2004 Toyota Tacoma

While driving down the highway my front passenger wheel completely disconnected from the ball joint. There was nothing indicating that the wheel was even loose; no wobbling or shaking or grinding. Luckily the wheel itself slid under the frame of the vehicle and I was able to maneuver the truck off of the highway; a very serious crash could have occurred. Since that incident I have been witness to two other Toyota trucks suffering from the same sudden issue. One was a Toyota Forerunner of a similar year where its wheel had completely fallen off at the ball joint. Another was a 2004 or earlier model Toyota Tacoma. I was merely driving past these vehicles as they were off to the side of the road and saw that their respective front passenger-side wheels had fallen off in the exact same manner as mine had, with the wheels being dragged under the body / frames of the vehicles. I don't know if this amounts to some sort of defect in these model Toyotas but I find it highly suspicious that the front wheels are suddenly falling off of these vehicles while they are being driven.

IT'S THE TIRES I BOUGHT. THEY BFGOODRICH P255 70R 16 RUGGED TA. I EXPERIENCED PROBLEMS WITH THEM FROM THE TIME OF PURCHASE. SAM'S CLUB MOVED THE BAD TIRES FROM THE FRONT TO THE BACK. I THOUGHT THE PROBLEM WAS RESOLVED,UNTIL THE TIRES WERE ROTATED AT THE SCHEDULED INTERVAL. THE PROBLEM WAS BACK. THE TIRES ARE STILL UNDER WARRANTY,BUT I'M GETTING THE RUNAROUND FROM BFGOODRICH ON REPLACEMENT. THE TIRES ARE CAUSING VIBRATIONS ABOVE 50MPH. MY VEHICLE'S STEERING AND RELATED COMPONENTS CHECKED OUT OK,RIMS HAVE SWITCHED,TIRES BALANCED MORE THAN 10 TIMES, WITH THE SAME VIBRATING RESULTS. THE TIRES HAVE BEEN CHECKED OUT AS FAULTY BY A FACILITY BFGOODRICH SENT ME TO. I'M GETTING THE RUNAROUND FROM BFGOODRICH ABOUT ACTUALLY GETTING THEM REPLACED STILL.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 TOYOTA TACOMA. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 12V542000 (TIRES); HOWEVER, THE MANUFACTURER AND THE DEALER REFUSED TO REMEDY THE RECALL DUE TO EXCESSIVE CORROSION OF THE SUBFRAME. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE RECEIVED AN ANTI-CORROSION COATING TREATMENT PRIOR TO THE RECALL NOTIFICATION. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED BY THE MANUFACTURER THAT THE ANTI-CORROSION TREATMENT WAS PERFORMED OUTSIDE OF THE RECALL; THEREFORE, NULLIFYING THE RECALL REMEDY TO THE LIFT PLATE FOR THE SPARE TIRE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 99,876.

I WAS AT THE LOCAL TIRE SHOP GETTING TWO TIRES INSTALLED AND I NOTICED THAT THE RIGHT REAR OF MY VEHICLE WAS NOT LEVEL WITH THE LEFT. I ASKED THAT THEY DO AN ALIGNMENT TO EVEN THE VEHICLE OUT AND THEY NOTIFIED ME THAT THE FRAME WAS SEVERLY RUSTED. I WAS TOLD THAT THERE WAS A CAMPAIN RECALL ON THI SAME ISSUE AND MY VIN WAS IN RANGE. WHEN I WENT TO THE DEALERSHIP THEY NOTIFIED ME THAT THERE WAS ANOTHER PART OF THIS RECALL, THAT THEY DID NOT DO, SO MY FRAME WAS NOT COVERED. I NEVER RECEIVED ANY NOTICE OF EITHER RECALL. I SENT A EMAIL TO TOYOTA AND THEY CALLED BACK WITH THE SAME RESPONCE "YOU NEVER DID THE ANI-CORROSION PART OF THE RECALL SO YOU DO NOT QUALIFY". I HAVE HEARD OF COUNTLESS PERSONS IN MY AREA THAT HAVE JUST PURCHASED THE SAME AGE VEHICLE AND HAD FRAME RUST THAT GOT THERE VEHICLES REPAIRED. IF THERE IS AN ISSUE WITH OR WITHOUT THIS CORROSION SPRAY WHY ARE ONLY CERTAIN VEHICLES COVERED. THIS SPRAY DOES NOT WORK AND THIS SEEMS LIKE A WAY TO GET AROUND REPAIRING VEHICLES. NOT TO MENTION I NEVER RECEIVED ANY RECALL NOTICES AND THEY HAVE NO RECORD OF WHAT ADRESS THE RECALL WAS EVEN SENT TO.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 TOYOTA TACOMA. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 12V542000 (TIRES). THE DEALER ADVISED THAT CONTACT THAT THE REPAIR COULD NOT BE PERFORMED DUE TO EXTENSIVE RUSTING OF THE WHEELS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 44,000. UPDATED 08/11/14*LJ THE CONSUMER STATED THE FRAME WAS RUSTED. UPDATED 8/13/2014 *JS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 TOYOTA TACOMA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR AN UNRELATED REPAIR WHEN THEY NOTICED THAT THE ENTIRE FRAME WAS COMPLETELY RUSTED AND CAUSED THE FUEL TANK TO BECOME SLIGHTLY DETACHED FROM THE VEHICLE. THE MECHANIC STRAPPED THE FUEL TANK BACK ONTO THE VEHICLE AS A TEMPORARY REMEDY. THERE WAS A VOLUNTARY RECALL ISSUED BY THE MANUFACTURER RELATED TO THE FRAME, HOWEVER THE RECALL HAD EXPIRED. THERE WAS ALSO A RECALL ASSOCIATED WITH NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 12V542000 (TIRES) BUT THE DEALER REFUSED TO HONOR THE RECALL BECAUSE THE VEHICLE WAS NOT PREVIOUSLY REPAIRED UNDER THE MANUFACTURER'S VOLUNTARY RECALL. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE DEFECT. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 104,000. THE CONSUMER STATED SHE WAS NEVER NOTIFIED OF THE RECALL, INVOLVING FRAME RUST. UPDATED 01/08/14 INVOICE RECEIVED 01/28/14

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