4RUNNER LIMITED BUYER BEWARE X-REAS SUSPENSION FAILS

Why? Because I ordered the new struts/suspension and bushings then I went out to look at my old broken strut, that's when I saw that something is wrong here. So I did some research and found out I had the X-reas suspension. I have everything here now, I don't want to reorder and wait again.

 

It runs great, strong engine and transmission.

 

That’s awesome you going for a million? Forgot what that guy awhile back was driving but Toyota gave him a new truck after he hit a million miles.

 

I will run it till it goes back to zero, I lover my 4Runner.

 

That’s ridiculous! Was it a v6 or V8?

 

Did this dipshit really just join here to make a thread complaining about shocks failing after his warranty expired and then disappear? lol

 

I have not read all of the posts but if I can offer my experience. Sometimes you get a lemon. Its a fact of life. So far I have not had any issues with the system. Doesnt mean I will not but Im preprared for it. I bought my runner used and it has 63K currently. The underbody had a lot of rust. It is NY and the salt ruins anything. I noticed rust around the shocks and almost everywhere thats exposed. Most of it was top rust but I cleaned almost all and coated the bottom. Ive also had sunroof leaks and drivetrain vibrations. All taken care of by Toyota.

 

when a posting appears and then the member doe not respond , it is most likely a false post or they damaged it . seen this many times ..
any leak is a problem and it can happen if the part is with a defect or a person did damage on it . Some mechanics are not very careful when working on other persons vehicles ..
surprised that this system did possibly fail at the low miles on it..

 

Why I prefer to do most of my own work.

 

I'd like to piggy back on this conversation. I have a 2014 Limited 4runner that I love but am a novice when it comes to vehicles. Took it into the dealership for the airbag recall. While there they found a leak in the Xreas driver side front shock. Dealership said that you have to replace 2 at a time due to how they are hooked up. Took a gut punch when he said it would cost 3700 to replace them all. He did say that they could replace them with the more standard shocks and absorbers like on the SR5 for quite a bit less. Any advice? Do I try to find someone to put on aftermarket shocks? Any suggestions on brands? I stopped by one mechanic and the Xreas system had him baffled. Thanks for any advice.

 

I say have it removed and replaced with the aftermarket stuff.. so many brands to choose from. Bilstein, King, Icon, OME, Fox... are some of the popular names with a wide range of options/pricing.

 

I have a 2010 4Runner limited and it has about 65K miles on it. I bought it used a couple years ago and decided to get the platinum extended warranty. So glad I did. I just took it to get inspected at a local garage. They said it has an issue with the struts and they recommended taking it to the dealer. When I did they said there was a leak in the X-RAES system and it all needed replaced. Fortunately it is covered under this platinum warranty though. But I do think that 65K is not a very long life for this system. I expect to still be driving this when I get to 130K so am I going to have to replace it again at that time? If I ever had to do it again I would just go with the heavy duty Shocks and Struts all the way around.

 

Yes, shocks wear out.

 

Sorry to hear about your trouble mate... The only vehicle I had X-REAS on was my 2003 many moons ago. I guess I got lucky, since i had almost 230,000 miles with no issues. I'm guessing the design changed for the 5th gen? With the current, i skipped the option.

 

There is a 0% chance your shocks weren’t blown out garbage after 230,000 miles!

 

Most XREAS systems last longer than 65k so hopefully you’ll get more duty out of the replacement. Most go with other options when replacing using their own money, however.

 

Has anyone heard from OP lately? Did Toyota call and explain the normal distribution?

 

He was last here on December 21.

 

Let me start by saying I have had five 4RUNNERs, four have been Limiteds. I had X Reas system, No problems with my 04 or 08 which were 4th generation but now my 5th generation 2015 4RUNNER Limited @ 89,000 miles my shocks are reported as leaking by a Toyota dealership with a $4,000 price tag and that includes replacing the struts & shocks and tubing in other words the whole system, so tkmarch1 is not throwing a tantrum. Problem is why are any 5th generation XReas failing when there was no problem with 4th generation FYI my last 4RUNNER had 149,000 miles. Question is what was changed either by Toyota or their suppliers for the 5th generation? Is Toyota really only offering $500 for a $4,000 replacement and do you have to replace whole system and not just the struts and shocks?

 

Phew! Totally exhausted after reading this feed. LOL

Very sorry TK to hear of your unfortunate experience with your 4Runner. Can't recall without going back thru this feed, who mentioned Kaizen, but they are right.....the Japanese place a significant emphasis on quality and strive for constant improvement (Kaizen). This is just one of the many reasons I purchase Toyota vehicles and have for most of my adult life......they are dependable and reliable. In all fairness, the 4Runners that I have owned that had the X-REAS suspension, I sold or traded before 50,000 miles so I never experienced any issues.

Personally I have owned 6 Toyota 4Runners (1 SR5 Sport Edition, 2 SR5 Premium models, & 3 Limited models of which 2 had the X-REAS suspension) and have never had an issue with any of them. In addition, I have purchased several other Toyota vehicles for my wife and daughters over the years and not a single issue.

It seems many members have offered you some good advice on this subject, so I see no need to say anything more other than, best of luck.

 

I'm totally new to this forum and have a 2012 4 Runner "Limited" and somewhat agree there maybe an issue with the X-Reas system. The bottom line is the X-Reas system is Not a "Selling Point"- I repeat the X-Reas system is Not a "Selling Point" for Toyota and it's world famous 4 Runner.... If it was I'm sure they would have proudly have pointed the great this wonderful X-Reas system... Guess what They never mentioned it and I'm sure No where on the planet has a Toyota sales person mentioned this X-Reas system....and the Cost to "Limited" owners of the repair cost associated with having the X-Reas Suspension system which No Mechanic (Outside of Toyota) has ever heard of..... I'm pretty sure Every Toyota 4 Runner would like to know that the cost of repair of this secret system called X-Reas would be like 5 times the cost of a normal suspension failure, where you may only need to replace the front or rear shocks - What a Shock to the system to be told your repair will cost you $3,700 Wow... I could buy a used 4 Runner with normal shocks that price... Toyota should have an answer for this....by have an option to replace the crazy system with a normal system... That's my 4 cents worth...

 

You can replace it with a "normal system" anytime you want to. An it is easy to find stock take offs from people that have replaced their stock "normal system" shocks or can also go aftermarket.

 

My 2005 Yukon came with self-leveling shocks refered to a ninovat shocks.

At 92k miles they both suddenly failed one sub-zero morning. Weird.

$400 each.

Researched it and discovered that the rear coils are specifically tuned for those shocks and just switching shocks results in the rear suspension drooping.

Had to replace coils and shocks. Did it for $120 in my driveway.

 

I have a 2013 4Runner Limited and have just been told my driver-side front strut (with XREAS suspension) is leaking. When I asked the dealer for a price to replace with conventional (non-XREAS) struts and shocks, he texted me, "Toyota does not offer an alternative suspension for your vehicle. If we try to do something aftermarket, it could be a safety issue that we cannot be a part of." REALLY? Has anyone else been told by their Toyota dealer that they won't convert an XREAS suspension? Has anyone ever been told this is a SAFETY ISSUE??

 

2013 Limited that just rolled 100K here. Was given $4500 quote today by local dealership from which I purchased it new in Jan 2014. They also quoted $1250 to replace with standard (non-hydraulic) shocks. This thread has me leaning toward aftermarket replacements from an offroad shop. Might as well throw in a lift too, right? Suggestions appreciated...

 

What’s your intended use?

 

99% daily commute/kid shuttle. 1% towing boat/utility trailer. Thanks for the response.

 

I’d look into OME (Old Man Emu), Bilstein, and Dobinsons for relatively inexpensive upgrades. Personally I’ve never used any of the entry level upgrades but I would lean heavily towards Dobinsons.

 

Informative thread. My 2013 Limited is at 95K and I was just informed of a leaking/failing XReas suspension. My garage has quoted $1500 to replace with a Bilstein setup. Happy with the truck and I don't feel like getting close to 100K without any other suspension issues is too big of a travesty. I'm guessing a slightly less smooth ride might ensue but if I can get another 100K out of the replacement suspension I'll be cool with that.

 

So did your XREAS fail?

(and like was mentioned already, you *can* replace it with a "normal" system)