I was turning down a residential street and when I was getting up to speed. About 30 miles per hour. My truck jumped up a couple times like I hit a pit hole. I got out to inspect and see what I hit but the street was freshly paved 2 years before it was smooth as butter. I look at the truck and find out my passenger tire had fallen off. Upon further inspection I see my ball joints failed and try tire came off. It snapped the cv axle in half ripped and the brake line and abs module off and broke the frame bracket for the rack and pinon. As a result my insurance totaled my vehicle out.
2003 Toyota Tundra: ball joint or control arm failure
19 of the 399 complaints about the 2003 Toyota Tundra describe ball joint or control arm failure.
- owner complaints
- 19
- of this car's complaints
- 5%
- typical mileage
- 63,000
- recalls
- 1
Is there a fix? There is 1 recall and 2 service bulletins for this area of the car. See below
Ball joint or control arm failure by model year
What owners say
Takara inflators and driving down a very busy street and had a driver flashing his lights at me. I pulled over to find out that my spare tire underneath my truck had fallen off and bounced into a building. I go back to get it and notice that it had rusted and fell off. I've been having ball joint issues and now my rack and pinion has started to leak because of rust. I've learned about a recall on my frame has been issued. I called toyota and they said my truck had been looked at and no problem was found. I've got the spare tire and the rusted bracket. I'm really scared to even drive it,and air bag they want to replace it but to scared to drive it
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota tundra. The contact stated that the front driver's side ball joint was faulty, rusted, and could no longer support the front driver's side of the vehicle. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 133,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota tundra. While driving 2 MPH and making a left turn, an abnormal noise was heard the vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the upper control arm was corroded and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact also mentioned that the vehicle was previously repaired per the federal safety agency campaign number: 09v444000 (structure). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 74,000. Updated 04/19/17 *lj
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota tundra. The contact stated that while driving 70 MPH, the front driver's side wheel became detached from the vehicle. The contact applied the brakes and began to skid until the vehicle came to a stop. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for inspection and was repaired. The manufacturer was notified and stated that they would assist with the cost of the failed ball joint but not for any additional damages as a result of the failure. The failure mileage was 174,000. Updated 5/17/13
I have a 2003 toyota tundra that I bought new and have had serviced at the same toyota dealership since the purchase. In june 2008, I had the 60,000 service done and had front brakes replaced. In august 2008, while pulling out of my driveway, the driver's side lower control arm rusted through and the wheel was no longer connected to steering. After having the truck towed, I had to have both lower control arms replaced. Toyota USA paid for half. Since then, I have tried repeatedly to have toyota and the dealership step up and accept the responsibility for the rust issue. The dealership says it's not their problem and toyota USA states they have no program in place to address this issue. Neither of these excuses are acceptable. My truck is spotless except for frame rust. Toyota needs to do something before a serious accident happens and someone is hurt or killed.
Front suspension lower ball joint recall on 2003 toyota tundra. Consumer states that his son had a serious accident and was injured. *nj the consumers son heard a loud noise and the right front of his truck dropped while he was driving. He was unable to steer the vehicle and hit a retaining wall. The consumer received a recall notice regarding the lower ball joint problem 9 months after the accident.
I bought a new 2003 toyota tundra limited 4x4 tuck here on guam. I've been experiencing shaking since about 2005. All the recalls supposily have been taken care of by the dealer ex: lower ball joint replaced, brakes replaced and passenger airbag disconnected by dealer. Shaking became minimal, but now my truck shakes more than ever. I even had one of the dealer's mechanics test drive the truck with me. He said it was because the road is bumpy. I even drove on a newly paved road and the shaking was even more noticable. I told him to look at the side view mirror at the bed shaking. That's when he agreed with me. The dealer had my truck for four months or so trying to figure what was causing the shaking with no prevail. Hince, I have been dealing with the compensating of braking and shaking of my truck. I am really fed up taking my truck in for this problem. All my records of service are at the toyota dealer. I hope you can find a solution to this problem and help me out.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 toyota tundra. The contact received a recall notice for the federal safety agency campaign id number 05v225000 (suspension:front:control arm:lower ball joint). He scheduled an appointment with the dealer to have the vehicle repaired when the parts arrived. The recall repair was performed on august 24, 2005. When the vehicle was taken to a different dealer for another failure, it was discovered that the vehicle had an outstanding repair for the ball joints. The contact was informed that the first dealer only inspected the ball joints instead of replace them as stated on toyota's website. The dealer advised him to go to the original dealer that performed the recall inspection. The dealer then scheduled a second appointment for the recall repair, but when he arrived for the repair, he was informed that the repair work had been performed the first time. Currently, the records indicate that the repair work had been performed, which is incorrect. The failure mileage was 48,270.
While towing a small trailer the front end of the vehicle started floating and became impossible to control. As a result the truck went out of control and flipped over causing over 10,000.00 in damages to the pickup. It was a bout a month or two after this that we received the recall on the front ball joint. Even though it was supposedly fixed??? It still continues to have problems. I have contacted the insurance company and they had never heard of the recall. I think toyota should stand up and do the right thing and give us a new truck that doesn't have potentially fatal recalls. Or maybe a class action legal response may be in order? I am contacting a lawyer asap I broke both wrist and cannot use my right arm now as a direct result of irresponsibility for this not being done right. If anyone else is interested let me know. Email me at the very least the dealer who sold us this vehicle should be liable for stating there is "nothing at all wrong with that truck" it is in perfect condition. What all that knowledge the pretend to posses about vehicles and they are not intelligent enough to check for recalls prior to reselling them to their "valued customers".
Tl*- while driving at 55 mphthe 2003/toyota/tundra ran into the retainer wall because the tie rod on the passenger's side snapped, lifting the truck. On january 11 2006 the dealer fixed the recalled tire rod end and ball joint. The contact believed that they should have also replaced the entire rod itself, they did not. He had the truck for seventeen days when the tie rod snapped. This almost killed his entire family. His was told to call the hot line by the dealer. The current and failure mileage were both 41000.
Tl* - the contact owns a 2002 toyota tundra pickup. The contact stated that therewas a safety recall on the lower ball joints. The contact took the vehicle to have the safety recall repaired, and two weeks later while driving at 30 MPH in beautiful weather, the lower ball joint on the front left side came apart, and the contact's vehicle hit a second vehicle. The contact stated that the police did not take a report. The contactwas employed as a senior engineer technician, and he needed the vehicle to do his job, and he has not been provided another vehicle while the vehicle was being investigated.
Service bulletins that may apply
Related recalls
Suspension: front: control arm: lower ball joint
- What is wrong
- On certain sport utility vehicles, due to a manufacturing issue in the front suspension lower ball joint, there is a possibility that the surface of the ball of the joint may have been scratched. The ball joint may eventually experience excessive wear and looseness, resulting in increased steering effort.
- Risk
- The lower ball joint may separate from the knuckle causing loss of steering control and a crash could occur.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the front suspension lower ball joints free of charge. The recall began on july 5, 2005. Owners may contact toyota at 1‑800‑331‑4331.
Recall number 05V225000 · Recall details
Questions about the 2003 Toyota Tundra ball joint
Is ball joint or control arm failure a common problem on the 2003 Toyota Tundra?
19 of 399 owner complaints about the 2003 Toyota Tundra (5%) mention ball joint or control arm failure. The model year with the most reports is 2004.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2003 Toyota Tundra?
There is 1 recall and 2 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2003 Toyota Tundra
Airbag light 16Check engine light 12No deployment 7Brake failure 6
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