Warning - Broken control arm bolt!

[andulong]

I just bought a set of bolts at my local Toyota dealer today. Unfortunately they look just like the old ones and have two marks, or lines on the head. I hope they did not sell me some old ones hoping I would not know the difference. Is there any other way to tell the difference? I am waiting to install them until I am sure they are the upgraded bolts. I am afraid if I go back to Toyota they will not know the difference, if there is one. Thanks.

At least, if nothing more, the changed markings allow one to easily tell if they have new ones (old left, new right):

49382

[CTScott]

I just bought a set of bolts at my local Toyota dealer today. Unfortunately they look just like the old ones and have two marks, or lines on the head. I hope they did not sell me some old ones hoping I would not know the difference. Is there any other way to tell the difference? I am waiting to install them until I am sure they are the upgraded bolts. I am afraid if I go back to Toyota they will not know the difference, if there is one. Thanks.

There is not actually a different new bolt. It is simply a case of replacing like with like, and if you read the TSB, doing a bit of extra seam sealing limit the water that can enter in with the bolt.

[andulong]

Thanks CTScott, I think I will swap them out tomorrow then. Not sure I can do the seam sealing that is mentioned but at least the new bolts should add a few more years until something breaks.

[camh]

2008 Toyota Yaris sedan 34,500 on May 10, 2013 After full routine maintenance at my Toyota dealer (tires rotated, oil change, inspect ball joints, drive shaft, nuts, bolts, fluids, road test vehicle) on my daughter's car, we left to go to my son's graduation in Mass. about 3.5 hour drive. Fifty miles into the trip at 65 mph (I was driving, 35 yrs experience, no accidents) hot weather, dry roads, around noon lots of cars, three lane highway, we were in the slow lane following traffic, her car goes into a skid. I had no idea what was happening other than trying to avoid hitting other cars, going off a steep drop to the right or trying not to hit the cement median. I've been in skids before on bad winter roads but not at 65 mph. My foot was off the gas and I was not breaking, trying to regain control of the car. After trying to regain control after the 3rd skid the car took us into 180 degree spin and as we headed into the cement median I slammed on the brakes. I have since found my "Warranty Enhancement Notice" on her vehicle. The letter's not dated, I don't remember when it came but I had filed it in with her car info. I did not remember this letter but a month before the accident I would hear a clank noise if I went over a dip or if I turned her steering wheel sharply to the right when parking. She's away at college so I only drive her car every other day locally and back and forth on college pick ups. Our lives were spared that day and we did not hit anyone else. I would have to say it was a miracle. PLEASE if you have a Yaris 2006 - 2011 do not wait until it starts to make noise before you get it checked. I would have it checked every 6 months. Once this bolt breaks off, it is too late.

[Hershey]

Glad to see everyone is o.k. , imagine nerves were frayed . We have these noises and can't get any Toyota service center to replace the bolts . They never hear it and appears to be fine on the lift . We also got the notice . Should make it mandatory .

[camh]

After doing alot of searching online, I have found two lawsuits for wrongful death regarding the Toyota Yaris 2008. One was a soldier home and the other a college student. If my daughter and I had been killed that day they would have wrongly assumed it was our fault, when in fact it was the control arm. There are several others who documented online their accidents at a lower speed. You are 100% correct it needs to be a mandatory recall. If this got media attention perhaps then it would be taken seriously.

[bronsin]

My BMW F650 motorcycle stalled at lights. One a year at first then after three years every week. BMW had it three times and couldnt fix it. Other bikes did it too.

No recall ever issued. Probably moot because I doubt they could have done naything anyway. : (.

[Hershey]

Went and got the bolts replaced . No appointment , just popped in with the notice from Toyota . The previous 2 did nothing . 2 new bolts , but it still creaked when pulling onto the uneven surface of a restaurant parking lot :frown: . Should we be concerned of that ? Here's the invoice .

[Hershey]

90119-14126 (They are about $4 each)

Torque is: 118 ft lbs.

The part # stated on the invoice is 90119-14151 . Is this the new part number or is the bolt / washer part # for the sedan control arm different than that of the hatchback ?

[CTScott]

90119-14151 is a new part number. It replaces 90119-14126 and 90119-14144.

[Hershey]

CT , thanks for the quick response . Should it still be creaking ? Wouldn't think so . :iono: .

[CTScott]

CT , thanks for the quick response . Should it still be creaking ? Wouldn't think so . :iono: .

The creaking probably has nothing to do with this bolt. It is more likely the bushing around the horizontal bolt that is creaking.

[Hershey]

Horizontal bolt of the front strut ? If so , should that be covered under the PLATINUM extended warranty ? Really appreciate your help.

[CTScott]

Horizontal bolt of the front strut ? If so , should that be covered under the PLATINUM extended warranty ? Really appreciate your help.

No. The horizontal bolt that allows the A-Arm to pivot up and down.

[Hershey]

How long of a job is it to be replaced and can it be dangerous to drive? We found that uneven outer tire wear is one of the symptoms which we have on both front sides. 7/32s on outer sides of both front tires and the rest is 8/32s . The Bridgestone Ecopia EP 422s' started at 11/32s and were installed on 4/6/13 . They've been rotated once . Seems like quick wear . The previous tires wore quick too . Those were Continental Pro Contact Eco Plus . Don't drive like a speed demon , just average .

[Hershey]

Does anyone have the clunking of the front end after the 2 bolts were replaced ?

[Hershey]

Another thought . Will the sedan need an alignment if the front suspension is repaired ? Would think so .

[CTScott]

Another thought . Will the sedan need an alignment if the front suspension is repaired ? Would think so .

Not if just the bolts are replaced. If the full service is done where they drop the A arms and seal the seams, then alignment should be done.

As another thing to worry about, today I was finishing my disassembly of the Yaris I am parting out. The front bolts were perfect (this is a 2007 California car that appears to have never even made contact with water with how perfect all metal parts have been).

When I dropped the rear axle beam I noticed that one of the bolts that mounts it to the body had a significant spot of corrosion. This was the only bolt on the entire car that had a hint of rust. This makes we want to take a peek at the ones off my Yaris which have seen lots of Winter salt.

In this picture the long ones on the left are the rear beam bolts and the right ones are the A Arm bolts:
51675

[NEexpat]

^ I'd be interested to know what you discover on your cars Scott.

That spot high up on the thread like that, not good, very odd considering the condition of the rest of the car.

Perhaps just a bad bolt.................................or is there some sort of design flaw with the rear axle beam like with the A arms, great now I'm going to go slide under my car and look about.

[bronsin]

You know I just want to express appreciation for this site which keeps us so well informed about the (relatively minor) problems with our cars. My hat is off to you all! :clap:

Also my thanks to Toyota for making the Yaris the quality, practical car that it is. You should read some of the problems cars on other sites are having! :cry:

And REALLY read the problems BMW motorcycles are having at The Chain Gang.com! :eek:

[Hershey]

CT, are the bushings visible or easy to view for inspection ? A relative has a lift in his garage and is a mechanic. What should we look for if the bushings are bad ? Thanks

[CTScott]

CT, are the bushings visible or easy to view for inspection ? A relative has a lift in his garage and is a mechanic. What should we look for if the bushings are bad ? Thanks

The bushings around the bolts are easy to see, but I don't think you will see anything obvious. I think you will need to try to recreate to motion while listening closely to catch the noise.

[Hershey]

Do the techs use a listening device when moving the arms up and down while on a lift to pinpoint the noise? How long would it take to determine the source ? May have to take it to a dealer and would like to know what to expect. Thanks for all of your help.

[CTScott]

Do the techs use a listening device when moving the arms up and down while on a lift to pinpoint the noise? How long would it take to determine the source ? May have to take it to a dealer and would like to know what to expect. Thanks for all of your help.

My bet is they will shake it or road test it and tell you there is nothing wrong and that the noise is normal.

[Hershey]

That's quite possible since it's warranty work and a big job. :smile:

[DonM]

I was going to sell my 2008 Yaris sedan but changed my mind so I went ahead and purchased the control arm bolts from my local Toyota dealer for $17.50.....and I am glad that I did (refer to the photo)......I took it took to a Midas dealer for an oil change and they swapped out the bolts for free - considering that my car only has 47,500 km on it and has not seen a lot of winter driving - I would hate to see the bolts on some of the high milers that are driven in the rust belt.

Don't wait for the clunking sound to appear - do it now since it costs so little to do.

[Hershey]

^ Good thinking ^ . We believe the creaking / clunking in the front has gone since the replacement of the bolts . Still have it coming from the rear . At least it's not in stereo for now :biggrin: .

[camh]

I was going to sell my 2008 Yaris sedan but changed my mind so I went ahead and purchased the control arm bolts from my local Toyota dealer for $17.50.....and I am glad that I did (refer to the photo)......I took it took to a Midas dealer for an oil change and they swapped out the bolts for free - considering that my car only has 47,500 km on it and has not seen a lot of winter driving - I would hate to see the bolts on some of the high milers that are driven in the rust belt.

Don't wait for the clunking sound to appear - do it now since it costs so little to do.


My daughter's car was less than 34,000 miles when her right control arm broke. :frown:

[nookandcrannycar]

My daughter's car was less than 34,000 miles when her right control arm broke. :frown:

Ugh. Is your daughter also in New Jersey or a similar location re winter road maintenance that might contribute to the control arm issue?

[DebbyM46227]

Does anyone have the clunking of the front end after the 2 bolts were replaced ?

No, I haven't heard it since they replaced my bolts.

[WildChild]

Hi,
the passenger side's bolt snapped last week on my 2007 sedan. After hearing the clunking noise when driving over bumps during the weekend, I looked under the car and found out that the bolt was missing.

I see in this thread that the warranty was extended to 100K miles (160K KM)/7 years for this issue in the US. My car 6 1/2 years old and has only 77K KM. Does anyone know if the warranty extension also applies to Canada?

Thank you!

[CTScott]

Hi,
the passenger side's bolt snapped last week on my 2007 sedan. After hearing the clunking noise when driving over bumps during the weekend, I looked under the car and found out that the bolt was missing.

I see in this thread that the warranty was extended to 100K miles (160K KM)/7 years for this issue in the US. My car 6 1/2 years old and has only 77K KM. Does anyone know if the warranty extension also applies to Canada?

Thank you!

On the Canadian version of the Service Bulletin it says the following, but the US one initially read that way as well and then later we received the warranty extension letters in the mail.

APPLICABLE WARRANTY

- This repair is covered under the Toyota Basic Warranty. This warranty is in effect for 36 months from the vehicle’s warranty registration date or 60,000 kilometres, whichever occurs first.

- Warranty application is limited to occurrence of the specified condition described in this bulletin.

[Hershey]

Well , sounds like we may have the creaking from the front after the bolt fix . The rear suspension is creaking too . It's like having quadrophonic stereo at times . We bicker about which end it came from :biggrin: . Love the gas mileage , but this car has been a real pain in the :moon: in 4 1/2 years of owning it .

[WildChild]

I called the dealership this morning and the warranty extension also exists for Canada. The guy mentionned 84 months/160K KM. I have an appointment tomorrow to have this fixed.

The guy said that a new TSB was released in 2012 about the warranty extension, but unfortunately I don't have the number.

[barryware]

After reading this thread (a few times), I stopped at the dealer and picked up two bolts.. After tax, they were under 12 bucks.

I haven't been able to figure out if I need to replace the bolts by the vin.. My vin: JTDJT92317506XXXX.

Doesn't matter now as I have them but I would like to understand the "affected" cars using the vin. I did get the letter from Toyota extending the warranty to 100K miles. I have 97K+ on the car now. (2007 3dr hatch)

I understand that no alignment or anything is necessary after removing the old, and installing the new bolt(s). Is there any concern of anything moving if you have the car jacked up? If I need to jack up the car, any problem using a floor jack and lifting the car by jacking the control arm up.. Right where the strut is? I REALLY hate jacking the car up using the jack points that you would use if you get a flat and need the jack that comes with the car.

[CTScott]

After reading this thread (a few times), I stopped at the dealer and picked up two bolts.. After tax, they were under 12 bucks.

I haven't been able to figure out if I need to replace the bolts by the vin.. My vin: JTDJT92317506XXXX.

Doesn't matter now as I have them but I would like to understand the "affected" cars using the vin. I did get the letter from Toyota extending the warranty to 100K miles. I have 97K+ on the car now. (2007 3dr hatch)

I understand that no alignment or anything is necessary after removing the old, and installing the new bolt(s). Is there any concern of anything moving if you have the car jacked up? If I need to jack up the car, any problem using a floor jack and lifting the car by jacking the control arm up.. Right where the strut is? I REALLY hate jacking the car up using the jack points that you would use if you get a flat and need the jack that comes with the car.

Correct on no alignment necessary after replacement.

As for jacking, I would not do so at the control arm. The correct front jack point (other than the pinch seams) is where the rear transmission mount meets the frame.

[WildChild]

The repair was done this morning, free of charge.

[esse10]

Question for you folks that used the Copper anti-seize, Did you put the anti-seize on the bolt threads also and did you still torque the bolt to the specs of 118 ft-lbs ? We don't get any salt on the roads down here in Texas but i will remove and inspect these bolts and depending on what condition I find I'll decide what Preventive Maintenance schedule will be required in the future.

Next question; is there a way to get Toyota corp. to acknowledge this problem and send me a letter about the extended warranty? I called my local dealer and the warranty office person acted like she had never heard of such a problem, even after I mentioned the TSB3271.

[CTScott]

Question for you folks that used the Copper anti-seize, Did you put the anti-seize on the bolt threads also and did you still torque the bolt to the specs of 118 ft-lbs ? We don't get any salt on the roads down here in Texas but i will remove and inspect these bolts and depending on what condition I find I'll decide what Preventive Maintenance schedule will be required in the future.

Next question; is there a way to get Toyota corp. to acknowledge this problem and send me a letter about the extended warranty? I called my local dealer and the warranty office person acted like she had never heard of such a problem, even after I mentioned the TSB3271.

I thoroughly coated the threads and the washer portion of the head and torqued them to spec.

[barryware]

I changed my bolts today.. Drivers side was a problem.. The rust was so heavy on the bolt, it would not clear the bushing.. I had to back & forth, in & out.. Took about 1/2 hour to get it out. Passenger side was not much of a problem.

[CTScott]

I changed my bolts today.. Drivers side was a problem.. The rust was so heavy on the bolt, it would not clear the bushing.. I had to back & forth, in & out.. Took about 1/2 hour to get it out. Passenger side was not much of a problem.

Wow! That looks like it would not have lasted through this coming winter.

[barryware]

real glad I visit the forum often and found this thread..

FYI.. When I was at the stealer to buy the bolts.. I brought my letter from Toyota.. I asked if they would check.. They said if they are not broke, we won't replace'em.. Sounds kinda silly but that is the way of the stealer.

The letter extends the warranty to 100K miles.. My car has 97K+ so that is why I figured I would just buy the bolts & replace'em.

And.. 120 (118) foot pounds of torque is a $hit load when you are on your back, tugging on $hit!. Me thinks I'm gonna be sore tomorrow. :eek:

[nookandcrannycar]

They said if they are not broke, we won't replace'em

:rolleyes:

Sounds kinda silly but that is the way of the stealer.:

:laugh:. I think I'm glad (:tongue:) I was way past the warranty period when I first viewed this thread. Zero chance of being disappointed on that particular score.

[andulong]

90119-14151 is a new part number. It replaces 90119-14126 and 90119-14144.

HI, I am still holding out on replacing these bolts and now more confused than before. I bought the bolts # 14126 and was told that was the proper bolt to use and that it was not an issue with a defective bolt but more with improper drainage causing rust. Then I read the above post. So, now there is a different part number, does anyone know if it is actually a new and improved bolt? Thanks. I just want to do this once and hopefully get it right.

[CTScott]

HI, I am still holding out on replacing these bolts and now more confused than before. I bought the bolts # 14126 and was told that was the proper bolt to use and that it was not an issue with a defective bolt but more with improper drainage causing rust. Then I read the above post. So, now there is a different part number, does anyone know if it is actually a new and improved bolt? Thanks. I just want to do this once and hopefully get it right.

Toyota often seems to change part numbers, and sometimes with no visible change to the part (it could be something as simple as them changing suppliers for the part and hence revving the part number). I bought some of the 90119-14151 bolts and there does not appear to be any difference in strength rating, plating, etc. with the new part number.

I personally plan on checking (and perhaps replacing) the bolts once per year.

[CTScott]

Is this the one?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/TOYOTA-OEM-9011914126-Front-Suspension-Lower-Control-Arm-Mount-Bolt-/140982479319?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&fits=Model%3AYaris&hash=item20d335e9d7&vxp=mtr

#6 on the diagram

(My car is Canadian, but I guess bolts should be the same)

Thanks

Correct.

[nookandcrannycar]

On 8-24-13 I read (posted that day) Camh's account of the accident (re the control arm bolt breaking) while driving his daughter's low mileage Yaris, and read Hershey's post (got his bolts replaced later that day). I also had a 'Yikes' reaction. I was in Branson, and over the next day or two drove around Table Rock Lake. The roads there are kind of funky. I didn't know if what I was feeling was because of the roads or my Yaris. On my way back to the Interstate, I stopped in Springfield, Missouri to get my oil changed and have the car otherwise looked at on a lift. The tech wrote that one of the motor mounts was worn, but didn't specify which one :rolleyes:.

Earlier this month, the bulb went out on the middle of the 3 climate gauges on my Yaris. I had to order the bulb and prepay. Then the light came back on (the wheel is bent via my little cousin's foot when she was 5 :smile:). I decided to ask if I could get a credit for the bulb and get 2 control arm bolts (a bit over 5 dollars when I priced them earlier this year...now a few cents over $8 (more than Kaotic paid in CA). The dealer let me do this. For the last week I've been feeling there must be something wrong, and have been really babying the car. I decided to take it in today (to the shop that did the serp belt, parking brake adjust, etc.) and have them check out the control arms, tie rods, steering rack, the knuckle, all the bushings, etc. and the motor mounts...and then proceed from there. The car had 267,865 miles on it when I drove in.

What a relief! All the above checked out just fine. Tech said the guy in Springfielfd was 'wrong'...likely just trying to get me to spend money. I also had them check the brakes...still good. I then had them replace the control arm bolts with the ones I got (as others on this thread have) from the Toyota dealer and had them torque the bolts to the spec CTScott (IIRC) recommended....I'm glad I did, as they DID have SOME RUST on them.. Given all of this, I thought the 'feeling' I'd been getting must be windier weather and having the tires at 37psi instead of the factory recommended 32psi. The manager felt I might be correct, so I had them put the tires at 32psi.

My total Bill (I almost feel bad as IIRC one person on this thread paid for 1.25 hours of labor for the control arm bolt replacement) $33.08.

The Firestone store where I got my tires is up the street, so I headed up there (slow leak in driver rear tire needed free repair). I could hear the wind around the car, but the lower PSI in the tires made all the difference in the world.

After the tire store, I headed to a brake specific shop to get a better idea on specific % of wear (only thing the first shop wasn't specific on). Still under 40% wear front and back..check=free...at 267,897 miles (was right at 20% wear front and back about 60k miles ago).

P.S. - Factory recommended PSI = Toyota recommendation (not Firestone)

[CTScott]

I keep forgetting to post that this now includes 2007 to 2012 Yaris per T-SB-0078-12.

The newer TSB no longer specifies VIN range, but rather just says that:

"Some 2007 – 2012 model year Yaris vehicles may exhibit a noise from the front area that is heard under acceleration/deceleration, when braking, or when driving over an uneven road surface. New No. 2 front lower suspension arm bolts are now available to address this condition."

The current bolt part number per the TSB is: 90119-14151

It also mentions that some bolts may have and orange dot on the head and those that do are non-reusable, where ones without the orange dot can be removed and retorqued.

[nookandcrannycar]

I keep forgetting to post that this now includes 2007 to 2012 Yaris per T-SB-0078-12.

The newer TSB no longer specifies VIN range, but rather just says that:

"Some 2007 – 2012 model year Yaris vehicles may exhibit a noise from the front area that is heard under acceleration/deceleration, when braking, or when driving over an uneven road surface. New No. 2 front lower suspension arm bolts are now available to address this condition."

The current bolt part number per the TSB is: 90119-14151

It also mentions that some bolts may have and orange dot on the head and those that do are non-reusable, where ones without the orange dot can be removed and retorqued.

Earlier posts of yours (IIRC) indicated that the old part number ended in 126 (for 2006-2009?) and the other part number (not ending in 151) = for 2010+....and that 151 replaces both part numbers so that the full range = one part number rather than two. When I visited the dealer, the parts rep indicated = exactly as you described (however that was :smile:).

The tech today (at the shop, not the Toyota dealer) had some other reference nomenclature for this bolt, so I just logged on and showed the manager the picture of the bottom of your Yaris with the red circles you put around the two bolt locations. So clear. The manager was then able to easily communicate this to the tech :thumbsup:.

I remember noticing, when I picked up the new bolts at the dealer, a 'raised stamp' (forgive the Layman's term :smile:) that I assumed indicated that they each = a 'No. 2'.

[CTScott]

Earlier posts of yours (IIRC) indicated that the old part number ended in 126 (for 2006-2009?) and the other part number (not ending in 151) = for 2010+....and that 151 replaces both part numbers so that the full range = one part number rather than two. When I visited the dealer, the parts rep indicated = exactly as you described (however that was :smile:).

The tech today (at the shop, not the Toyota dealer) had some other reference nomenclature for this bolt, so I just logged on and showed the manager the picture of the bottom of your Yaris with the red circles you put around the two bolt locations. So clear. The manager was then able to easily communicate this to the tech :thumbsup:.

I remember noticing, when I picked up the new bolts at the dealer, a 'raised stamp' (forgive the Layman's term :smile:) that I assumed indicated that they each = a 'No. 2'.



The 90119-14151 part number is all inclusive for 07-12 liftbacks and sedans.

The raised markings on the head actually indicate the grade (strength) of the bolt. The "No. 2" is just the name of the bolts relative to their position.

[nookandcrannycar]

The raised markings on the head actually indicate the grade (strength) of the bolt. The "No. 2" is just the name of the bolts relative to their position.

Oh :redface:. Well, I assume all is correct re those bolts on my Yaris. When the manager saw the picture of the underside of your Yaris with the red circles you drew, he said something about that being it..that he could tell from the head of the bolt. I got the old bolts back (in my hands when I left), and driving = :thumbsup:.

[CTScott]

Just got my bolts.. these are HUGE

Do you guys think I would be able to replace these using the ramps like below&?

http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/pro-ramp-12000lbs-0090064p.html#.Upvx6sSxf1Y

Or shall I high jack each side separately so that there was no load on the wheel?

Thx

I think the ramps would be fine. As you start to loosen the bolt, if you notice that the A arm starts to move away from the chassis, then stop and jack it instead, but I don't think that will be the case.

[CTScott]

OK - This finally got me good. I decided to change the bolts on an 07 LB that I recently bought from someone in Ohio and I barley got the first one out without it snapping (and could not believe how bad it was). The second one snapped with barely any force applied, so I am now in the process of figuring out how to get it out.

In the meantime, here's a picture of the first one. The pile of stuff next to it came pouring out of its hole, once I removed the bolt.

52430

[WeeYari]

OMG that is nasty. Now I'm truly scared shitless to see what they look like on my '06. She's now entering her 9th winter.

[NEexpat]

This is exactly why I haven't attempted to replace these myself ".....so I am now in the process of figuring out how to get it out."

I check mine periodically to see if the bolt heads are still there and whenever the yari is at the dealer I ask them to check them, they always say they are fine. Of course I don't know what their "inspection" involves.

Scott let us know what wizardary you employ to get that out. I would guess some drilling and a broken bolt extractor. Big extractor.

One day I may slide under there with a breaker bar and give them a crack, I won't be doing it in my garage or driveway, I'll be doing it in the big chain parking lot adjacent to the dealer so if I shear one off, I'll be about 200 yards away.

[CTScott]

This is exactly why I haven't attempted to replace these myself ".....so I am now in the process of figuring out how to get it out."

I check mine periodically to see if the bolt heads are still there and whenever the yari is at the dealer I ask them to check them, they always say they are fine. Of course I don't know what their "inspection" involves.

Scott let us know what wizardary you employ to get that out. I would guess some drilling and a broken bolt extractor. Big extractor.

One day I may slide under there with a breaker bar and give them a crack, I won't be doing it in my garage or driveway, I'll be doing it in the big chain parking lot adjacent to the dealer so if I shear one off, I'll be about 200 yards away.

Right now I am thinking that your course of action is the smart one. I sill do not have it out yet. The nut that it screws into is at the top, so drilling up from the bottom to use the bolt extractor will likely result in just snapping the bolt off half way up.

I tried dropping the subframe to give me access to the broken bolt, but that bolt jams the subframe into place, where I can not pry it off of the car. I am now working in the passenger foot well to gain access to the top of the bolt. I realized that the triangular plastic piece under the carpet is in about the correct place for the top of the bolt. Unfortunately the bolt is offset to the hole, where I can see it, but accessing it requires drilling a hole above it.

I drilled a 3/4" access hole directly above it, as I realized with another one of the bolts that a 12mm socket grips the taper of the top of the bolt. Unfortunately though the 12mm pops off when you apply serious torque, so I think my next attempt will be a bolt extractor from above.

[nookandcrannycar]

This is exactly why I haven't attempted to replace these myself ".....so I am now in the process of figuring out how to get it out."

I check mine periodically to see if the bolt heads are still there and whenever the yari is at the dealer I ask them to check them, they always say they are fine. Of course I don't know what their "inspection" involves.

Scott let us know what wizardary you employ to get that out. I would guess some drilling and a broken bolt extractor. Big extractor.

One day I may slide under there with a breaker bar and give them a crack, I won't be doing it in my garage or driveway, I'll be doing it in the big chain parking lot adjacent to the dealer so if I shear one off, I'll be about 200 yards away.

I'm so glad I recently got new bolts and had them put in. The heads looked good, but there was rust on the threads of both of my original bolts (and my Yaris has only been exposed to fewer than 10 days of 'wimpy snow' here and not many more days re ice exposure.....and, IIRC, zero road salt exposure). We do, however, get a fair amount of rain from big storms that dump quite a bit of rain in a short period of time :biggrin:.

The head of the bolt, at least in some cases, doesn't seem to tell the whole story. This leads me to think that the only way to thoroughly check them is to remove them.....and if you're going to do that, or have it done, they might as well be replaced with new ones.

[CTScott]

^Indeed. The heads on both of these looked fine, which is why I gave them a go.

I finally broken the sub frame free. The only thing holding it was the bond between the bolt and its metal sleeve on the A arm. A couple hours of PB Blaster, pounding, prying, torching, and bleeding and it suddenly popped free.

Tomorrow I will weld a nut onto the bolt and see if I can free it.


52431

[CB900F2]

^^^^^^ dam!! I sure hope the tsb that what done my yaris a couple of years ago resolved this issue...

[nookandcrannycar]

^^^^^ Wow, that is quite a sight. Better if the break hadn't happened at all, but thank goodness it didn't happen while the 'Ohio owner' was driving the car (we all know it wouldn't happen if you decided to drive it for even a week before selling it.....would have to meet your standard first).

[CTScott]

Welding on a nut worked like a charm. The broken bolt is now out.

While searching for some info on how Toyota deals with the broken ones I ran into a case where someone had one replaced before the TSB, and they paid for 7 hours of labor (over $600) and $10 for the bolt. I can definitely understand they labor part after dealing with this myself.

Here's the big nut welded on:

52432

And, here's the broken bolt, finally freed:

52433

[NEexpat]

What a nightmare this entire issue is.

I realize the problem lies beneath the bolt head. Unfortunately I have neither the inclination nor expertise to jack or ramp up my car and take a swing at these things.

Look at what Scott just went through, I was sweating bullets when I was splicing into wires for my keyless entry for fear I would screw something up .

I just went through a front brake job where the inside of the rotors were awful. I have no doubt in my mind my bolts are corroding and for now I just have to rely on the dealership to tell me they are ok.

Months ago I thought of contacting Scott and suggesting, when he generously offered his garage and services for a get together, that I would order and buy pairs of bolts for those who would come and wanted that done, interest waned so I never did.

Imagine if it had worked out and what happened with Scott's recent bolt adventure had happened to another member. I am grateful none of it ever took place, I for one would have felt terrible about it.

I think once the originals are out and new ones are in, I would then replace them every year, fiquring the odds of them not shearing off were now in my favor, but the first ones, no thanks.

[CTScott]

^Exactly. I suspect that everyone who lives where salt is used on the roads is in exactly the same situation. Replacing them yearly truly makes sense.

After spending many hours under there I also now understand where the seam sealant needs to be applied to reduce the water entry and will post a DIY on that as well. Seam sealing will not completely eliminate the issue, but it will definitely help, as there is a pocket above the subframe that can collect water and then drip it into the bolt's sleeve.

[nookandcrannycar]

there is a pocket above the subframe that can collect water and then drip it into the bolt's sleeve.

A-ha...I imagine this might be a contributing factor as to why I had rust (given my very low exposure to snow/ice/road salt and large exposure to a lot of rain per storm).

[Hershey]

Toyota needs to make it mandatory . They won't because a T.S.B. saves them money . The past 5 years has diminished our faith in Toyota . Before that we were avid fans .

[CTScott]

Toyota needs to make it mandatory . They won't because a T.S.B. saves them money . The past 5 years has diminished our faith in Toyota . Before that we were avid fans .

Even after going through the nightmare of replacing the broken one, I really don't blame this on Toyota as much as I do on the people who choose the Winter chemicals to use on our roads.

The difference in corrosion between the 2007 100K+ mile California Yaris that I recently parted out and this 2007 70K mile Ohio Yaris is incredible.

Recently I was chatting with a guy who works for the CT highway department and he was telling me about how bad the trucks that spray the road chemicals disintegrate in a single season, and it is just plain scary.

[nookandcrannycar]

Even after going through the nightmare of replacing the broken one, I really don't blame this on Toyota as much as I do on the people who choose the Winter chemicals to use on our roads.

The difference in corrosion between the 2007 100K+ mile California Yaris that I recently parted out and this 2007 70K mile Ohio Yaris is incredible.

Recently I was chatting with a guy who works for the CT highway department and he was telling me about how bad the trucks that spray the road chemicals disintegrate in a single season, and it is just plain scary.

Wow. I wonder what the California Department of Transportation uses for 'winter road treatment' ? Unlike CT, OH, etc., relatively few well traveled roads in densely populated areas that would need any Winter treatment. I would think the main concern would be the Interstate Highways (plus U.S. 50) where traffic has to go over a good size mountain range/pass to get to another state.

[nookandcrannycar]

Currently on the 'story wheel' on the Yahoo home page ----- 2014 Audi R8 Convertible and a fleet of 1984 Audi 4000 Quatros having fun on 600 acres --- in the snow. I wonder what the fleet of '84s look like underneath?????


http://autos.yahoo.com/blogs/motoramic/testing-rally-skills-180-000-audi-r8-spyder-173509726.html

[Viperoni]

I posted in one of these control arm bolt threads, soon after I got my Echo, and called out an OP on them. Now I've got my tail inbetween my legs. I've had a few bolts snap on me that should not have ever snapped - the worst two being the thermostat housing *studs*.
Basically it's horrendously cheap quality metal.

Anyone else have trouble with bolts snapping due to poor quality metal on their Yaris?

Given my experience with my Echo, and then reading this thread and the TSB's out there for the issue... is coming close to ticking the Yaris off my "next car" list...

[nookandcrannycar]

I posted in one of these control arm bolt threads, soon after I got my Echo, and called out an OP on them. Now I've got my tail inbetween my legs. I've had a few bolts snap on me that should not have ever snapped - the worst two being the thermostat housing *studs*.
Basically it's horrendously cheap quality metal.

Anyone else have trouble with bolts snapping due to poor quality metal on their Yaris?

Given my experience with my Echo, and then reading this thread and the TSB's out there for the issue... is coming close to ticking the Yaris off my "next car" list...

I would probably feel differently if I lived in a Winter climate like yours, but I'll probably be willing to give the Prius C a shot after (hopefully) many more miles have elapsed on my Yaris.

[Viperoni]

I would probably feel differently if I lived in a Winter climate like yours, but I'll probably be willing to give the Prius C a shot after (hopefully) many more miles have elapsed on my Yaris.

Everybody's said that, but this is the only car I've had this "weak bolts" problem with, and I've been through a few cars... and have done a ton of work on them too.

Probably the best example was with my old 92 Nissan NX2000 that I had before my Echo (which I bought in 2010), meaning the NX was 18 years old at the time, I was able to get control arms bolts, header bolts (at the motor and collector), and some others out reasonably well. No snapping, just breaker barring it out. The car had around 180k at the time and was winter driven by the previous owner.

[CTScott]

Everybody's said that, but this is the only car I've had this "weak bolts" problem with, and I've been through a few cars... and have done a ton of work on them too.

Probably the best example was with my old 92 Nissan NX2000 that I had before my Echo (which I bought in 2010), meaning the NX was 18 years old at the time, I was able to get control arms bolts, header bolts (at the motor and collector), and some others out reasonably well. No snapping, just breaker barring it out. The car had around 180k at the time and was winter driven by the previous owner.

I have seen far more bolt issues as of late as well, but not just with the Yaris. I was helping a buddy of mine change his rear shocks on his relatively new Jeep and we sheared two bolts in the process. I swear that it has nothing to do with the manufacturers cheaping out on bolts, but rather on these new road salts that are being used.

[Lars]

After spending many hours under there I also now understand where the seam sealant needs to be applied to reduce the water entry and will post a DIY on that as well.
Please do... you guys are scaring me sh*tless...

I have no idea what they put on the roads here in Germany but I sure hope it's not as aggressive as what they put on yours!!

[Hershey]

Never had this issue with cars of the past . Would go 250,000+ miles and no bolts for suspension would fail . Struts and other related parts , yes , that's expected . Poor design of the control arm . Who supplies those to Toyota ? Subarus and other manufacturers have the same problem .

[Viperoni]

I have seen far more bolt issues as of late as well, but not just with the Yaris. I was helping a buddy of mine change his rear shocks on his relatively new Jeep and we sheared two bolts in the process. I swear that it has nothing to do with the manufacturers cheaping out on bolts, but rather on these new road salts that are being used.

Possible... I don't have it anymore, but just before I got my Echo in 2010, my 1992 Nissan NX2000 that was winter driven in Canada, didn't have any issues removing bolts.
One bolt that was memorable was the bolt that bolted the two rear lateral links (control arms) onto the spindle. I needed to use a 2 foot breaker bar and a 4 foot pipe on an impact socket and *REALLY* needed to put my weight into it.. and I'm over 200lbs. There was at least 500ft lbs of torque going into that 1/2" bolt and it survived fine.

Referencing this thread in particular, even though these front LCA bolts aren't even getting much shear load, mainly tension they're still snapping... which really makes me think it's a metal quality issue.
And my thermostat housing stud snapping issue I just had is another example...

[andulong]

Finally got around to replacing my bolts today. Old ones came right out (with a long cheater bar) and still looked very good. Appeared to have only minor surface rust. I am in Southern CA and am sure that has a lot to do with the condition of the bolts. I will most likely not need to worry about this again. If I didn't have the new bolts ready to go, I would have most likely re installed the old ones. Thanks for everyone's input on this issue.

[NEexpat]

Back to this again,

Let's say, hypothetically, that there was a Yaris owner out there who was relatively certain that his/her lower control arm bolts were corroding. Based mostly on the four season climate this person lived in complete with salted winter roads.

And that this person is not at all happy with the the "reactive" attitude Toyota and subsequently their dealers are taking with this issue. Not replacing the bolts forthwith rather waiting till the customer complains of a "thunk" noise when going over a bump.

Lets say for instance that this Yaris owner wanted to be a little more "proactive" and he or she wanted to see if they could remove these bolts themselves, and if successful replace them with new bolts. Is there anything these bolts should be "dressed" with? As well as any additional sealing around the bolt hole above on the inside of the control arm.

Asking for a friend.

Cheers

[CTScott]

Back to this again,

Let's say, hypothetically, that there was a Yaris owner out there who was relatively certain that his/her lower control arm bolts were corroding. Based mostly on the four season climate this person lived in complete with salted winter roads.

And that this person is not at all happy with the the "reactive" attitude Toyota and subsequently their dealers are taking with this issue. Not replacing the bolts forthwith rather waiting till the customer complains of a "thunk" noise when going over a bump.

Lets say for instance that this Yaris owner wanted to be a little more "proactive" and he or she wanted to see if they could remove these bolts themselves, and if successful replace them with new bolts. Is there anything these bolts should be "dressed" with? As well as any additional sealing around the bolt hole above on the inside of the control arm.

Asking for a friend.

Cheers

The good thing is that if they snap while "your friend" is trying to remove them "your friend" can simply (and carefully) drive to the nearest dealership and let them perform the warranty extension service.

If "your friend" gets them out successfully "your friend" will want to seal the seams per the TSB (see the images below). I also recommend coating the bolts with something (either a heavy grease or anti-seize compound).

You can pick up caulk gun tubes of seam sealant at most auto parts stores.


Here is where the TSB shows to seal the seams
52844

And, here is a picture of the chassis. The red lines show the three seams to seal on each side. With the subframe in place it is very difficult to see these areas, so this picture is of a stripped chassis.
52845

[NEexpat]

Thanks Scott,

I be sure to ummm pass this information along.

[Hershey]

CT, if one or both of the bushings around the horizontal bolt (s) are bad, could it be a safety concern and still be the source of the crunch/creak with all the new parts ? Parts listed here, http://www.yarisworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=50701 Maybe we should change our user name to Captain Crunch. :biggrin: .

[CTScott]

CT, if one or both of the bushings around the horizontal bolt (s) are bad, could it be a safety concern and still be the source of the crunch/creak with all the new parts ? Parts listed here, http://www.yarisworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=50701 Maybe we should change our user name to Captain Crunch. :biggrin: .

The horizontal ones have a simple steel tube bushing around the bolt. That tube is then surrounded with the compliant material (rubber, urethane, or whatever it is). I can't imagine them being bad on a new arm.

[Hershey]

No new arm(s) were installed . Still the original with 72,000+ miles . Could the surrounding material inside the steel bushing deteriorate from salt , road conditions ( pot holes , etc. ) and other reasons ?

[CTScott]

No new arm(s) were installed . Still the original with 72,000+ miles . Could the surrounding material inside the steel bushing deteriorate from salt , road conditions ( pot holes , etc. ) and other reasons ?

They could potentially, but on the one where I had disintegrated vertical bolts, the horizontal ones were fine. When they dropped your subframe they would have had to remove the control arms to do so, so if they were in bad shape they should have noticed.

[Hershey]

Or maybe not . Never was mentioned . :iono:

[nookandcrannycar]

Maybe we should change our user name to Captain Crunch. :biggrin: .

:bellyroll: At least you are able to have a sense of humor about this. What is that old saying....If we didn't laugh, we'd cry?

[brice1971]

Recently had this happen as well. Battled with Toyota to cover this and lost. decided to tackle it myself.
The bolt head had completely broken off. Got it up on a lift and tried to loosen on side of the cross member enough to be able to grab it with some vise grips. This did not work.
Grabbed a punch and stuck it in the hole. Couple of smacks with the hammer and it shot up into the inside and separated the tacked on nut from the floor board.
As you might be able to see from the pictures there would've been no way to grab this and try to turn it out.
Rebolted this with nut and lock washer and on my way. Saved myself about 2 hundred bucks (this is what the local shop wanted to drop the cross member).
Had about an hour in the job and that included re-tightening everything I loosened on the first attempt.

FYI if you have had this repair done at an independent shop (non-Toyota Dealer) they will not reimburse you.

[marcus]

Unfortunately this is not a recall here in canada...why is that.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[CB900F2]

Hi WildChild..

It’s been a while, but did your invoice note the TSB # you indicted in the previous reply was issued in 2012?



The repair was done this morning, free of charge.

[NEexpat]

My friend decided to take a crack at changing his bolts a few days ago. He lives in the Northeast and has less than 60k on his car.

Once he got past the trepidation of ever so slowly loosening one then the other, that was it, completely uneventful.

Both expelled a couple of tablespoons of black liquid, I mean black. INK BLACK.

Once removed he was amazed..................................at the LACK of corrosion! Some rust on the threads, but nothing, zero, zippo, nada corrosion of any sort around the shaft or washer or the bolt head. No kidding. Nothing. He thought maybe just clean these up, dress them with anti seize and put them back. Went ahead with the new ones.

Someone mentioned here the hardest part of this was getting the wrench to click at 118 while lying on your back/side, no kidding! That and attempting it in the first place.

I believe he is now going to change them every 2 years, max.

Thankful that there were no issues, he understands how fortunate he was given some of the stories and experiences shared here.

Cheers.

[CTScott]

Interesting. The black deposits almost look like some form of an oily residue.

[NEexpat]

Was odd, thought perhaps it was some kind of remnants of grease. My friend told me he had brought this whole issue up at the dealership several oil changes ago. Wonder if they maybe they took them out, greased them and put them back in?

As for the seam sealing, that is going to have to wait till he has access to a lift.

[CTScott]

Was odd, thought perhaps it was some kind of remnants of grease. My friend told me he had brought this whole issue up at the dealership several oil changes ago. Wonder if they maybe they took them out, greased them and put them back in?

As for the seam sealing, that is going to have to wait till he has access to a lift.

That is very possible, that they greased them.

We had enviri's Yaris up on my lift this week and I contemplated checking/changing his bolts, but he has one of the front under braces on his car and it is basically fused to its mounting bolts thanks to his car being so low. So, if one snapped we would have had a bear of a time dropping the subframe to get it out.

[NEexpat]

Well that's it isn't it. In a nutshell, do you risk it, or continue on with your fingers crossed.

[Silverkarn]

How do i tell if my car is included in the problem cars?

VIN #JTDJT923085205355

[NEexpat]

^Silver I think it is safe to say that this whole issue is a product of poor design and not poor bolts.

The shape and design of the lower control arm holds water around the bolt. Those who endure winters seem to be more susceptible to corrosion due to the caustic nature of chemicals and road salts etc. Hence the extended warranty, TSB's, including the additional seam sealing to prevent/lessen more water/moisture into that area.

I would love to say it doesn't hurt to check but this thread and others have documented quite the opposite.

[Silverkarn]

^Silver I think it is safe to say that this whole issue is a product of poor design and not poor bolts.

The shape and design of the lower control arm holds water around the bolt. Those who endure winters seem to be more susceptible to corrosion due to the caustic nature of chemicals and road salts etc. Hence the extended warranty, TSB's, including the additional seam sealing to prevent/lessen more water/moisture into that area.

I would love to say it doesn't hurt to check but this thread and others have documented quite the opposite.

Well, in that case. what luck do you suppose i would have trying to remove the bolts in my car of 54k miles and rarely driven in the winter?

The bolts APPEAR to be fine from just a cursory look, so i assume that's all that the toyota dealership would do, and with my luck i doubt that they would break before next year when the extended warranty ran out on my 08 yaris.

Maybe i could try, then if they snapped off i could just claim that the car was making the odd sound?

[NEexpat]

If I had to guess, and it would only be a guess, I am not a tech or mechanic. My guess would be that your bolts are probably fine, of course who knows.

A lot of people's bolt heads looked fine, the problem is hidden. If I were approaching the end of the extended warranty for the bolts and my bolts had never been replaced, I personally, not a suggestion or recommendation to anyone, I'd take a crack at them.

There are plenty of folks here who can speak to this far better than I can. I'm sure some will chime in.

[jack black]

Thanks for this useful thread. What no one mentioned in this thread, the bolts are very easy to remove for inspection if one has semi-decent tools. I did it in my driveway without lifting the car and I used a cheap breaker bar like this, without any struggle:
http://www.ultimategarage.com/shop/images/s145.jpg

My kid's Yaris was made in 2006, but spent all its life in deep south and mostly in south Florida. I didn't expect the bolts to be in bad condition, but there was some rust in the neck of the head, just next to the washer. Either water pooling there and/or galvanic corrosion due to different metal in the washer? Even though it rained a lot a week ago and before, the bolts were dry.

I packed the bolt area under the washer in grease and screwed it back. The 118 lbs/ft torque made me sweat a bit.

IMHO, since this is a simple job, everyone should at least remove the bolts for inspection/lubrication and/or replace if needed.

Yaris experts, anything else that needs to be torqued down there?

[CTScott]

Thanks for this useful thread. What no one mentioned in this thread, the bolts are very easy to remove for inspection if one has semi-decent tools. I did it in my driveway without lifting the car and I used a cheap breaker bar like this, without any struggle:
http://www.ultimategarage.com/shop/images/s145.jpg

My kid's Yaris was made in 2006, but spent all its life in deep south and mostly in south Florida. I didn't expect the bolts to be in bad condition, but there was some rust in the neck of the head, just next to the washer. Either water pooling there and/or galvanic corrosion due to different metal in the washer? Even though it rained a lot a week ago and before, the bolts were dry.

I packed the bolt area under the washer in grease and screwed it back. The 118 lbs/ft torque made me sweat a bit.

IMHO, since this is a simple job, everyone should at least remove the bolts for inspection/lubrication and/or replace if needed.

Yaris experts, anything else that needs to be torqued down there?


It is a very easy job provided they aren't rusted enough to snap. At that point in goes from a simple job with a breaker bar to an absolute nightmare. The problem is that you can't necessarily tell which way it is going to go until you give it a shot, so it is a bit of Russian roulette if you live North of the Mason-Dixon line.

[jack black]

It is a very easy job provided they aren't rusted enough to snap. At that point in goes from a simple job with a breaker bar to an absolute nightmare. The problem is that you can't necessarily tell which way it is going to go until you give it a shot, so it is a bit of Russian roulette if you live North of the Mason-Dixon line.

Yes, I didn't mean to minimize the issue when the bolts break. This is why I'm trying to say one should not wait, but check the bolts as soon as possible before they break.

[tmontague]

I'll be replacing the bolts on my 08 Yaris this weekend as the dealership I ordered then from won't get them in until Tuesday. I live in Southern Ontario so I'm not expecting then to look great. I have an impact driver would anyone recommend using that to remove the bolts? Or am I better to stick with a cheater bar since to avoid snapping the head off?


Scott did you have to jack anything up to keep it from falling down when you removed the sub frame? I'm asking incase my bolts snap I want to be able to take it to my mechanic and have him weld on a but and remove the bolts without having to spend a ton of time and therefore cost me a ton if money. The more I can do myself the better and I don't have welding equipment.

[CTScott]

I'll be replacing the bolts on my 08 Yaris this weekend as the dealership I ordered then from won't get them in until Tuesday. I live in Southern Ontario so I'm not expecting then to look great. I have an impact driver would anyone recommend using that to remove the bolts? Or am I better to stick with a cheater bar since to avoid snapping the head off?


Scott did you have to jack anything up to keep it from falling down when you removed the sub frame? I'm asking incase my bolts snap I want to be able to take it to my mechanic and have him weld on a but and remove the bolts without having to spend a ton of time and therefore cost me a ton if money. The more I can do myself the better and I don't have welding equipment.


I would use a long handled ratchet or breaker bar, rather than an impact gun. If the bolts are in bad shape the impact gun will snap them like toothpicks.

You don't have to support anything while removing them and can carefully drive to the dealership if one snaps on you.

[tmontague]

Thanks, I'll post how it went after the weekend. If they did snap I wouldn't be able to remove the sub frame and drive to my mechanic and get him to weld a nut to the broken bolt would I? I'm assuming I'd have to pay him to remove the subframe to get access to the bolt?

[CTScott]

Thanks, I'll post how it went after the weekend. If they did snap I wouldn't be able to remove the sub frame and drive to my mechanic and get him to weld a nut to the broken bolt would I? I'm assuming I'd have to pay him to remove the subframe to get access to the bolt?

You can't drive with the subframe removed, but you can drive with the broken bolt(s). There are quite a few more bolts that hold the subframe to the chassis. You don't actually have to completely remove the subframe to get at the broken bolt; you just need to lower it a few inches. To completely remove it you have to disconnect the steering column from the steering rack.

[tmontague]

thanks for the clarification. I'll cross my fingers and hope there is still some strength left in the bolt head.

[Mongoose7]

Did my bolts about a week ago. I was very lucky... it's an '07 hatchback that spent all it's life in NY state.... lots of salt, and both of them came out w/o breaking!!!!!

[tmontague]

I just did my bolts earlier today. My passenger side was in better shape and looked like Mongooses in the above image. My driver side bolt was very rusted and one more winter and it would have likely snapped. I am lucky to get them out in one piece, and about double the amount of crap came out from each screw hole then in the image above.

I coated the new bolts in a boat load of grease and installed. I will now be checking them after every winter (Southern Ontario - massive amounts of salt applied to roads) and re coating them in grease. It will be interesting to see how they hold up with the grease.

On a side note I also checked my valve clearance today. Not due to any excessive noise but more because my Yaris has 118,000 km on it and I wanted to inspect sludge build up and learn more about working on my car.

All the valves were right in the middle of their clearance ranges and my engine was spotless, absolutely no build up at all. FWIW I change my oil every 8,000km usually put in Canadian Tire Formula1 synthetic (always use synthetic since I got the car at 87,000km) and a general oil filter. I cleaned out the PCV valve as well with throttle body cleaner although it was rattling fine.

One thing I noticed was my number 1 spark plug hole looked like some oil or something had burned inside. The spark plug connector was dirty, the hole had a little dark burned dry oil on it and my spark plug had oil not on the igniter or threads but on the ceramic white part where the metal ring is. I changed the plugs when I got the car and I have never spilled oil on the engine and the other plug holes were all completely dry and clean. any ideas to what could have caused this? I checked my valve cover gasket it still very pliable and in good shape. I changed the spark plug just in case as I haven't noticed any performance or firing issues.

thanks in advance

[kaz777]

" I would really like to see one of the bolts that has failed on someone's car. "

Would be nice to see a picture of the snaaped off bolt . Very slim chance .

" With the size of the bolts I don't believe that they can rust deep enough to weaken enough to fail. I have a funny feeling that the bolts in question have an issue where they were made either too soft or too brittle. "


Dont know if anyone showed one (snapped off bolt head), but here it is on our car, Right side (passenger). Made the noise took it to our mechanic who showed it to us and told us to go to toyota with the letter. We are hoping they cover it with the letter today. They sched it a 1pm (half day off work) hope it takes the hour and half they claim in letter???
Our local mechanic noticed the a/c drains right onto it. hmm? I live NE usa. This car has 50k on it 08 sedan yaris. The other side has a rusted regular looking bolt on the same bar. Not sure it they cover it. I bet they wont pull the same one on other side, I fear the head wont rust but the bolt will like mongoose pic above. Incidentally there seems to be a fair amt of rust on the bar near bolts on drivers side too, guess they wont cover it tho".

EDITED TO SAY: today my car is at a toyota dealer, they are giving us a loaner saying the car is not safe. They cov'd it in full both bolts and even fixed the seat adjuster recall, but the seat is harder to work now, must do it two handed on each side of front bottom of it. OH and the did a realignment since it got complicated getting the sheared off bolt out. Im very grateful had a great toyota dealer experience :) Ive had much worse at other types of dealers in the past.

[CB900F2]

Wondering anyone else had the TSB performed on their yaris and removed to inspect the bolts? And if so, how was the condition... I am planning to inspect mine. Hoping the tsb helped in keeping the corrosive salt away from the bolts on mine ...

[kaz777]

cb900: what is tsb, I thought it was a notice that this was a problem, how would it protect the corrosion from happening? If there is something they can do to protect the bolts from corrosion I want it done!?

[yarisugi]

Technical Service Bulletin (http://www.toyotaproblems.com/tsbs/).

[kaz777]

duplicate reply sorry

[kaz777]

Technical Service Bulletin (http://www.toyotaproblems.com/tsbs/).

:thumbsup: thanks. I dont diy tho' so its up to toyota to cover what they will but its helpful to read those.

[kaz777]

I accid had a duplicate reply, delayed posts. Sorry. BTW they fixed my car bolts both, even tho one was sheared off, they also fixed the seat adjust thing on drivers side that is a recall or enhancement w/o me even telling them too. I got a loaner car on them (brand new corolla) I was very impressed w/ their service had worse experiences at past dealers of other makes.
The seat works harder now but if its safer ok.

[CueBall]

I stumbled across this thread and now I'm thinking I better do this! I got the letter about a year ago and forgot all about it. :bonk:
I think I'll try to get them out myself. I'm wondering why no one has thought to try and find better bolts.. something that has more resistance to corrosion.. like stainless steel maybe? What do you all think? Does stainless torque well? Will it hold the 118 ft/lbs?
Any input is appreciated.

[CTScott]

I stumbled across this thread and now I'm thinking I better do this! I got the letter about a year ago and forgot all about it. :bonk:
I think I'll try to get them out myself. I'm wondering why no one has thought to try and find better bolts.. something that has more resistance to corrosion.. like stainless steel maybe? What do you all think? Does stainless torque well? Will it hold the 118 ft/lbs?
Any input is appreciated.

Stainless is too brittle for this application.

[eseibel67]

Well the 07 sedan has been through many southern Ontario winters and I'm afraid to try and take the bolts out. My plan is to drill a drainage hole, and using the straw, spray oil on the threads of the bolt. It would have to be done periodically, but it might save the bolt from furthur corrosion. I see this as a better option than trying to remove it and breaking it for certain.

[dkwilfert]

Stainless is too brittle for this application.

Just curious, what was the source of the information that stainless is too brittle for this application? That seems to imply quite a bit of motion/flex at this joint.

[CTScott]

Just curious, what was the source of the information that stainless is too brittle for this application? That seems to imply quite a bit of motion/flex at this joint.

The bolt is mounted in a metal tube that is then suspended in dense rubber so that the control arm can move, so there is definitely flex at that joint. The right blend of stainless would be fine, but off the shelf bolts would be more brittle of a stainless blend then would be appropriate.

[bronsin]

Well the 07 sedan has been through many southern Ontario winters and I'm afraid to try and take the bolts out. My plan is to drill a drainage hole, and using the straw, spray oil on the threads of the bolt. It would have to be done periodically, but it might save the bolt from furthur corrosion. I see this as a better option than trying to remove it and breaking it for certain.

Id be afraid if its that far gone it will break all by itself.

[nookandcrannycar]

Id be afraid if its that far gone it will break all by itself.

:thumbsup: The accident mentioned earlier in this thread (in 2013) was enough to scare me into action.

[CueBall]

Well the 07 sedan has been through many southern Ontario winters and I'm afraid to try and take the bolts out. ....... a better option than trying to remove it and breaking it for certain.

I feel the same way. But if that happens I'll carefully drive to the dealership and have them do the warrenty. :thumbsup:

I guess stainless is out then? That's too bad. :thumbdown:

[eseibel67]

As with most automotive problems, I usually mull it over for a few days before I tear into action.

There's no doubt that the (relatively) permanent solution is to get new bolts. Skip the seam sealer prescribed in the Toyota TSB because you will never get it 100% water tight anyway, and it will just delay evaporation of water that does get in there. Drill 1/4" holes so the water can drain out of that low spot. Paint the freshly cut metal to prevent corrosion. Slather the control arm hole/new bolt head washer with blue marine grade grease such as Bombardier Triple Guade grease. That stuff is so tacky, it's hard to wipe off with an alcohol soaked rag. It will surely fend off a few drops of water for the next 10 years.

I am just outside of the 7 year warrnty cutoff. Hopefully some devine miracle will allow the old bolts to be removed in one piece. I really want to avoid dropping the subframe.

[nookandcrannycar]

:thumbsup: The accident mentioned earlier in this thread (in 2013) was enough to scare me into action.

Bolts replaced in 2013 :thumbsup:.

[Echo86]

Replaced the LCAs yesterday, successfully, without shearing any bolts or damaging threads. The alignment to get the arm is was the tricky part. Used a lube by a company called Schaeffer. Not available in stores and many times better than WD40. Before you laugh and say its from an infomercial, the guy who helped me with the arms had it in his shop. No heat needed at all to remove 12 yr old bolts without damage. Unreal stuff.

[kanaga]

It looks like i have some work to do...

Passenger side
55569

Driver side
55570

Any suggestions on the best way to remove the headless bolt?

[ex-x-fire]

I think you can lower the cradle a little & try to turn it out with a pipe wrench.

[kanaga]

I was thinking that was the most probable solution. Would it need to be on a lift, or could I use ramps?

[ex-x-fire]

If you try lowering the cradle it'll need to be on a lift or stands. You can access the upper nut of the control arm bolt if the foot well area. Someone actually pounded the broken bolt up through there, it broke loose the captured nut, allowing full removal of it.

[CTScott]

Removing the cradle is amazingly difficult with a broken bolt, as the rusted bolt bonds to the bolt sleeve. That is definitely the way to do it. Don't tray the hammering it to remove the captive nut route, as you will do more damage than you want to in doing so.

[2009Toyotoad]

I seem to remember a recall notice for this. It might still be in my glove box I'll check tomorrow and update the post if its still there.

[CTScott]

I seem to remember a recall notice for this. It might still be in my glove box I'll check tomorrow and update the post if its still there.

There is a service bulletin on it. So, that really is another option (as long as it falls within the mileage limit) - to simply bring the car to Toyota and let them deal with it.

[kanaga]

Mine has 170,000 miles; way past the warranty

[CTScott]

Mine has 170,000 miles; way past the warranty

And, if I remember correctly the "warranty extension" for this issue is only to 100K miles.

[kanaga]

And, if I remember correctly the "warranty extension" for this issue is only to 100K miles.
Yep. 7 years / 100K miles

[kanaga]

Should I use jacks at the jack points to take the weight off of the wheels, or ramps? I don't have access to a lift.

[CTScott]

Should I use jacks at the jack points to take the weight off of the wheels, or ramps? I don't have access to a lift.

Definitely jack it via the lift points. If you use ramps you will still have the weight on the front suspension. Make sure you support it very well, as it will take a lot of torque to break some of the bolts loose.

[shepd]

Just did mine. They were so seized in there my 1/2" breaker bar was useless as it just kept bending (didn't stay bent but all my energy was going into a spring). Bought a 3/4" socket (no metric that small, but fortunately it's basically identical to 19mm) for my 36 inch 3/4" breaker bar. That did the job GREAT although I had to back the bolts out most of the way with the breaker bar as they never loosened enough for a ratchet until the very end. I did this with one corner of the car jacked up very high. Total labour (for me) about 2 hours (due to having to back them out with the big-ass breaker bar).

If I were to do this again, I'd simply do it with the car on the ground as those bolts are easy to reach without any need for additional clearance. Would take just as long but way more comfy. Or, if I were a shop, I'd put the car on a lift, get the bolts loose with the breaker bar, and finish them up with an impact wrench.

It was about time to do it as well, look at what doesn't get a recall in Toyota land:

http://i58.tinypic.com/2u4kig4.jpg

Guess I will be doing this every couple of years so long as I own the car. Fortunately the replacement bolts are only $17 total here in Canada (odd to find something at the dealer that didn't require me to get a second job to pay for it).

Front end clunk never disappeared after fixing it, though. Guess I have something else to fix... Ball joints and tie rods seem fine. :(

[tmontague]

Front end clunk never disappeared after fixing it, though. Guess I have something else to fix... Ball joints and tie rods seem fine. :(

Check your sway bar end links, bushings and control arm bushings. I'm having the same issue on my Echo and i'm gooing to change the bushings next. I'll let you know if it fixes it. The struts, inner and outer tie rods, engine mounts are all new and the strut bearings were both regreased.

[kanaga]

If you're on the fence about replacing these bolts, do not assume that they are OK because the bolt heads look ok. My driver side bolt head looked brand new, but the shaft was in bad condition.

55610

55611

[tmontague]

How'd you end up removing the one w/ the snapped off head?

[auxmike]

What's the part #?

[kanaga]

How'd you end up removing the one w/ the snapped off head?
I jacked up the car and removed both wheels. I then removed all of the bolts holding the crossmember to the car. Then I was able to use a pry bar to pry down the lower control arm and crossmember. This exposed the shaft of the bolt above the bushing. I then used A pair of vice grips to back the bolt out.

[kanaga]

What's the part #?
90119-14126 or 90119-14151

the second number is supposed to be a replacement for the first, but there doesn't seem to be any difference.

[tmontague]

Just some updated info regarding the bolts.

I removed mine the other day to inspect its condition. I replaced them about 10 months ago with new ones and put anti seize on the threads and covered the whole bolt in grease.

I re torqued them without weight on the wheels so I wanted to install them with the suspensions properly weighted and I was curious as to how a very cold and salted winter effected them.

I removed them and there was absolutely no rust on them what so ever. The grease was still all over the bolts but it was a bit more dry. I removed the old grease and put marine grease on them instead thinking it would do an even better job.

After seeing the condition after 1 year I will now be checking these every 2 years instead. I assume that they will last about 6-7 years before I'll need to replace them again.

[JTDBT903]

Took car in for some recall work today and told them about the TSB and these bolts and the guy tells me this TSB is obsolete!

Was this ever a recall for northern USA climates? My car is a 08 sedan with 31k.

Should I just buy the bolts and replace? I only have one winter on her.

[kanaga]

Did he say anything about a new TSB that replaced it? I'm pretty sure that the bolts won't just stop rusting on their own.

[CTScott]

The update TSB is: T-SB-0078-12

The Canadian one is: T-TCI-3626

[JTDBT903]

The update TSB is: T-SB-0078-12

The Canadian one is: T-TCI-3626



Went back and told him about TSB 0078-12
and he said that is only good for the 3year/36k warranty.

I thought they extended this to 7year/100k?

Also, I got nowhere with corporate Toyota, but I only gave them the Canadian TSB 3271 at the time.

[CTScott]

Went back and told him about TSB 0078-12
and he said that is only good for the 3year/36k warranty.

I thought they extended this to 7year/100k?

Also, I got nowhere with corporate Toyota, but I only gave them the Canadian TSB 3271 at the time.

It is 7/100:

55831

[tmontague]

I'd just recommend getting the bolts yourself and replacing them, it will save you and your wallet down the road.

[JTDBT903]

Scott, is that an official document of Toyota?

I called corporate this morning and for the second time I have talked to them they know absolutely nothing about this issue, and without a specific TSB number they were clueless. Both times I feel I was treated very rudely.
This is a safety problem and you think they would be a little more concerned about it!

Anyway apparently my VIN does not fall under this WARRANTY ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM even though my 2008 yaris sedan is clearly included in the vehicles covered. I asked the woman if she was unwilling to help me and she told me to take it up with the dealer.

I am in disbelief as how TOYOTA is treating this issue with me.

[tmontague]

Toyota does not have a very good track record of helping people out with manufacturers problems. That being said no car companies really do.

Hence why it's just best to pick up the bolts and do it yourself. The more you know about the Yaris the less you need to rely on others to fix it.

[JTDBT903]

Toyota does not have a very good track record of helping people out with manufacturers problems. That being said no car companies really do.

Hence why it's just best to pick up the bolts and do it yourself. The more you know about the Yaris the less you need to rely on others to fix it.

That's what I'm more than likely going todo. I do all my own work anyway. I just wanted to have some satisfaction as to proving it to the dealer that I was correct with this issue, and also Toyota. I was thinking of getting a new Tundra down the road but not now......

[nookandcrannycar]

That's what I'm more than likely going todo. I do all my own work anyway. I just wanted to have some satisfaction as to proving it to the dealer that I was correct with this issue, and also Toyota. I was thinking of getting a new Tundra down the road but not now......

What about a reliable low cost independent shop? Friends who could recommend one? I bought the bolts and had such a shop do mine and it was under $30.00 IIRC...might have even been under $20.00. I've had them do other little things like clean the rear brakes along with adjusting the parking break, etc. They are just insanely inexpensive. They've been in business since 1973 and have two locations. When I think "expensive metros where the cost of everything is 'driven up'...", I think the West Coast, the Northeast, and South Florida....not Texas or NE Ohio :smile:.

[CTScott]

Scott, is that an official document of Toyota?

I called corporate this morning and for the second time I have talked to them they know absolutely nothing about this issue, and without a specific TSB number they were clueless. Both times I feel I was treated very rudely.
This is a safety problem and you think they would be a little more concerned about it!

Anyway apparently my VIN does not fall under this WARRANTY ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM even though my 2008 yaris sedan is clearly included in the vehicles covered. I asked the woman if she was unwilling to help me and she told me to take it up with the dealer.

I am in disbelief as how TOYOTA is treating this issue with me.


Yes - That was an official bulletin to dealerships. The updated TSB numbers that I posted above are current and correct.

It is possible that your sedan is not included, as sedans are a different body and are built in a different factory, so they may have the seams sealed that are the cause of the issue.

[kanaga]

It is possible that your sedan is not included, as sedans are a different body and are built in a different factory, so they may have the seams sealed that are the cause of the issue.

I had received notices from Toyota regarding this issue for my 08 sedan.

[Be_Jammin]

I checked my bolts a month or so ago. After 5 years / 50KM in southern Ontario, The driver side bolt was like new, the passenger bolt was slightly rusted on surface. Some black liquid came out with the passenger one. I put vaseline (I had no grease) on them and reinstalled.
These were the original bolts based on the head markings.

Question: There are quite a few other bolts on front underside that look quite rusty (At least the heads do), should I be concerned about this?

[jack black]

Toyota often seems to change part numbers, and sometimes with no visible change to the part (it could be something as simple as them changing suppliers for the part and hence revving the part number). I bought some of the 90119-14151 bolts and there does not appear to be any difference in strength rating, plating, etc. with the new part number.

I personally plan on checking (and perhaps replacing) the bolts once per year.

i just got to replacing the bolts for the new and improved. there is some difference in the stamping, probably improved strength, but don't know how to decode it (see picture).

i did remove the old ones a couple of years ago to inspect, grease, and retorque. there was some superficial rust, but it didn't get any worse after nice greasing the whole length. in retrospect, i didn't need to replace it.

but, the car never saw any snow or ice. it would be very different in the salted roads states.

[BobTheYaris]

does anyone know where you could get the oem bolt? my car is way past the extended mileage and I want to replace it just because

[snowsquirrel]

I purchased mine thru Parts.com in USA
the original part # is 90119-14126
but 90119-14151 will work too.

the ones I removed from the vehicle looks ugly, but not as bad as others posted here, considering I'm in Canada where road salt is used in winters.

[kanaga]

does anyone know where you could get the oem bolt? my car is way past the extended mileage and I want to replace it just because

I got my replacement bolts through the dealership.

[NYC-SE]

Does anyone have a copy of T-SB-0078-12 ?

[CTScott]

Does anyone have a copy of T-SB-0078-12 ?

57762

[NYC-SE]

Thank you Scott. I had a sneaking suspicion you would have it.

[fourbangingfun]

Just got around to replacing my control arm bolts.

2007 sedan with 180k miles on it. 10 years of exposure to Massachusetts' wintry conditions. They salt the living Jesus out of even the most slight winter precipitation here.

Pretty decent amount of rot on the neck of the bolt. Surprisingly my mechanic said the control arms themselves are doing alright. :bow:

57836

57837

[tmontague]

Good thing you got them out when you did, mine looked about the same when I removed them 2 years ago

[ern-diz]

How concerned do you think us California kids have to be about this?

[tmontague]

not very likely unless you live near the coast with a lot of ocean spray.

I'd swap them at the 10 year mark if I lived in Cali. Or to save money just pull your out and coat the threads with anti seize and then coat the whole thing in marine grease. That's what i did to my new ones and after 2 years not a single thing of rust on the bolt shaft

[ern-diz]

not very likely unless you live near the coast with a lot of ocean spray.

I'd swap them at the 10 year mark if I lived in Cali. Or to save money just pull your out and coat the threads with anti seize and then coat the whole thing in marine grease. That's what i did to my new ones and after 2 years not a single thing of rust on the bolt shaft

Thank you, sir!

[RichardPan]

My 07 sedan is now 10.5 years old, and I live in Ottawa, Canada, where road salts are just a fact of life. Would it be a good idea to find a mechanic to replace the bolts, before it snaps? Seems like this potential problem would be the last remaining item that would limit the service life of my Yaris. It has only 130k km on it, and engine/transmission seems to be in good shape.

[ex-x-fire]

I'd soak those bolts in lube before trying to remove them.

[tmontague]

The issue is accessing the threads to get a penetrating lube in there.

If you have impact tools if try yourself, if they snap drive cautiously to the nearest mechanic. If you don't have impact tools then just go to a mechanic.

I can't remember but I believe the solution if they snapped was to have a bit welded onto the stud which can then be removed.

[NYC-SE]

This is still an issue with 3rd gen cars. Below is a pic of the passenger side LCA bolt from my 2014 SE. I changed them out a week ago because the front end was making a clunking noise and I suspected that the LCA bolts were the issue. They were. No more clunking now. You can read about my adventure here:

http://www.yarisworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=57576

For those who suspect this may be an issue with their car: The only symptom I had was the clunking noise. The car rode, handled, steered, braked fine. Everything that you could see of the front suspension looked fine too. That's the problem, the LCA bolts are hidden. If you are in a heavy salt area and you are clunking you need to check the LCA bolts.

I was able to R&R the bolts with the car on the ground without a problem. As others here have suggested I coated the new bolts with a high quality calcium sulfonate marine grade grease before installing them. Should help for the future, but I'll be inspecting them every year going forward.

Toyota needs to update the TSB to include ALL model years and they need to extend the warranty on this to 3rd gen cars as well.

P.S. This thread needs to be made a sticky.

[tmontague]

I'll be inspecting them every year going forward.


FYI, I had also originally planned on pulling the bolts once per year but after coating them virtually the same as you and pulling them to inspect after 1 year, I now just check them every 2 years. Even at 2 years they're virtually untouched.

It's your call but I figured I'd give my input to save you some hassle as your roads are similarly coated in brine for 4 months of the year like ours are.

[NYC-SE]

FYI, I had also originally planned on pulling the bolts once per year but after coating them virtually the same as you and pulling them to inspect after 1 year, I now just check them every 2 years. Even at 2 years they're virtually untouched.

It's your call but I figured I'd give my input to save you some hassle as your roads are similarly coated in brine for 4 months of the year like ours are.

I think I'll pull them in a year anyway just to satisfy my curiosity. I would expect them to be in good shape. After that probably every 2 years. I figure if they can survive for 3 years with no protection they should be fine after 2 with a good coat of grease.

[Cartel]

toyota pig iron...I'll have to inspect mine after seeing this disaster

[bladesmith6]

Well i finally checked mine on my 2007 and glad i did, the driver side was looking really bad. Well coated the new ones in grease and installed with no real drama.

[jayeh]

My 07 sedan is now 10.5 years old, and I live in Ottawa, Canada, where road salts are just a fact of life. Would it be a good idea to find a mechanic to replace the bolts, before it snaps? Seems like this potential problem would be the last remaining item that would limit the service life of my Yaris. It has only 130k km on it, and engine/transmission seems to be in good shape.

I had my old mechanic in Ottawa switch mine out. My car is a 2008 and they were replaced in 2012-14 sometime ( I can't remember!) and snapped when they were extracting them. Luckily they welded on a bolt and were able to extract them that way!

I'd get on it ASAP!

[yaris2011-07]

I was able to get the bolts on my Yaris replaced. The passenger side came out without breaking. I wasn't so lucky with the driver's side.

The attached images are the driver's side bolt from a 2008 Yaris Hatchback after 10 years and 70K kms.

The new ones have been installed with lithium grease.. should last longer! :smile:

[NYC-SE]

My God, I think those are the worst I've seen yet!

[tmontague]

How was the broken bolt extracted?

[yaris2011-07]

How was the broken bolt extracted?

Yup, looks bad. I needed to drop the subframe and then heat up the bolt bolt with a propane torch. Once heated, I used a good pair of vise grips and was able to remove the bolt.

The most difficult part of this procedure was getting the control arm bushing to release the bolt since the bolt was rusted solid to the bushing sleeve.

[dogsridewith]

I think this may happen because Toyota skipped a drain hole(s) somewhere. I did an oil change in dry conditions a day after I'd washed the car or there had been a rain event. Car on a lawn sloping somewhat nose down. Drove front wheels up on low ramps to level for oil change. Some time passed in steps of the oil change. And here's water dripping from that subframe area! (pretty sure I checked to see that it wasn't coming from the rubber HVAC tube)
(Warning - Broken control arm bolt! subframe Mind of Toyota)

[tmontague]

The most difficult part of this procedure was getting the control arm bushing to release the bolt since the bolt was rusted solid to the bushing sleeve.

I had the same issues on my '05 vibe when I replaced the control arms, took an extra 6hrs and I ended up having to burn out the bushing and enlarge the subframe hole to fit the metal insert through. It was seized so bad I never got it unstuck. An impact was useless as the bushing dampened the impacts.

Now on any car I own I pull the control arm bolts and antiseize the whole thing so it never seized to the bushing sleeve. Takes some time but saves hours down the road

[yaris2011-07]

I think this may happen because Toyota skipped a drain hole(s) somewhere. I did an oil change in dry conditions a day after I'd washed the car or there had been a rain event. Car on a lawn sloping somewhat nose down. Drove front wheels up on low ramps to level for oil change. Some time passed in steps of the oil change. And here's water dripping from that subframe area! (pretty sure I checked to see that it wasn't coming from the rubber HVAC tube)
(Warning - Broken control arm bolt! subframe Mind of Toyota)

Agreed. Some extra drain holes or extra sealing to prevent water from entering the bushing sleeve would help to prevent this situation.

[yaris2011-07]

I had the same issues on my '05 vibe when I replaced the control arms, took an extra 6hrs and I ended up having to burn out the bushing and enlarge the subframe hole to fit the metal insert through. It was seized so bad I never got it unstuck. An impact was useless as the bushing dampened the impacts.

Now on any car I own I pull the control arm bolts and antiseize the whole thing so it never seized to the bushing sleeve. Takes some time but saves hours down the road

I also ended up burning part of the bushing while lowering the subframe.
I torched the bushing sleeve a number of times, so the heating and cooling process along with alot of hammering on the bushing sleeve helped to release it from the bolt.

[Cartel]

I'm trying to show a local shop theses pictures and its useless linking this thread cause you dont display the images without signing up first.

thanks

[thetut]

Right click on the image.
Select "Copy"
Open Paint program
Select "New"
press Ctrl + V
Save file and copy it to your phone or tablet.
Show it to your mechanic and let him revel in the destruction.

[Billiam]

We bought a '10 LB a couple of weeks ago with 126k on it. The 1st thing I did was change the oil to some M1 High Mileage 5/30. The 2nd thing I did while it was on the ramps was to check these infamous bolts. I was very nervous putting the breaker bar on them. Thankfully they both came out with out any drama. Despite water dripping from the passenger side hole when the bolt was removed, both bolts looked great. I lathered them completely in antiseize as well as the holes and reinstalled them.

I'm way out of warranty and on my own. So checking these will be part of my regular maintenance

[Cartel]

Well I ordered the bolts.
Toyota argued with me about the part number and how they are non-returnable.
Apparently 90119-14126 was superseded by 90119-14144 and 90119-14151 wouldn't match up for him, he basically talked me into getting the 14144 bolts.

I pulled mine out, the drivers was pretty loose.

I then dipped the new bolts in marine grease from top to bottom and made sure they were really gooped up with excessive amounts of grease and put them in.

My car has under 45,000KM on it so they were not bad.

The bolts were $26 CAD for both.
I cranked the wheel to one side and layed beside the car to get them out without lifting it.

I wanted the garage to just inspect mine while getting a wheel alignment next week but decided to just replace them myself first.

The new ones only had 1 mark compared to 2 on the original.

https://i.imgur.com/huL2KNc.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/ExMt93P.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/TXqz8Xz.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/UJxt2y6.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/ZkBIwDw.jpg

[tmontague]

those are in decent shape, keep them as spares just in case

the marine grease has worked well for me and I now only check them every couple of years as the water seems to keep away from the marine grease really well

[Whiplash]

Post.

[dogsridewith]

Post.

exactly

[Whiplash]

I have some reading to do.

[tmontague]

bumping up an old thread. I was installing some subframe collars today and pulled my control arm bolts I replace 3-4 years ago. I hadn't pulled them since 3 or so years ago. Well they look brand new with zero rust on them. All I did was coat the thread and the neck of the bolt in anti seize and then coat the neck in marine grade grease. The grease squeezes out when you tighten the bolts back up but that stuff is sticky and keep the water that pools in the area from contacting the metal.

apparently this is a great method of keeping the rust away.

https://i.imgur.com/c4nMa26.jpg?1
this is after it was wiped off, it was crazy dirty.

Torque spec on the bolt is 118 ft/lbs

*take note* the bolt neck is what corrodes and snaps off so anti seize on the threads is a good idea for corrosion resistance but it will not fix the underlying rust issue with these bolts. Coat the bolt neck in marine great which is sticky as heck and will not allow water to sit against the metal and corrode it

[komichal]

Ah, thanks for reviving this thread. It reminds me that I need to check it on mine as well.
I have no idea whether my car can have this problem or not (VIN code: VNKKL98310A....) So it seems I have to go for visual inspection.
Local winters are salty so I may have some issue with this.

[RCRobymar]

Hello Everybody,

I just got these two bolts replaced (TOYOTA Part #: 90119-14126) after dealing for some time now with a squeaking noise coming from the front suspension of my Toyota Yaris 2008 (Hatchback) while driving over a speed bump or an uneven surface.

I just came back home after driving it for 10 minutes around the neighborhood and the problem seems to be gone! :)

Tip: Before screwing the new bolts in, I submerged them in heavy duty grease to keep water and rust away for as long as possible.

I hope it helps all Yaris Owners out there!
RCRobymar.

[kenora]

I will add a bit of a curve ball to the front end issues with the Yaris.. it could be MORE than just the LCA bolts..

I have a 2009 Yaris HB 4dr LE with 180000 km (about 115000 miles).. almost exclusively highway and a 3 season vehicle. In the dead of a Manitoba/NW Ontario winter we drive a 2010 F--d Escape AWD.

In Oct, just before the Hamster (name we gave the Yaris) went into the garage for the winter I noted a constant clunking coming from the left front when going down gravel roads (I'm in central Canukistan..gravel IS considered an acceptable highway material and often better than asphalt).

After much checking I concluded (incorrectly) that it was the left inner tie rod end since grabbing the tie rod and yanking would get some movement ...so I bought a new inner TR end and the tool to remove/install it... In mid November (in the garage) I started work and found that it wasn't the inner TR, instead the drivers side mount for the steering rack had corroded and broken off, leaving the entire rack supported only by the pass side mount.

These are long 11mm (shaft dia) with a 17mm head (top) and 17mm nut on the bottom of the car.

The DS nut was hanging by dirt and rust and the whole rack would move with a small push/pull.... I was PI--ED OFF knowing it could have killed me at anytime and couldn't figure out what was up.

I unhooked the tie rods and the steering column then TRIED to remove the broken bolt from the D Side of the rack ....

well it's nearly unreachable as it mounted behind the steering input shaft (the designer should be beaten!) making getting a tool on it next to impossible... the PS is easy to get to.

Anyway after a ridiculous amount of frustration I got the rack out with the DS bolt still ruster into the bushings metal sleeve.. then into a 10 ton press (could NOT press it out) so then into a giant vise to hold the metal sleeve with a HUGE impact gun.. this finally got the bolt to spin in the metal sleeve and out it came (I'll post pictures).

I ordered new bolts and nuts ($42 CDN with taxes) and spent a day reassembling everything....

Well the Hamster came of the garage today as I set off for a front end alignment (tie rods had come off...) HOWEVER it STILL CLUNKED... just like before the steering rack odyssey so I turned around and put her (the hamster) back into the garage and set about searching this site and stumbled on this thread,,

I was able to get both mounting bolts out without breaking them and found them both in awful condition BUT not nearly as rusted as the steering rack bolts...

so.... I've ordered new 19mm LCA mounting bolts ($25 CDN) and will install those next week when they arrive from the centre of the Cdn universe ... Toronto :)

It would be wise to keep in mind they the idiots that brought you sh-t LCA bolts also did the same on the smaller and more fragile steering rack bolts...

btw..Toyota wanted $2200 (or more...its always more) to fix the rack...

[kenora]

well it looks like I did some house cleaning and got rid of the steering rack bolt pics but here are the LCA bolts... the passenger side shaft has eroded (rusted away) more that the other but I'm glad I'm changing them..
If some needs to see the steering rack bolts I can take another pic ... I saved the bolts to show friends the crap Toyota put in these cars..

[myfirstyota]

well it looks like I did some house cleaning and got rid of the steering rack bolt pics but here are the LCA bolts... the passenger side shaft has eroded (rusted away) more that the other but I'm glad I'm changing them..
If some needs to see the steering rack bolts I can take another pic ... I saved the bolts to show friends the crap Toyota put in these cars..

I'm very impressed you were able to get the rack bolts out and replaced without dropping the subframe. Or did I miss that step?

[kenora]

that is correct... the sub frame doesn't need to come out..

I needed to removed the drivers side inner tie rod and boot and then wiggle the rack out the passenger side.. it takes a bit of twist and turn and about 5 minutes but out she came...
on reinstall it goes in the same way... the inner tie rod is installed after the rack is back on..

[ex-x-fire]

I was checking the LCA bolts on a new to me 09, I got the bolts out ok, not to rusty but rusty dust fell out. The metal sleeve of the bushing seemed way over sized for the bolt. Anyone remember this being the case?