[charliesatwork]

Hi All,

I just had a leaf replaced in my driver side leaf spring pack.

I searched here and didn't find any other mentions of this, however, my local toyota dealer, the spring shop and several other local Toyota owners I know have had the same problem - both Tundras and Tacomas. My mailman has a tacoma and said he goes through a set of springs every year. The spring shop says they do them all the time - mine was one of two that were in for leaf spring replacement that morning, in fact.

Has anyone else here had this happen?

I wonder if it is the dirt roads/salt/or something around here or if it is a more widesperead problem.

I debated getting some new Deaver spring packs, but the price including freight (and the reduction in load capacity) worried me. When the next set breaks I may price a set of custom Alcans or have a set made locally.

Thanks,
Charlie

 

[rsayloriii]

I haven't had any problems with mine at all. Haven't noticed any threads on here about it either. My guess is that they are repeatedly and seriously overloading the suspension to cause it to fail like that. A set of springs in a year is outrageous. Even a crappy set of springs will last more than a year.

 

[dyogim]

Haven't seen/heard a lot of this issue. However, I do know my main leaf does look to be taking a toll. I still have springs from a chevy 4x4 I plan to install. Does require cutting and welding. Will post up pics and results when I get it done.

 

[remotemonkey]

mine snapped in half, i believe from the winter salt, on the drivers side, just from regular driving...rather annoying, i picked up an 07 before i had to deal with it though. only one leaf broke though, still had two left.

 

[willy]

Haven't seen/heard a lot of this issue. However, I do know my main leaf does look to be taking a toll. I still have springs from a chevy 4x4 I plan to install. Does require cutting and welding. Will post up pics and results when I get it done.

That's funny Dyogim, considering your user pic! :tu:

 

[The Phoenix]

I'm on my 4th Toyota truck with no leaf spring issues ever.

 

[charliesatwork]

Interesting. I wonder if it is more of an issue with those of us that live in areas where there is a lot of salt used on the roads? Or maybe those that spend more time on washboard dirt roads.

It is definitely an issue here in Northern Vermont according to two dealers, two spring shops and a semi-random sampling of people I know with Toyotas.

Thanks for the replies guys.

Charlie

 

[remotemonkey]

it might be, cause mine were very rusted..all the way through it looked to be.

trade in for the new tundra was a great idea though...payments actually happened to be a little cheaper then my 01. insurence a little higher though so it evens out in the end.

 

[Rubieseq]

Had a broken leaf replaced a couple years back in my 00 Tundra, now the other side needs one. I have heard that these things break more often under no load?

 

[TundrastruckDave]

My "middle" leaf - on the drivers side - snapped in half on my '95 Tacoma. And since it's recommended that you replace BOTH sides at the same time because of uneven wear which could cause the other side to fail, I unfortunately wasn't in a financial position - at the time - to be able to replace them. So I tried a "quick-fix" with hose clamps to [hopefully] keep them in a straight line - at the least - but to no avail. This turned out to be nothing more than a waist of time and effort. :dry: One half of the broken spring would jump out of line - as the hose clamps slipped - and that section would end up HITTING MY GAS TANK!! :shocked: I guess that's when I decided it was time to replace them. To be quite honest though, I'm not so sure it has all that much to do with "salt" or "rust". I live in eastern North Carolina and the winters here are primarily mild, so there isn't really a salt issue to deal with. When I did finally replace mine, I went with a set of aftermarket OE springs - in the hope - that these would NOT end up snapping as well. I couldn't justify buying into the same problem a second time by replacing the springs with yet another set of "Toyota" springs! Especially at their cost!

This is one of the few complaints - besides paint - that I have with Toyota. It's funny how this only started happening "after" they came out with the Tacoma in mid-year 1995 and has continued for the better part of 10 years now! They had it "right" once - prior to 1995 - and then evidently decided to cut a few corners with the release of the new Tacoma. Shame on you Toyota!

 

[Tundrav8yamaha]

My "middle" leaf - on the drivers side - snapped in half on my '95 Tacoma. And since it's recommended that you replace BOTH sides at the same time because of uneven wear which could cause the other side to fail, I unfortunately wasn't in a financial position - at the time - to be able to replace them. So I tried a "quick-fix" with hose clamps to [hopefully] keep them in a straight line - at the least - but to no avail. This turned out to be nothing more than a waist of time and effort. :dry: One half of the broken spring would jump out of line - as the hose clamps slipped - and that section would end up HITTING MY GAS TANK!! :shocked: I guess that's when I decided it was time to replace them. To be quite honest though, I'm not so sure it has all that much to do with "salt" or "rust". I live in eastern North Carolina and the winters here are primarily mild, so there isn't really a salt issue to deal with. When I did finally replace mine, I went with a set of aftermarket OE springs - in the hope - that these would NOT end up snapping as well. I couldn't justify buying into the same problem a second time by replacing the springs with yet another set of "Toyota" springs! Especially at their cost!

This is one of the few complaints - besides paint - that I have with Toyota. It's funny how this only started happening "after" they came out with the Tacoma in mid-year 1995 and has continued for the better part of 10 years now! They had it "right" once - prior to 1995 - and then evidently decided to cut a few corners with the release of the new Tacoma. Shame on you Toyota!

Yea I here you on the New 2005 Tacoma I wasn't intrested in that truck either with the Plastic bed (SMC) and knowen reports on breaking No thanks Toyota can kept it. I could have had any Truck I wanted but Tundra seemed like the best pick vs all of them.
I did review my spring's today since i had my former AAL removed and Added wheelers 1.5 inch block's myself which was my first time. When I removed the U bolt's I notice my rear spring's looked rusted and figures hell the part is Made In Mexico :juggle:. I painted those leaf spring's back to black including the Rear drum brakes that also needed to be detailed out. I might be power washing the underside on my Truck soon.

 

[gloukus]

I have an 05 tundra, tow a trailer once in a while, with about a 200lb tongue weight and carry about 200lbs of tools all the time. My leaf spring on the driver-side door broke, center spring rusted all the way through. I have spoken to the dealer, Toyota and 2 mechanics, everyone BUT Toyota has seen this a LOT! I have been told they are cheap springs made in Mexico.

 

[single]

I carry a couple hundred pounds of tools in the truck all the time. I also drive over dirt roads and sometimes fields to get to equipment that I work on. My rear springs were sagging so much that I added Firestone helper springs to my truck. Helps a lot. When I get a chance to take it to the dealer, we'll see what they say, it's still under warranty. None of the springs are broke (yet), but they are very weak compared to my Chevy's and Ford's.

 

[Haytundra]

This was a fairly common issue on the 2000-2004 Nissan Xterra's also.

Most of the guys replaced them with the stock leaf springs they are actually fairly cheap from online factory nissan sources.

What I found reading up on it with the xterra anyway was it was mostly daily driver/grocery getters that broke not the ones off roading or loaded down etc.....

strange!

 

[GMSTundra]

I just busted my middle leaf spring driver's side. Is this a safety issue or can it slide till I raise the cash? I don't haul heavy loads don't do much off-roading other than driving through a field to get around the back of my barn.

 

[ddiving]

It is a safety issue. Seems to be a common problem. I had the middle break on the driver's side as well. Could not get the truck inspected until it was replaced. With absolutely no loads in the bed, an extremely temporary fix until I was able to replace it was to lift up the truck and wrap a strong piece of wire around the broken area, thus helping to stop the metal shifting outward or inward. After finding nothing local or because of price, I ended up on-line to get a leaf spring. Shipped was less than $275.00.

 

[silet]

I'm also adding to this old topic. I have the driver side middle spring broken. it hose clamped in place for thr time being. Did anyone have problems with their replacement aftermarket springs?

 

[Nitroslut]

I have a 2004. Same deal, driver's side, middle leaf. Not RUSTED through. Nice clean break. Made in Mexico? That pretty much sums it up right there. What the hell would a bunch of Chicanos know about good steel and the proper tempering of it? Keep going Toyota, won't be long and you'll be right up there with the American junk that's out there. Idiots!

 

[Crew_chief_15t]

well ladies and gents i must say im in the same boat here.. i live in loveland co and purchased my truck about 2 yrs ago.. didnt look it over very well cuz i had to have it..
now its time to make it better and i need help.. leaf springs have split right up the middle on both sides between the u-bolts.. shocks are also done for.. i weigh 150lbs and with me in the bed the rear end sags about half way.. lol
so ive looked at a lot of forums and still cant seem to find a leaf pack that will keep my truck lifted 3in.. im currently deployed and so calling people isnt really an option..
if ne one could give me a site to a set of leaf packs and shocks to obtain my 3in lift and last me all the off roadin i can handel for a year itd be greatly appreciated!!

 

[YOTAtoy]

Crew Chief,

I am also in a similar situation, one of my leafs was busted on drivers side right in the middle. What I am doing to fix is I measured the length, thickness, and width of the broken leaf and took it up to a local junkyard, hes is going to pull me a leaf out of a pack that fits the size parameters I need, and I am going to swap in the new leaf.

While I am swapping leafs I also plan to ad a 3" AAL (Add-A-Leaf) to each side, depending on how your truck is lifted 3" will determine how you will replace the leafs.

If your truck has a rear BLOCK lift, your 2 options are:

1. Buy new leaf packs, uninstall old packs, install new packs WITH the blocks.
2. Buy new leaf, replace single leaf, call it a day.

If your truck has a rear AAL lift, your 2 options are:

1. Buy new leaf packs, uninstall old packs, Remove the "Lift Leaf" AAL from old pack, install "lift leaf" AAL on new pack, install new packs WITH the AAL's.

2. Buy new leaf, replace single leaf, call it a day.


Hope this helps some, I know a good bit about leaf spring lifts, just dont ask me about Coil Overs, I am doing coil overs right now and so far I have had to break out the torch and the dremel. :becky: