96 T100 draglink warning

[greenguy]

This is a warning about the drag link on the 96' Toyota T100. The part is also called the steering lnk rod. Mine snapped apart while I was driving, and I lost all steering control to both front tires. There have been other instances of this part failing, mentioned on the internet. One T100 owner posted pictures of the broken part, and it broke in the same place as mine. I believe there is a manufacturing defect on this part, and that anyone with a vehicle equipped with the part should be warned of a possible emergency loss of steering. If you own a 96' T100, and want
more details, reply to this thread. Toyota Customer Assistance does not
admit there is a history of problems with this part, so they will not issue a recalll, which I asked for.

[ksyankee]

I have a '96 4x4, is there any info on this? Thanks! J

[greenguy]

Originally Posted by ksyankee

I have a '96 4x4, is there any info on this? Thanks! J

To ksyankee, This is part of aletter I sent to my service manager. I also sent all the pertinent info to NHSTA. They have not responded. Good
luck, and drive carefully. Greenguy:
This steering relay rod was poorly manufactured. A machinist who looked at the two broken
pieces agrees that the variation in coloring in the cross sectional portion of the rod indicates
that the rod cooled faster on one side than it did on the other. He has tested the hardness
of the rod and found it to be Rockwell Hardness of 14 at the fracture where it is colored
reddish brown. The Rockwell Hardness measured at the other side of the fracture, where
the color of the metal was silver, was 31. The difference in hardness shows that the rod
was soft on one side, and hard on the other, and did not have the strength that it would have
had if it had been forged to a high hardness all of the way through. The tempering process
that was used on this part was incorrect.

My first question for you is, what is the Rockwell Hardness supposed to be, for this part?

I spoke to Nichole Redd, at Toyota Customer Assistance, on 12-9-04.
Nichole said there is not a history of problems, on this part. If she did not have a history of
problems with this part, there is a definite flaw in Toyota's database of repairs and customer
complaints. The evidence presented below proves that there have been a number of
instances in which the Steering Relay Rod failed, and customers notified Toyota.

I am including printouts from "myCarStats.com" which lists complaints about the
1996 Toyota T100.
Consumer Complaint: ODI Case Number 837207 lists the component:
Steering Linkages.
The Details of the complaint are: Consumer was pulling from a parking space and
suddenly steering link bar snapped in half and came off, causing loss of steering, dealer
has been contacted.
The cause of the complaint is: Broken, shattered, cracked, split, collapse.
The result is: inoperative.
The MCS Check Date is: 3/25/2001.
Consumer Complaint: ODI Case Number 10024713 lists the component:
Steering Linkages.
The Details of the complaint are: Consumer states steering linkages failed while backing
out of the driveway, dealer notified.
The fail date is 06/22/2003
Consumer Complaint: ODI Cas Number 10003827 lists he component
Steering: linkages:rod:relay:connecting.
The details of the complaint are: Steering rod cracked and showed evidence of a long
term defect and old rust deposits.
The fail date was 11/26/2002.
This is documented evidence that there is a problem with the 1996 T100 steering
components, and that my case is not an isolated incident.

Further examples come from "http://www.4x4wire.com/forums/showflat.php?
Cat=&Number=476959&page=&view=&sb=5&o=&fpart=2&vc= 1". Copies are
included;
H20_Man posted an comment, on 03/12/04, in which he says "I spoke to Marvin @
Toyota Customer Assistance (800 331-4331 ext. #3)" about the drag link/steering
relay rod that broke on his T100. H2O_Man further writes, "The replacement rod
is reported to beefed up in the area all of them have broken. That also tells me that
Toyota is aware of the problem."
H20_Man posted pictures, ( copies included ), that show his the broken relay rod on
his truck, as well as a comparison between his original part and the replacement
part. Note that, "The replacement rod is about 1/4" wider.", and "This failure has
occurred on several trucks during low speed sharp left hand turns". The link to these
pictures is http://www.athenswater.com/DL.htm.
BIG-T, responding to H2O_Man writes, "That's odd, mine broke in the exact same spot"
The pictures from H2O_Man show a failure of the steering relay rod that also matches
the pictures I took of the broken part from my truck.

One of your staff in the service department at Toyota of Santa Cruz informed me that
he had seen four or five other Toyota T100s repaired at your dealership for the same
problem: a broken rod, steering relay. He told me that I should be careful not to turn
the steering wheel all the way, when I was backing out of a parking space, because
that was the circumstance which most often caused the rod to snap.
If one dealership has replaced steering relay rods on four or five T100s, there must
have been thousands replaced worldwide.

My second question for you is; how many of these parts have you sold.
My third question is, how many of these parts have been sold by Toyota Corp. in total?

I have maintained my T100 in excellent condition, since purchasing it as a Toyota
Certified Pre-owned vehicle. All service was done by Santa Cruz Toyota, at the
recommended intervals. The vehicle has not been involved in any frontal collisions,
and there has not been any damage done to this part. The part failed due to poor
craftsmanship/design, and it is a safety hazard. The fact that there was discoloration
from, at the point of failure, indicates that this part may have been cracked sometime
earlier. Since there is a history of failure of this part, Toyota should have been respons-
ible enough to include it on the list of items to be inspected during the regular service.
The cracked part could have been discovered during the last oil change, or the
90,000 mile service prior to that.
My vehicle had less than 100,000 miles on it when my steering failed. This indicates
a serious engineering flaw in the design of the steering components. In my discussions
with friends and acquaintances, about this problem, they unanimously agree that a
vehicle's steering components are the most critical parts, and that normal wear on a
vehicle is considerably different than a part that snaps apart. It is commonly
agreed that a vehicle, regardless of age or mileage, should be assumed to have steering
components that will not fail, leaving the driver with no ability to steer the vehicle.
I am apprehensive about driving this vehicle, now. I will always be worried that I could
suddenly loose the ability to steer the vehicle, because I have no assurance that the
replacement part will perform any better than the original.
I am definitely disappointed with Toyota Corp. for allowing T100 owners to continue
driving their vehicles with no forewarning that the steering could fail in such an abrupt and
drastic fashion. It is only due to sheer luck that I wasn't traveling on the freeway when
this happen. In fact, I was intending to take the freeway in a less than three miles. Toyota
is acting negligently by not warning T100 owners of the documented failure of the
steering relay rod.

[Poison Ivy]

I had mine replaced as a recall item today. I was concerned that I may have had trouble with the part due to a noise that I heard whenever I turned the wheel to its limit. I will test the new part out next time I leave my driveway.

[raorto]

Mine just broke on me. Right off the pitman arm, luckly I was only do about 25 when it happened.

[sam1london]

Toyota london uk just replaced relay rod in my 4runner 94 for free. in 30/03/06

[gluefish]

Mr. T replaced mine. But I still get a giant "Clunk!" whenever I've got the wheels turned to the locks and go over a bump...

[gluefish]

Originally Posted by Toyota Kid

But remember, this truck which weighs almost 1,000 bls less than a real truck is faster, gets better mpg and will tow as much as any FORD!!!!!! Keep sending your money to JAPAN!!!!!! while the toyota US assembly workers get minimum wages!

Toyota-Kid
Certfiied TMC Master Mechanic

Hmm... keep my ol' T-100 which is still running well and is all paid for... or... give money to Mr. T for a newer one ... oh me oh my ... choices choices

No, I'm in the 'sweet spot' of this truck's life. It isn't costing me anything except an oil change every 3000 miles (and recently, fan belts). It isn't using any oil at 260,000 miles, and still pulls as strongly as ever. Why would I give any money to ANY of the car makers at this point?

I did a little calculation on my spreadsheet recently.
In 1967 my 2 br house in N Seattle cost 15,000. That same house is about 350,000 now. That's an average of 8% per year.
In 1967 a gallon of regular was 17 cents. It's now about 3.00. That's 8 per cent per year.

In 1965 a new Mustang cost 1900. Now it's about 29000. If it had kept up with property and gas, it would be at 45,000 or so.

My point is, the reason the car prices haven't kept up is because of competition from overseas. Without Toyota, Nissan, Honda and Hyundai, we'd be paying a minimum of 25,000 for the lowest end new car, and we wouldn't be driving any fuel-efficient cars.

Likewise, a low-end McDonalds hamburger was 19 cents in 1965. It would be at $3.00 today if it kept pace. But the low end burgers today are $1.00 and you can't blame Japan for that. You get to blame Congress for not having minimum wage keep up with inflation.

Personally, I send my money to Toyota not because it's cheaper but because they are the only cars I've ever had that last over 150,000 miles. My 99 corolla is now at 250,000, my 95 T100 is at 300,000, and my 99 Celica GT Convertible is at 125,000. I've never had a ford, chevy, or dodge last that long without serious difficulties. And my 01 MR2 Spyder at 40,000: for a $25000 car it can take on cars in the twisties that cost twice that much. I stand behind Toyota's quality.

[Cazador65]

Originally Posted by Toyota Kid

But remember, this truck which weighs almost 1,000 bls less than a real truck is faster, gets better mpg and will tow as much as any FORD!!!!!! Keep sending your money to JAPAN!!!!!! while the toyota US assembly workers get minimum wages!

Toyota-Kid
Certfiied TMC Master Mechanic

Just registered today, only complaint is "YOUR opinions always suck"

I had mine replaced at no cost, hope that solves it.