NHTSA Investigation
RQ06005
LOWER BALL JOINT SEPARATION
Key Takeaways
- Investigation RQ06005 currently maps to 1 tracked vehicle-year page across 1 make.
- This page summarizes the public investigation subject, status, timing, and affected tracked vehicles linked from NHTSA source data.
- The linked component on this record is suspension:front:control arm:lower ball joint.
What This Investigation Page Shows
This page summarizes a public NHTSA investigation record tied to one or more tracked vehicle-year pages in our database. Investigation records sit between owner complaints and recall campaigns: they can remain open, close without a recall, or connect to a later remedy action. Use this page to see which tracked vehicles are linked to the record, then open the individual vehicle pages for complaints, recalls, and crash test context.
Investigation Summary
THE OFFICE OF DEFECTS INVESTIGATIONS (ODI) OPENED RQ06-005 BASED ON FOUR CONSUMER REPORTS OF ALLEGED BALL JOINT FAILURE. THE COMPLAINTS ALLEGE THAT A FRONT SUSPENSION BALL JOINT SEPARATED WHILE DRIVING, WHICH CAUSED THE SUSPENSION TO COLLAPSE AND RESULTED IN A LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL. ALL OF THESE COMPLAINTS INVOLVED THE FAILURE OF A LOWER TENSION-TYPE BALL JOINT. DURING THE INVESTIGATION THERE WERE 39 (36.7 PER 100,000 VEHICLES) COMPLAINTS AND 74 (69.6 PER 100,000 VEHICLES) WARRANTY CLAIMS FOR THE 2004 MODEL YEAR (MY) TOYOTA TUNDRA. FURTHER ANALYSIS SHOWED THAT THE AVERAGE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 54,025 MILES, AND THAT OF THE 109 UNIQUE BALL JOINT SEPARATION INCIDENTS, 64 (133 PER 100,000 VEHICLES) WERE ON FOUR-WHEEL DRIVE VEHICLES, WHICH MAKE UP APPROXIMATELY 45% OF THE 2004 MY POPULATION (106,346 VEHICLES). THE REMAINING 55% ARE TWO-WHEEL DRIVE VEHICLES WHICH EXPERIENCED A TOTAL OF 45 (77 PER 100,000 VEHICLES) BALL JOINT SEPARATIONS. ALSO, THROUGHOUT THE INVESTIGATION THERE SURFACED ADDITIONAL FAILURES WHICH HAVE PROMPTED ODI TO UPGRADE THIS INVESTIGATION TO AN ENGINEERING ANALYSIS AND WIDEN THE SCOPE OF THE AFFECTED POPULATION TO INCLUDE 2004-2005 MY.THIS RECALL QUERY HAS BEEN UPGRADED TO AN ENGINEERING ANALYSIS (EA06-014) TO FURTHER INVESTIGATE THIS ISSUE TO ASSESS THE SAFETY-RELATED CONSEQUENCES, AND TO DETERMINE THE SCOPE OF THE AFFECTED POPULATION.
Manufacturer listed on the source record: Toyota Motor Corporation
Component listed on the source record: SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER BALL JOINT
Affected Vehicles (1)
| Year | Make | Model |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Toyota | Tundra |
Browse Affected Vehicles
Affected Models
Affected Years
All data is sourced from NHTSA public records. This site is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration or any government agency. Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA and may not reflect confirmed defects. For official information, visit nhtsa.gov.
Latest vehicle import recorded anywhere on this site: Oct 8, 2026. Individual vehicles and datasets may have older records; this is not this page's update date.