Victory Roof Rack Safety Warning (please read if you have an over-cab rack)

Not much crawling in SoCal, mostly runs through the dessert... and none of those until late September because it’s so danged hot!

We usually get out to Anza in late October. I hope you’ll meet us out somewhere once things pick up again.

 

[QUOTE=" we all know that it can happen , standing on a step ladder , awkward position , careful not to scratch truck ,supplier drill bit (we all know is never top quality) and to put in 8 holes thru sheet metal always has a chance of grabbing, at least once or twice.

who ever said he'd rather his rack flew off , instead of his family being injured , please leave plenty of distance between you and any one following, ha ha.[/QUOTE]

i can so relate! I hate to admit but the drill handle gave me a good smack on the face when the bit grabbed. Funny but painful!

It was me who said it. The truck is with Toyota dealer now for inspection. The racks will be bolted down so no flying off.

 

Fingers crossed for no damage 7 of 8 of mine were fine so the odds are in your favor.

 

Doesn’t matter who it’s marketed to. If you don’t know what you are doing, you shouldn’t be doing the install. And if you do the install and screw it up, you should be man enough to take ownership of your failures. You’re not going to change my opinion on this, you could literally talk yourself to death and you will not change my mind on this.

 

Lol nice to meet a fellow open-minded person. Cheers!

 

Were you stomping your feet as well when you typed that. Jk... lol

 

I’m having trouble following your posts. I have posted in detail that I drilled my airbag.

I dropped the headliner after having concerns that the rivnuts were not appropriate fasteners. I then discovered I had punctured one of the airbags.

Things happen. I hadn’t thought the drill had gone in more than an inch. I was surprised to find out it had. I also realized I would have never known that if I hadn’t been concerned about the fasteners and dropped the headliner to bolt the rack.

I’m not understanding why you wouldn’t want this info available to future owners/installers.

 

What you learned was already covered in the instructions (don’t overdrill your roof). Other than the Rivnut issue, you didn’t really tell anybody anything that they shouldn’t have already known. Especially if they are airplane mechs.

 

Listen here, Mr. Amateur, we don’t have any time for reasoning. Just admit that you’re Mr. Amateur or we’ll cancel you. Last warning. We’ll find where you work and get you fired; find where your truck is serviced and get you banned. You MUST be an amateur compared to OUR amazing modding acumen since you ran into this problem. Repent...or thou shalt be cancelled.

 

I own and restore aircraft. I am not a full-time mechanic, rather a hands-on owner. Its a fun hobby that keeps my mind off my day jobs and the planes get me around the country quickly for work stuff. Gotta pay for Tundra mods somehow...

I suppose I could have doubted the instructions, researched airbag locations, and dropped the headliner initially. I would certainly do that next time...or if I had come across a thread like this before install.

(Sidenote - if you meet anyone in aviation maintenance, ask them some stories about manufacturer defects or maintenance mistakes. I have an entire file full of deadly issues we have found and fixed in the maintenance shop. We share this stuff with others so they can find and fix similar problems. Aviation type groups, and the FAA, circulate SDRs https://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/media/Form/FAA_Form_8070-1.pdf to share as well. So this is my version of a Tundra SDR.)

 

Thank you sir, may I have another...

 

I don’t mind you passing along the info, but the issue I have is you brought this post in here with the attitude that the manufacturer did something wrong and you shouldn’t have any blame in this situation because you’ve an aviation mech and that instantly means you know what you’re doing.

I’ll let you in on a little secret. I’m also an aviation mech. Been doing it for over 15 years now. If I did a job like you described and overdrilled something, I would be in deep shit.

You messed up but you want someone else to take the blame for your mistakes and that’s not kosher with me. Especially when it’s a company as good as Victory.

Are you done yet? I mean, IIRC, you were the guy advising him to publicly shame a company for allowing him to make a mistake when installing an aftermarket part. If that’s your first idea, I don’t think you read what I read.

 

I'm glad you put this out there. Others seem to think since these trucks are built on assembly lines they are all identical. Which couldn't be farther from the truth. Each truck will have it's own nuances - the one V4X4 used may have had the air bags 1 inch away from the channel compared to yours which makes the extra penetration meaningless and it truly is a safe zone. Another person may have a truck that's 1 inch the other way and it could lead to worse airbag damage.

The poor rivnut fastening is the bigger issue to me - why go that way instead of dropping the headliner and putting not only better fasteners but better sealant and visual conformation of drilling.

 

I was being facetious.

 

OK - so now I can understand where this got personal for you. It was an off-hand comment not intended to make me an expert. I’m just an average dude.

As an A&P, you know as well as I do, that AVERAGE aviation mechanics screw up on a regular basis. The cotter-pin on a TCM alternator elastomeric clutch is a perfect example. How about guys still setting mags with a flowerpot? Jet world? I discovered the feedback cable for the TRs on our 550 was misrouted and causing damage.

My favorite was finding an “ADJUSTABLE” wrench in the wing of a 2-month old G36 jamming the gear rod. Direct from Hawker Beech...a $1M piston airplane with an adjustable wrench in the wing. There is no such thing as an expert.

My point (as stated) was I am not a novice (complete idiot...just partial). I can operate a drill, and follow directions like an average person on the bell curve.

For those of us average dudes, this info may be helpful and might prevent a safety issue.

 

I just want to put it out there that rivnuts are more than adequate for this situation. If you buy the proper tool(s) and install them correctly there should be no issues. As for the location of the rivnuts and whether they should be used in this situation.. I’m staying out of that one.
https://youtu.be/lry2YNb1lok

 

i dunno. i think the watchamacallit that connects the doohickey to the flux capacitor needs another thingamajig.

 

Maybe my truck has extra layers of metal in that position, but it was too thick for the supplied fasteners.

Are there differences in roof channel thicknesses based on model year?

 

It's funny that people are jumping on the OP for reporting this defect. Looking at @Victory4x4 instructions preceding this event, and in particular looking at their video (as OP posted), it's pretty clear that they were not doing a good job of informing customers of this potentially significant risk.

From my perspective' it's not surprising. I was a purchaser of Victory 4x4's first generation lower a-arm skids, which appeared to be perfectly made and manufactured when I installed them and checked them out...until I lowered the truck off jackstands and drove the first time, and they dug a massive groove into the inside of my front wheels because they were designed with improper clearances). They're a very creative company, but they don't spend enough time on R&D and fitting for me to rely on their products. If you read on here, there are a lot of posts about Victory using their customers as unwitting product testers.

 

Let me suggest one possible response:



"Thank you for bringing this to our attention! We are currently in the process of updating our YouTube video and our written instructions to highlight the location of the airbags and the risk of allowing the drill to go too deep. To prevent this, our new kits will include a small jig that can be placed in the roof channel to be used as a guide and stop for accurate and safe drilling. In addition, we will include alternate instructions for dropping the headliner and bolting the rack for those that prefer this additional step.

We would also like to address our valued existing customers. If you bought a Rack Manufacturer rack, you will be receiving detailed instructions on how to inspect your airbags should you feel an issue could have resulted from drilling beyond the recommended depth during install. If you discover, within 60 days of this notice, that you inadvertently damaged your airbag please contact us immediately.

Thank you again for all who have supported us here at Rack Manufacturer. We work hard to develop innovative products for the Tundra community and your safety and satisfaction is our absolute priority."




Then, after 60 days, they would have an idea of how small or large the issue is. Likely, very few would even check and the issue would be a nothing-burger considering the odds are low overall...but most importantly their corporate conscience is clear.

They could turn an "issue" into an optical win for their brand building further loyalty in the community. Further - for those affected they could work with Toyota on a group-buy for replacement airbags (both entities have mutual incentive here) and they could offer a discount on a future order with "Rack Manufacturer" within the next 12 months.

Neither of these things "cost" them money. They win by serving their existing customers, improving their future installs, and most importantly by showing they stand behind their products.

Of course...everyone has different ideas about how to address customer concerns. I truly love the rack. I hope they can turn this into a big win for their brand.

 

...and a front row seat to how people can be condescending, flame trolling, see you next Tuesdays.

I’ll think twice before posting an issue I have with a mod that could be safety-related, and benefit other forum members, even if it was my own installer error.

Great thread for seeing who the class acts of the forum are, and the people who are so miserable with their own lives they have to be poopy heads to others.

@TwoWheels thank you for posting this to bring to our attention, and enduring the vitriol.

Gotta love keyboard courage.

Word.

 

Sorry. I work on the quality side of the house now and constantly have to deal with supposedly well trained mechs that make amateur mistakes and then try to blame it on someone else or poor instructions. So I guess what you said struck a nerve with me. Sorry about making a scene with this post.

 

No worries. Forum posts can be a tough way to communicate.

Best,

 

That, I don’t have an answer to. Sorry. Hope your rack works out well for you now that you got through the difficult part!

 

Thanks OP! Insightful and informative post! Sorry you had to go through this. One sign of a truly well engineered product is not only product quality but the overall knowledge the manufacturer puts into the planning, safety, and ease of the install.
Once I get a camper shell I plan on getting a roof rack and this post has help me decide which route to go.
Nobody wants conflicting information from a manufacturer especially if it can lead to unknowingly costing yourself thousands of dollars in a quick foul swoop.

 

UPDATE:

The Toyota dealer finally got back to me this afternoon with unfortunate news. 3 of the 8 holes drilled caused damage to the airbags; one being minor and insignificant sheathing scrape but 2 holes
caused significant punctures that will cause “catastrophic failure of the in-cabin airbag safety system”.

I will not get my truck back until possibly next week. I was told that they have to fully document the damage before repairing. I will receive full damage assessment tomorrow or early next week. I was informed by the Service Manager that the safety matters are automatically referred to their regional office. He doesn’t know what or if they will take action.

I will share official report as soon as it becomes available to me.

 

Wow.

 

THANK YOU for checking and restoring the safety of your family. Hats off.

Please get pictures of the back side of the rivnuts as well as airbags.

 

@brimy311 @Victory4x4 2 people with air bag damage following your instructions. Hopefully you guys take some responsibility in this.