Failure of right front suspension resulting in wheel assembly coming off of vehicle. While pulling away from a traffic light the right front wheel assembly including driveshaft, brake rotor and all attached wires and hoses came off the truck and ended up under the vehicle.

- Norfolk, VA, USA

The drivers side front suspension ball joints gave way as I was driving at 75mph on interstate 40 West in Texas at mile marker 14. The entire wheel, break, and axle assembly detatched at hi speed. The break line was severed. The assembly folded under the truck and I skidded on the wheel with little control until I could maneuver off of the interstate and maintain an upright position with the vehicle. The twisted tie rod kept the tire and wheel assembly from completely separating from the vehicle. The weather was light snow with a temperature of about 34 degrees. Time was appx 9.50 am. The truck was repaired without comment by street Toyota of amarillo, Texas at a cost of appx. $ 2,200. The dealer said there was an inordinate amount of wear on the front end steering components. The truck is in good condition with a good documented service record. The truck had been steering "loosely" and I had a mechanic examine the steering the previous week. He said it looked and drove ok, but he couldn't really tell. The truck has never been involoved in an accident or insurance claim.

- San Antonio, TX, USA

While driving 70 mph, the transmission stalled. The vehicle was towed. Dealership repaired the problem. The driver heard and felt a loud bump in the rear of the vehicle. The engine continued to run but the vehicle would not move when the consumer applied the gas pedal. There was rear end grease leaking from the right side rear showing on the wheel and tire. The mechanic stated that there was no connection between the rear brake, rear end leaking grease, the drive shaft and the failure of the transmission. The brakes were a major problem, the cruise control never kept speed or smooth, the left lower front ball joint had a catastrophic failure that caused the entire wheel, brake line and all essential components on the left side of the vehicle to come loose. The consumer requested reimbursement. The brakes were a problem on the vehicle, and the drums were replaced.

- Forestburg, TX, USA

While driving 5 mph driver's front side collapsed. Vehicle was towed to a dealer for inspection, and mechanic determined that both upper and lower ball joints snapped, and needed to be replaced.

- Winton, CA, USA

While driving 60 mph the ball joints failed. It came completely from under the truck. There was no warning. There was no accidents. Consumer contacted the dealer. There were no recalls.

- Norwood, MO, USA

I was driving my 2002 extended cab 4X4 Tundra 1 or 2 mph on an unpaved but graded road viewing real estate when the entire front passenger side of the vehicle collapsed jarring the truck to a stop. I thought the road had collapsed. It appears as if the front lower ball joint failed. I was only 7 miles off interstate I-95, I shudder to think of the consequences of a failure like this going 70 mph with traffic.

- Valona, GA, USA

While driving at 65 mph, the vehicle suddenly jerked. The consumer could not control the vehicle while crossing into oncoming traffic lanes and coming to a stop on the shoulder. The consumer noticed that the lower ball joint had separated and the tire (wheel assembly) had folded under the passenger side of the vehicle.

- Perryton, TX, USA

I have a 2002 Toyota Tundra with 39,000 miles on it. I was going 15-20 mph and aproaching a on ramp to the highway when my front drivers side ball joint snapped. I had my 4 month old son in the car with me. Luckily I was able to stop without getting into a accident but wonder what would have happened if we were on the highway. Toyota said I must have hit something in order for it to fail and refused to contact the NHTSA and refused to cover the expense of having it fixed. $1900.

- Franklin, WI, USA

In November of 2003 I was making a right hand turn when the ball joint on the driver side gave way causing the wheel to fold under the truck. In September of 2004 a similar incident occurred with the passenger side. This truck is well cared for and there were no obvious signs of a problem prior to failure. Both sides have been repaired at my expense because the truck was past warranty. Total damage was about $3,000 ea04024_cat. The consumer stated the manufacturer had since issued a recall, however the consumers vehicle identification number was not included.

- Buskirk, NY, USA

While driving 25 mph without hitting anything, the front passenger tire collapsed under the vehicle without warning. The consumer had the vehicle towed to the dealership. The dealership replaced the ball joints but blamed the driver hitting something to cause them to break. Pe04040_cat

- Miami, FL, USA

While making a left turn at about 25 mph the passenger side lower ball joint separated. This caused the upper ball joint to separate and the wheel folded up under the vehicle. The C.V. shaft and inner fender were also damaged. My extended warranty company informed me that the sealed ball joint had no lubricant in it. The truck has an empty load most of the time. Pe04040_cat

- Fredericksburg, VA, USA

When driving at 20 mph both front passenger side ball joints snapped, causing front right wheel to come off. There was no shimmy or squeaking prior to the incident, only the steering felt a little stiff. The truck was not abused. Pe04040_cat

- Marietta, GA, USA