Anything I should know about KDSS going in?

Have a deposit down on a TRD ORP. Here in Canada all TRD Off Roads come with KDSS. Watched some videos on it and it seems incredible both on an off road but recently I'd read that there are problem with the system causing the truck to lean or outright leaking/failing.

Anything I should know while it's still possible to change to an SR5?

 

It rules!

If you plan on keeping it close to stock heigh, you'll be fine. Higher lifts are fine as well but require some special parts.

There is a small skid plate on the accumulator, on the driver's side frame rail. This needs to be cleaned out periodically as dirt can collect in there and eventually cause a failure. It's easy, just 2 bolts.

I think the leaning issues are probably the result of people tampering with the system.

Failures are few and far between. Don't worry about it. Enjoy your 4runner!!

 

Thanks, coming from a '17 Tacoma and the last thing I want is to get out of one leaning truck into another lol.

 

Don't have it but worked on a few trucks that did. It's a great system and wouldn't sweat potential issues, they aren't common. It's a great add.

 

If you disable/bypass or remove KDSS in a few years, does it simply drive and feel just like an SR5 or OR?

 

No. The sway bars are much stiffer, but also reliant on the hydraulic pistons to do their job.

 

Is it a costly endeavor to “bypass” kdss sometime down the road if it breaks down and you don’t want to pay to have it fixed? Does it require buying a bunch of new parts?

separate question... lets say you keep your 4Runner for 20 years and kdss breaks down on year 20. Will you still be able to find replacement parts? Or at that time are you better off going the bypass route?

 

The best way to bypass it would be to delete the sway bars altogether. This wouldn't require buying anything. You would have increased body roll, though.

I don't really know. I would hope Toyota would continue to make parts for it. But, if mine fails that far down the road I'll probably go the bypass route.

 

Good that you have done your research on down side of KDSS.

KDSS is a nice system. One of my buddies got his 4Runner with KDSS before I started 4Runners and like it till date. He loves the on road feeling and occasional camp ground / gravel roads. He hasn't lift his and join us with offroad drives no matter what we say. He just love on road feel driving fast on mountain roads. (I know its a 4Runner not a sports car but that's his way.)

You will not get KDSS lean if you install a lift with a knowledgeable 4x4 shop.

When you get KDSS leaks or failure as far as I can remember the part was $1500 or something here in Colorado (based on the post I see on my FB group). Or $4,256.00 as per one of the members in this forum.

If you want to go with out KDSS going to SR5 is not the right direction. You can get TRD Offroad with out KDSS and TRD Pro.

No you cannot remove KDSS after you get your TRD ORP with KDSS when it fails. It will show warnings on dash (from what I see online) unless you find a way to fix the sway bar in.

When you want to lift search what kits goes well with the KDSS as it has some limitations. A good kit will solve the common problems of KDSS.

When you are ready for sliders and skids buy the ones that support KDSS. Else it would be a pain, like trimming TRD Pro front skid for KDSS. Also look for KDSS skid plate as that is as a vulnerable place for trail damage. If you do snow driving make sure you clean properly to avoid corrosion problems with KDSS.

Again KDSS is a good system made by a company called Kinetic Pvt Ldt in Australia (hence got the name Kinetic Dynamic Suspension System) loved by some owners including my buddy.

 

It requires the use of different skid plates.
It amps up the difficulty of some installs, such as sliders and suspension, due to the additional hardware.
Sure, it is more complex thus more prone to failure. But it's a feature, so worth it if you desire it's benefits.

 

OP stated in first post that all off-road 4runners come with kdss north of the border. Whether a pro is an option depends on how deep his pockets are.

 

Genuinely didn't know that they did.

Question, would that mean all non-Pro come with KDSS or do they put KDSS on the Pros up there too?

*Edit* Nevermind i'm an idiot. I realize now you're saying offroad vs pro. I swear I read that as 4wd....ignore me. I'd delete my post but I would rather have it remain for the wall of shame.

 

Sorry, I meant to say OR, but couldn't get my keyboard to work.

That is news to me also. Toyotas in Canada have their own set of options and specs. I wouldn't think the Pros would have KDSS, though, or SR5s.

 

Just reaching out because I see you live in Canada.... Just wanted to give you my 2 cents on KDSS.

I have a 2013 Trail that my KDSS light has just come on because of a leak in my lines.

Are you hoping to keep this truck for a long time? Reason I ask, here in Ontario, Toyota has quoted me 9700.00 parts and labour to replace. (8165.00 for the parts with tax)

KDSS has been amazing, but Toyota made it easy for me to say no to that bill!

I reached out to Toyota corporate as well to inquire and they will not help. Fair enough, it’s a 7 year old truck.

The ride quality with KDSS was amazing, but for my situation, knowing I wanted to keep this till it dies, obviously I now wish I never bought the KDSS option living in an area where roads get salted.

Toyota gets so much business because of their reputation in regards to being reliable, but I do think people should be aware that although KDSS is great, it can break down and it’s costly to fix.

It definitely rides better with it. No question. I’m not trying to sway you against it, I just always see people on forums talking about it as if it’s indestructible and clearly it is not.. Especially if you live in an area with salt on the roads ... I was shocked to find out a 1700 option becomes almost a 10k repair bill 7 years later here in Canada.

If you get the KDSS option, keep it clean and oiled!! (FYI though, I thought I did a good job at this over the years. It wasn’t as if this truck was neglected)

Good luck with your purchase. Other than buying the KDSS option, I have zero regrets.

 

Where is it leaking? At the cylinders, or at the accumulator? I have heard of issues where the accumulator had issues due to dirt and debris building up in the little skid plate under it.

 

Ya, right at the accumulator. It’s currently slow dripping hydraulic oil down from there.

It was the worst diagnostic news!!
I wanted to sit down after they handed the paperwork to me. Lol

 

I'm sorry to hear that! Was there corrosion? Or, did the accumulator just fail? I'm trying to figure out if there's anything I can do to prevent this.

 

I think just being aware of it and keeping it clean is all you can do. Coat it with some sort of anti rust type fluid periodically and hope for the best?

 

Thanks for sharing you experience. I was lucky when I buy my TRD ORP there were plenty of information available on KDSS problems, I bet which wasn't in your case in 2013. Even I would have jumped on a KDSS seeing the benefits.

As for the cost I bet it would change where the failure is and I see low as $1500 for parts in one of the groups I'm in. I say it would be a good idea if you check with a different dealership to see how much they would quote to fix.


I guess another option would be a total KDSS remove. I thought I saw somewhere where the owner compress the piston and remove kdss. Not sure where I saw that, may be on the other 4runner forum (the .org one) i guess.

Hope you will solve it with out too much damage on your pocket..

 

Ya, happy to share my experience.
Like I said, KDSS was great for me, I just never would have expected that kind of bill so, I think future owners should just be aware so that they can make an informed decision on it.

I also thought I could just fix the leak somehow and be done with it, but apparently it’s a closed system so even if I could somehow fix the leak, I’d then have to pay Toyota to pressurize which is another ridiculous amount and then no guarantees it doesn’t leak somewhere else.

I think I’m just going to rip it out and custom fab new swaybars in and beef up my suspension with new coilovers.

 

Did you remove the skid and clean off the accumulator periodically?

There's still only a handful of failures, some of which have been caused by a lack of maintenance or people tampering with the system.

Compressing the pistons would cause a severe lean. The only options are repair or removal.

You could remove the system completely and try using aftermarket shocks to add some stability. Or, look for the standard sway bars and associated parts in a salvage yard.

 

Ya I’ve seen someone rip the entire system out and ran heavy duty coils all around. Has been on that for years and is happy with it.

 

That’s awesome. Thanks for sharing that.. I wasn’t sure if that would be a bandaid fix or not so, good to know someone else has done it and is happy with how the truck handles.

 

Ya I didn’t have sway bars on my truck after going heavy duty suspension. Handling was fine. I thought about removing my KDSS on the GX.

 

Thanks everyone for posting in this thread, I was kicking myself for not going with KDSS and thinking the next 4runner would have it, now not so much.

 

It’s a hate/love relationship with the KDSS. Ride is amazing. Our lifted 4runner rides like crap compared to the GX. The lean was annoying after the lift. I had to add coil spacers in the rear.

 

Which vehicle has the lean?

 

The GX with KDSS. It’s a known issue but doesn’t affect all KDSS. It’s random. My buddy with a lifted GX doesn’t have the lean issue and is on the exact same lift.

 

The KDSS shouldn't cause a lean unless it's tampered with. It really doesn't make sense.

EDIT: I've heard of the "KDSS lean", but I wonder if it's an issue with KDSS or is it caused by people trying to adjust the system.