Tundra recall-lower ball joints

I had mine done a week or so ago on a 2002 Tundra with 96,000 miles. Took about 3 hours. Some of the joints were installed that had scratches on them during the manufacturing process. The scratches sometimes cause the joint to wear out sooner than expected. The service manager says he cannot tell a good one from a bad one when they are removed, and said that maybe none that they had removed were really bad. They checked the alignment after installation on mine, but did not have to align. The steering felt a little tighter after installation is about the only difference I can feel. See

What years are the Tundras covered for this?

I believe 2002-4. You should have received a letter on the recall. Or you can stop by your friendly Toyota dealer and they can tell you if yours is affected. Or call TOYOTA at 1-800-331-4331 and have your VIN handy.

Thanks. I gave them a call and found my 2000 Tundra isn't part of the ball joint recall but does have a recall for the trailer wiring harness.

Skip

My daughter has an '02 PreRunner that just went through the lower ball joint recall. They "said" they put the truck on the alignment rack, but by looking at the parts, I think this is not necessary. I don't know if they really did align anything, but they told me the brakes were about worn out, I checked and they have in excess of half of the remaining life based on measuring the pad material.

If they are riveted pads, looks can be deceiving - you have to change riveted pads while apparently leaving about 1/16" to 3/32" of good lining, because that's where the heads of the rivets poke up above the surface of the pads. When the clearance between the rivet head and the rotor face reaches zero, you waited too long.

If they are bonded brake pads (the friction material is literally glued onto the backing plate) and really are nowhere near being worn out, the shop employees might have been surfing for a quick and easy add-on sale - some people will do whatever the Tech says without getting a second opinion or checking it out themselves.

(Or they do follow the tech under the car and "check" what the tech is pointing towards, and nod and mumble at the appropriate times, but they haven't got a freakin' clue what they're looking at.) ;-)

Shop owners and managers have been known to reward technicians and advisors that bring in extra income, and fire those who don't. Big chain stores with computerized work orders can track those sales to the penny. (coughSearscoughFirestonecough...) It's up to you to decide whether it was a proper suggestion or a money grab.

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