TO ME OR TOYOTA WOULD STEP IN. WIFE & 15 MONTH OLD BABY TRAVELING 35-40MPH FELT RIGHT REAR DROP LIKE TIRE WENT SIDE WAYS... TRUCK WOBBLED/ROCKED LIKE BOAT IN WATER. LIKELY NEEDS NEW FRAME

I WANT TO BE CLEAR THAT I AM SUBMITTING THIS ON BEHALF OF ALL 3RD GEN 4RUNNERS! IT HAS NOT, YET, HAPPENED TO ME BUT I AM FEARFUL TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE UNTIL I REPLACE THE PARTS EVEN THOUGH THEY SEEM FINE. AT THE LEAST A BETTER, SAFER DESIGN COULD BE MADE SO THAT WHEN IT DOES FAIL, PEOPLES LIVE AREN'T PUT INTO JEOPARDY. HELLO! I HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT 1996-2002 TOYOTA 4RUNNER'S AND THEIR VERY COMMON ISSUE OF THE LOWER CONTROL ARM BALL JOINTS FAILING. IT DOESN'T MATTER IF THE VEHICLE IS STOCK OR MODIFIED, FIRST YEAR OR LAST YEAR RUN BUT SOMEHOW TOYOTA ONLY HAS ISSUED A RECALL FOR THE 2001 AND 2002 MODEL YEARS. LEAVING HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF US VULNERABLE TO A SEVERE ACCIDENT. THE FAILURE POINT IS THE BAIL JOINT AND WHEN IT FAILS IT SEVERS ITSELF FROM THE VEHICLE, PULLING THE AXLE SHAFT OUT AND CAUSING THE FRONT END TO DIP TO THE GROUND CAUSING A VERY UNSAFE DRIVING EXPERIENCE AS YOU COULD POSSIBLY DIE AT ANY SPEED. YOU CAN FIND THOUSANDS OF STORIES ON GOOGLE, IT HAPPENS LITERALLY EVERYDAY WITH PEOPLE REPORTING IN MANY 3RD GEN 4RUNNER FORUMS AND FACEBOOK GROUPS. GOOGLE '3RD GEN 4RUNNER LBJ FAILURE' FOR INSTANCE. WHY DOES TOYOTA ONLY NEED TO RECALL 2 YEARS OF A 6 YEAR VEHICLE RUN? ALL YEARS ARE EQUALLY AFFECTED. TOYOTA IS A NAME OF DEPENDABILITY SO THIS RARE ACT OF BETRAYING THE CUSTOMER AND PUTTING THEIR LIVES ON THE LINE IS JUST SO UNLIKE THEM. CAN YOU PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS AND HELP YA OUT? I HAVE NOT PERSONALLY HAD THIS HAPPEN BUT I CHECK MY LOWER ARMS ALL THE TIME FOR ANY PLAY BUT HAVE HEARD STORIES OF OTHERS WITH DETAILED MAINTENANCE AND IT HAPPENING TO THEM REGARDLESS. IT'S TOTALLY UNSAFE AND A REDESIGN SHOULD BE THOUGHT UP, NEWER GENERATIONS DO NOT HAVE THIS FAILURE PRONE ISSUE AND MORE IMPORTANTLY IF THEY DO FAIL THEY DO NOT MAKE FOR A VERY UNSAFE ENVIRONMENT.

JUST RECENTLY BOUGHT MY 4RUNNER FROM A DEALER. BEGAN SWAYING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS AND PRODUCING A FAINT CLICKING SOUND. THE SWAYING WAS NOTICEABLY PREVALENT WHEN ENGAGING AND DISENGAGING THE ACCELERATOR, DRIVING OVER SMALL TERRAIN FEATURES (RAILROAD TRACKS, ROAD SEAMS ETC.) SWITCHING LANES AND COMING TO COMPLETE STOPS. UPON INSPECTION FOUND THE LEFT REAR CONTROL ARM HAD COMPLETELY SEPARATED FROM THE MAIN FRAME. THIS COULD POTENTIALLY HAVE CAUSED SERIOUS FATALITIES. THIS IS AN ISSUE THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED, IT APPEARS THAT 17 YEARS WAS THE MAGIC NUMBER.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 TOYOTA 4RUNNER. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH, THE VEHICLE STARTED TO WOBBLE AND THE CONTACT HEARD A CLUNKING NOISE EMERGING FROM THE REAR DRIVER SIDE. THE CONTACT HAD TO PULL OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND NOTICED A METAL BAR HANGING FORM THE REAR DRIVER SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. THE REAR DRIVER SIDE CONTROL ARM WAS RUSTED AND DETACHED FROM THE FRAME. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 142,491.

I BOUGHT THE VEHICLE RECENTLY AND WAS TAKING IT TO HAVE IT SAFETY INSPECTED. DRIVING DOWN A CURVY ROAD, THE VEHICLE BECAME DIFFICULT TO STEER STRAIGHT. A LOUD THUNKING NOISE WAS COMING FROM THE PASSENGER REAR QUARTER. UPON INSPECTION IT BECAME APPARENT THAT THE PASSENGER SIDE REAR LOWER 4 LINK FRAME ATTACHMENT TOWER (JUST FORWARD OF THE PASSENGER SIDE REAR WHEEL AND TIRE) HAD DETACHED FROM THE FRAME. THIS CONDITION SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN CAUSED BY SEVERE METAL DETERIORATION FROM THE INSIDE OUT, HIDING ITSELF UNTIL IT PERFORATED THE FRAME. ON FURTHER INSPECTION THE FRAME WAS FOUND TO BE PERFORATED ALL ALONG THE LOWER INSIDE WALL - FROM THE 4 LINK TOWER TO THE MIDDLE CROSSMEMBER ATTACH POINT . THIS AREA OF THE FRAME IS ADJACENT TO THE MUFFLER AND IS EXPOSED TO EXAGGERATED THERMAL CYCLING ON A DAILY BASIS. SOME METALLURGICAL REACTION TO THIS CONDITION IS CAUSING EXTREME CORROSION OF THE FRAME RAILS TO THE POINT OF FAILURE. THIS IS HAPPENING TO A LOT OF 1999 TO 2003 4RUNNERS IN THE SAME EXACT SPOT AND IT'S GOING TO GET SOMEONE SERIOUSLY HURT OR KILLED. MANY PEOPLE ARE UNAWARE ANYTHING IS AMISS UNTIL THEY POKE AROUND THE AREA OF THE INSIDE FRAME RAIL.