CarComplaints.com Notes: Although it has a stellar record in terms of vehicle problems, initially the 4th generation (2003 - 2009) 4Runner didn't earn our top "Seal of Awesome" rating because it received poor crash test ratings for rear impacts. However it's proven to have one of the lowest driver death rates out of all vehicles (not just SUVs), so we've bumped it back up to our top award.
Failure was due to extreme driving conditions. Vehicle is driven approximately 15-20,000 miles/year. Many of those are very rough/washboard mountain and dirt roads, so the bearings had heavy stress on them. Similar situation happened to a 2007 FJ Cruiser at exactly the same mileage under the same driving conditions, so this is an unusually low mileage failure due to driving conditions.
Repair procedure was extremely expensive (compared to serviceable bearings) because these are sealed bearings that need have the hub pressed in at 40-45,000 pounds of force. This requires complete disassembly, and transfer to a machine shop if a powerful press is not avaliable. Estimate was for labor at a typical shop (dealer is around $1500), however, cost for myself to do it was $120 in parts, plus $80 at the machine shop and 3 hours of work.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
Failure was due to extreme driving conditions. Vehicle is driven approximately 15-20,000 miles/year. Many of those are very rough/washboard mountain and dirt roads, so the bearings had heavy stress on them. Similar situation happened to a 2007 FJ Cruiser at exactly the same mileage under the same driving conditions, so this is an unusually low mileage failure due to driving conditions.
Repair procedure was extremely expensive (compared to serviceable bearings) because these are sealed bearings that need have the hub pressed in at 40-45,000 pounds of force. This requires complete disassembly, and transfer to a machine shop if a powerful press is not avaliable. Estimate was for labor at a typical shop (dealer is around $1500), however, cost for myself to do it was $120 in parts, plus $80 at the machine shop and 3 hours of work.
- jprice2012, Orlando, FL, US