I totaled my 2024 Sequoia Installing Front aFe Tow Hooks

Had this happen on 4 of 6 bolts on my old nissan frontier. I cut the bolts and fished out the broken nuts from the box frame through the access holes on the side of the frame. The box frame might even be open on the front to stick your whole hand inside to hole the nuts in place with a wrench. I would just take it to a dedicated 4x4 shop they do this kinda stuff all the time.

 

Happened on my Honda side by side… ended up with a flanged nut with blue loctite in its place.

 

I'd be looking at hogging out the hole and pulling a rivnut in there.

https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p...-metric-m8-963-266d/12573505-P?source=certona

 

I would be willing to bet this could have been fixed with the only damage being the bolt having to be cut. Take off the front bumper, pull off the crash bar, there is a big hole on the front of the frame rail. OP could have easily put a bolt with a flange nut on and avoided losing money and avoided the embarrassment of expecting sympathy for idiocy.

 

Isn't that a bit harsh not knowing the full situation?

 

I'm no Car Expert, but the Toyota Service department said it need a new frame, the Toyota Collision Center said it need a new frame, and the Mechanic I had it evaluated said they couldn't get to it without cut a hole in the side of the frame to get a wrench on the nut. Intersting proposal of a solution but 3 mechanics didn't mention it as an option.

Also, I'm not asking for sympathy, but I'm embarrassed about this whole thing. I'm letting people know about the issue so they are aware of the problems that can go wrong with the front tow hook installation.

 

Why does insurance come into play? Does insurance pay for mechanics goof ups?

 

By law they probably have to tell you that because they don’t want any liability for cutting a hole in a frame and welding. Reality says it can be done and repaired safely with no issues.

 

I followed the dealership's recommendations after their service evaluation. I think this whole thing would have been solved easier if I would have taken it to a mechanic first. I have been with my insurance for probably 2 decades without an accident or any issues so I bet part of it was my record. It took 2 week review by the insurance to see if they would consider covering this but luckily they did. I'm sure insurance companies will not cover this in the future.

 

I had the exact same thing happen to me, 2024 sequoia. Had sway bar off for installing lift kit. Long story short bolt jammed going back in and tacks let go. Sway bar brackets kind of angle bolts in the wrong way. Flanged nut is too large to come out, but I was able to cut up an old wrench, very small, tie it to a small rope and fish it over the flanged nut. Tap nut first to clean it up and avoid that issue again, and run new bolt in. Large flathead can be inserted from the end of the cross member and lock up the small wrench against the side of the crossmember to keep the nut from spinning. You could also cut head off if you have enough engagement and just install a nut on the stud. I preferred back to factory.

 

I don't think Geico should cover this.

 

The only "nuts" costing that much are Andy's!

 

I'd be curious to know how much your insurance rates are going to increase.

 

Oh, they going up up up.

 

Really nothing to be embarrassed about... I don't recall ever do a mod that didn't result in something not going right ... People do mods that result in mishaps all the time, and they do so across all generations. I don't understand the whole 'totaled due to frame damage' thing, but I know many businesses/dealerships do their best to insulate themselves from liability; it gets old though when common sense is thrown out the window and one of the most expensive items a person buys now has questioned valuation. I sincerely feel for you on this one, but you are now in a bit of a pickle, as a licensed Toyota (I'm assuming) has documented in your service files (through your VIN) that the vehicle is 'totaled'. This means that you must now disclose this information to any potential buyer down the road; in other words the vehicle is now in a state of 'diminished value', which freakin' sucks...

If your intention is to get the most use out of the vehicle (IE>>> own it as long as you can and drive the shit out of it), I think the recommendations about ways to repair seem pretty sound and I wouldn't lose any sleep over it (but that is just my non-professional opinion)...

However, if you are like many these days, where you'll have the truck for a couple of years, you stand to lose a lot of money. Another issue becomes what happens if you are involved in a serious accident?? Depending on the state you live in and your insurance company there may be arguments against you for operating a 'totaled' or 'unsafe' vehicle...

I wonder if you have the ability to possible get a 2nd 'professional' opinion through another dealership or bodyshop that would give you some standing in the situation. However, before you spend any more time or energy navigating your next steps, it may be in your best interest to speak w/your insurance agent (not the 800 number on the policy), but have a sit down w/your actual agent at the very least and even possibly spend a couple of hundred doing a consult w/an attorney that could 'legally' advise you and steer you in the right direction.

Good luck on finding a reasonable resolution

 

So many things in that video make me raise an eyebrow. Sorry man, you blame Toyota for this claiming since your mechanic told you the tack weld was likely poor or krappy. That mechanic has no clear evidence of that. You could have easily cross threaded the bolt and it caused a failure after it had enough. You blame Toyota a few times, I dont think thats fair at all. You cant call them strong at the end after slinging mud the entire time, smh. Good luck finding another vehicle that is unbreakable, I think your expectations are simply unrealistic.

 

You should start shopping for new insurance immediately/. I had Geico, got into a fender bender that was admittedly my fault. My premium almost doubled as a result. Shopped around and got a quote close to the original Geico plan cost prior to the accident. I am glad they are covering it but it won’t be without consequence

 

People constantly modify Tundras/TRD Sequoias, particularly "lifts/front tow hooks." Do you think the design team should have incorporated a bigger opening to frame expecting some mistakes? I'm not sure the quality or design is up to par with the vehicles as it was in the past.

It was my mistake. I own it. It cost me thousands of dollars. Maybe I was unfair to Toyota on the video, but even their customer service phone calls were painful without empathy. But I get it. I would hate for Toyota to become another non-reliable manufacturer and hope Toyota learns from my mistakes to make their 2025 or 2026 Sequoias better.

 

I am completely blown away that the auto insurance company picked up the tab for this. I'd have said sorry for your bad luck, you weren't in an accident, it wasn't stolen, and it didn't get burned up in a garage fire. Talk to Toyota.

 

I tried and called and tried again. Toyota did not want to take ownership or evaluate the car for possible poor manufacturing or responsibility for this. My insurance has been amazing on this and have earned my business for the next 2 decades.

 

Until you get your new premium…..

 

I'm a Geico customer.
It's also gonna cost me money since they have to cover their costs for silly claims like this somehow. We all pay for this.

 

Couldn't have said it better.

 

I will still say this - the fact that a tax welded nut TOTALS a sequoia is literally beyond my comprehension. I just don’t see how that is even possible

 

Pretty sure you'll survive paying 1/17,999,999th of the bill.

 

It happens. This is actually one of the rare instances where it might have been better to take to the forums for advice rather than hyper fixating on going from one place to the other. I can see how your rationale would be "hey toyota y'all did a shitty job on this part" and go to the dealer, but luckily for you theres plenty good fabricators in California that can get you situated.

As far as the sporadic insurance comments go... do not go shopping right now. Be prepared for non-renewal, increased rates, or cancellation, but let Geico play their cards first. They may not penalize you too bad, but the market has been incredibly volatile as of late. Insurance is the transfer of risk not the transfer of responsibility or lack there of. I'm really shocked they're picking up the tab, but I'd strongly recommend seeing if you can retract the claim and just pay someone out of pocket to fix the truck because I can't imagine the claim would outweigh the out of pocket expense to get it fixed and risk giving up your tenure and great claims history with Geico.

 

Well that makes it right. My mistake.

 

It was actually the dealer who told me to open the claim. like I said previously, that was probably my mistake. once the dealer and insurance company started talking, next thing I know I get a call that the car is totaled. trust me, this is not what i expected. but now, the dealer has the VIN, everything is documented, and i really don't have any other option

 

Well, are you going to apologize for farting and damaging the climate with methane? We're waiting.


It's absurd. What will up your rates will be the frauds and uninsured/underinsured people that cause accidents with those insured with your company. You're complaining about the equivalent of a papercut when there are equivalents to amputations being caused by others. Even if you were correct that this shouldn't be covered (it should be, because your insurance is there to cover your liability, IE they still cover you if you got drunk and crashed your car which is far more egregious than modding) you are making a mountain out of a mole hill.

 

I'm complaining about the cumulative effect of all of the above.