NHTSA Complaint #10221435 — 2001 TOYOTA TUNDRA

I OWN A 2001 TOYOTA TUNDRA SR5 4WD TRUCK. MY VEHICLE WAS PARKED OUTSIDE MY HOUSE AND I WAS PLANNING ON REPOSITIONING IT SO THAT I COULD PUT SOME THINGS IN THE BED. I PULLED FORWARD ABOUT 10 FEET AND ALL OF THE SUDDEN I HEARD A BREAKING NOISE AND THEN A LOUD SCRAPPING NOISE COMING FROM THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE OF THE TRUCK. I IMMEDIATELY STOPPED THE VEHICLE AND GOT OUT TO INSPECT WHAT HAD HAPPENED. I NOTICED THAT THE LOWER SUSPENSION WAS BROKEN AND HAD SEPARATED ITSELF FROM THE TIRE WHEEL ASSEMBLY. WHEN IT BROKE OFF SOME PARTS HAD GRINDED/SCRAPED THE INSIDE OF THE WHEEL. AFTER SOME RESEARCH I LEARNED THAT IT WAS THE FRONT LOWER BALL JOINT THAT HAD BROKEN AND SEPARATED FROM THE KNUCKLE. LUCKILY, I HAD AN EMPTY UNLOADED VEHICLE AND WASN'T DRIVING FAST SO NO ACCIDENT OCCURRED, BUT EVALUATING THE DAMAGE IT WOULDN'T BE HARD TO BELIEVE HOW LARGE AND DEVASTATING THIS COULD HAVE BEEN IF I HAD A FULLY LOADED TRUCK AND WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY. I'M NOT SURE HOW MUCH IT WILL BE TO REPAIR AND/OR REPLACE THE PARTS YET. HOWEVER, TOYOTA HAS BEEN RELUCTANT TO RESOLVE THIS PROBLEM. *TR