CV Joint failure

Wondering if anyone else has had this issue or has any feedback ...

Some months ago I was on dirt and put my Tundra into 4H as I had a small trailer on the back. It almost immediately broke the left front CV joint (pieces everywhere). It was repaired under warranty and the dealership could not explain why it happened. This weekend I was again pulling a small trailer and the parking lot had some gravel and a slope, and I put the truck in 4H for the first time since the repair, and the left front CV Joint again snapped with one tire revolution. Dealership and Toyota rejected it for warranty coverage because "I was not on dirt." I went 5-6 feet at maybe 2 mph.

Very disappointed in Toyota.

 

Maybe something to do with the lift and 36" tires?

Do you have the grey/silver CV axles? Or are they black? If they are black and you have a 3"+ lift that could be the reason for the explosion. Just noticed your profile says dealer installed lift but not necessary does that mean it was a TRD lift which would include the grey CV shafts for the extended travel.

 

One post disappointed. Ooof ignored!

 

Seems to be a theme lately...one and done

 

Thanks teab. The truck is at the dealership so I can't verify the axle color, but I agree there's probably a connection between the lift and the CV issue.

 

Which lift you got? Pics?

 

Not sure what lift was installed. The truck had the lift and tires installed on the showroom floor when I bought it new from the dealership, and unfortunately I didn't anticipate these problems so didn't do any research on what they installed.

 

Not to be crass, but a $100k truck with what I’m assuming is a lift they overcharged you for with tires that shouldn’t be on any Toyota approved lift. What’s the dealer that installed the lift telling you? How are you unaware of what you paid all that money for? If you took delivery of the vehicle with the modifications already installed, surely there is some warranty to cover defects?

 

The first time the CV joint broke I had it towed to the dealer that installed it and it was repaired under warranty. This time, I was out of town and Toyota roadside towed it to the nearest dealership. That dealership told me Toyota denied the warranty "because I drove the vehicle in 4H on the pavement." As I noted in my original post, I went 6 feet in 4H on a gravel parking lot before the CV joint broke - I didn't drive down the highway at 80 mph in 4H.

The installing dealer told me I need to open a case with one of Toyota's experience consultants because all the paperwork for this claim was filed by the dealership the truck was towed to so they can't help me. In hindsight I should have paid the $120 bump to tow to the installing dealership instead of the nearest one but to me it was clearly going to be a warranty repair and I was not expecting it to be denied.

I agree, I should know more about the truck lift but I don't (and yes the truck was expensive). I wrecked my 4Runner TRD and the dealership had total 3 Tundras in stock (no 4Runners or Sequoias which I would have preferred), all with lifts and aftermarket tires and identical specs. I picked the color I liked the most as they told me anything I ordered would take months to get in. Ended up really liking the truck until this happened. They gave me paperwork on everything but I stuffed it in the glove box and haven't looked at it since.

 

Can you have it towed to the selling dealer and get them to repair it? Obviously defective. I can drive any of my Toyota 4wd trucks on pavement and at 80mph if I wish. I don’t make sharp turns on dry pavement in 4wd.

 

I called the selling dealer today and asked that very question but they told me since the paperwork was already filed by the dealership in possession of the truck that wouldn't help. I'm sure everyone is going to try to pawn me off until I start yelling and screaming. Thanks for letting me know that you drive in 4H on pavement because I would drive my 4Runner in 4H every time I towed something, especially on wet or icy roads. I was really surprised when the dealer said Toyota denied the claim because I was in 4H on pavement and therefore not covered. I jumped on the forum to find out if this was a common issue with the Tundra or if I was at fault for using 4H, and clearly the CV Joint breaking under these conditions isn't normal so I will be more forceful tomorrow in trying to get it resolved.

 

The dealer installed lift is likely the problem. Sounds like the geometry is messed up and the CV can’t operate normally. Selling dealer is still on the hook in my opinion. It’s not a factory warranty problem, it’s a who-installed-the-lift problem.

 

Any pictures of the truck and / or suspension?

 

6ft, straight line Or turning?

 

Just this picture I took at the dealership the day I bought it.

 

MTRock there might have been a few degrees on the steering wheel.

 

Are those the 36” tires?

 

22" tires. The truck is set up exactly as I bought it in the picture. Not sure what I was thinking when I said 36" tires ...

 

36in tires on a 22in rim....I can't even imagine how much those wheels and tires weigh especially if they are E rated tires. That is a lot of weight to move...judging by the dealership lifting and putting some god awful 36in tires on 22in capstone rims I would almost bet money they installed the cheapest lift they could and marked it up as high as they could and almost guarantee you have the black cv axles which is why they exploded twice now.

The red or grey cv's have an extra joint in them for the increased angle for extra travel. Anything greater around 2" requires red at a minimum and grey would be preferred.

A 36" tire is outside the max size recommend by the 3" TRD lift anyway, but I don't think you have the TRD lift. So your dealer set you up for warranty denial from the start even if they did install a TRD 3" lift.

What color are your shocks? Grey? Black? @Tundra68

 

Who put the lift in? If it was the dealer, the dealer has a problem, if it was you, now you have a problem

 

Looks like stock black UCA on there too and don't see the silver TRD's so that will mess up CV angle too. One more piece to the Scooby Doo mystery.

 

Big tire like that it wouldn’t take much on pavement.. Looks good though!

 

@Tundra68 sounds like your dealer set you up like dealers do...

Sounds like the dealer installed it and probably did it on the cheap. If the dealer installs crap and you buy that crap well that's a grey area right there

 

@teab the shocks are black. After what I have learned on the forum, I think your assessment of the dealership actions is spot on.
@Hella Krusty it was installed by the dealer and I bought it off the showroom floor with the lift and tires.

 

Problem belongs to the dealer

 

Balls......thats a grey area some pussy is too scared to wade into.

 

Yep dealer installed a cheap lift and didn't upgrade any of the components needed for the lift to function. All show and no go.

So go scream at the selling dealership as they're the only ones that have to fix this if they choose to. That's the grey area homie @Hella Krusty the key word is chose to fix it b/c they don't have to do anything, but if you make enough stink you might get somewhere. Go yell at the dealer on a busy Saturday morning about how they fucked you and that might do it or it might not phase them what so ever. Guarantee it won't be the first or last time that dealership deals with a dissatisfied customer put in a shitty situation due to their actions.

That dealer probably made a killing off your sale, so at least scream enough to get them to order the correct cv's for a lift.

 

That doesn't make any sense. You have 22" wheels and depending on what size tire the dealer put on there over the stock size of 265/50/22 will determine the overall diameter of the tire. Below is an example how a 22" wheel with two different tire sizes compare.

 

People register for help with an issue all the time. Many first posts—in all gens’ sub forums—are people just looking for help.

 

Blah blah blah the CV busted on a lifted truck. 3rd gen sux! Dealers are bastards!



How is no one talking about using 4wd every time you tow something??????
Almost every truck out there, the max tow rating is for 2wd trucks.