Warning - Broken control arm bolt! - Page 18 - Toyota Yaris Forums

Hershey · 03-31-2014, 08:39 PM

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.

.

CTScott · 03-31-2014, 09:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 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.

.

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.

nookandcrannycar · 04-01-2014, 02:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hershey

Maybe we should change our user name to Captain Crunch.

.

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?

NEexpat · 05-09-2014, 10:12 PM

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.

Hershey · 03-31-2014, 09:36 PM

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 · 03-31-2014, 09:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 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 ?

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 · 03-31-2014, 09:57 PM

Or maybe not . Never was mentioned .

brice1971 · 04-07-2014, 09:55 AM

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 · 04-08-2014, 03:32 PM

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

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

CTScott · 05-09-2014, 10:14 PM

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

NEexpat · 05-09-2014, 10:20 PM

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 · 05-09-2014, 10:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 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.

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 · 05-09-2014, 10:57 PM

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

Silverkarn · 05-10-2014, 01:23 PM

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

VIN #JTDJT923085205355

NEexpat · 05-10-2014, 01:41 PM

^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 · 05-10-2014, 06:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 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.

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 · 05-10-2014, 07:06 PM

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 · 05-11-2014, 02:55 PM

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:

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?

04-08-2014, 03:32 PM	#9
marcus toyota View User's Garage Drives: 2007 Yaris RS Blazed Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: toronto, canada Posts: 3,637	Unfortunately this is not a recall here in canada...why is that. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk __________________ If my calculations are correct, when this baby hits eighty-eight miles per hour... you're gonna see some serious shit!!!!!! "Horsepower is how fast you hit the object. Torque is how far you move that object.."

05-09-2014, 10:14 PM	#10
CTScott ULTIMATE View User's Garage Drives: 09 5dr LB, 2x 08 3dr LB Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: USA, CT Posts: 13,450	Interesting. The black deposits almost look like some form of an oily residue. __________________

05-09-2014, 10:20 PM	#11
NEexpat Drives: 2009, auto, 4dr LB Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: S.E. New England Posts: 291	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. Last edited by NEexpat; 05-09-2014 at 10:31 PM.

05-10-2014, 07:06 PM	#17
NEexpat Drives: 2009, auto, 4dr LB Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: S.E. New England Posts: 291	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. Last edited by NEexpat; 05-10-2014 at 07:19 PM.

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
DIY Cruise Control FAQ (2006-2010 Yaris)	CTScott	DIY / Maintenance / Service	468	11-19-2024 03:45 PM
DIY - 2009 Cruise Control for $10, without pulling the steering wheel and airbag	CTScott	DIY / Maintenance / Service	307	04-04-2023 03:43 AM
Cruise Control - Again!	CB900F2	DIY / Maintenance / Service	47	06-17-2010 06:29 PM
Cruise control vs MPG	YarisOwnersDad	Fuel Economy Forum	15	05-29-2009 03:55 PM

03-31-2014, 08:39 PM	#1
Hershey Drives: 08 Yaris sedan auto / Fit auto Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: northeast Posts: 2,894	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. .

03-31-2014, 09:36 PM	#5
Hershey Drives: 08 Yaris sedan auto / Fit auto Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: northeast Posts: 2,894	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 ?

03-31-2014, 09:57 PM	#7
Hershey Drives: 08 Yaris sedan auto / Fit auto Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: northeast Posts: 2,894	Or maybe not . Never was mentioned .

05-09-2014, 10:57 PM	#13
NEexpat Drives: 2009, auto, 4dr LB Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: S.E. New England Posts: 291	Well that's it isn't it. In a nutshell, do you risk it, or continue on with your fingers crossed.

05-10-2014, 01:23 PM	#14
Silverkarn Drives: 2008 Toyota Yaris 2D Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: United States Posts: 28	How do i tell if my car is included in the problem cars? VIN #JTDJT923085205355

05-10-2014, 01:41 PM	#15
NEexpat Drives: 2009, auto, 4dr LB Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: S.E. New England Posts: 291	^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.

05-11-2014, 02:55 PM	#18
jack black Drives: 2007 red Yaris HB AT Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: southeast USA Posts: 197	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: 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?