Toyota 4-Runner Wheel stud replacement cost

Why does my Toyota 4-Runner need the wheel studs replaced?

If you have been driving you're Toyota 4-Runner for a while then you may well have driven past the following scene while on your travels - a person at the side of the road, hands on the hips and head shaking, gazing at their car that is missing a wheel. That missing wheel is lying on its side some 100m further up the road.

This is what can happen if the wheel studs - the threaded fasteners that keep the wheels attached to a car - break off. It would have to be a really bad day for all the wheel studs to fail at once, but it can happen on your Toyota 4-Runner.

Wheel studs can fail when they're put under undue stress. This will happen if the lug nuts (that are used to secure the wheel to the studs) are overtightened, the thread of the studs are stripped, or the car is driven with loose lug nuts.

Also, if the wheel is subjected to a hard blow, such as can happen in an accident, or hits a curb or a pothole, the wheel studs can be damaged. It’s certainly a good idea to have your Toyota 4-Runner’s wheel studs checked after a hard whack to the wheels.

Wheel studs are either pressed in or screwed into the wheel hub and are designed for the demands of your Toyota 4-Runner. Not all wheel studs are the same size and pattern and there are distinct stud patterns needed to match certain wheels to specific vehicles.

You can’t easily swap wheels between different cars due to this pattern and you should never try to force a wheel onto the studs if it's not designed to fit your Toyota 4-Runner.

When a wheel stud fails you may notice some warning signs that it needs replacing: 

• The stud is broken
• Vibration through the steering wheel
• Loud noise from the wheel area
• The stud has a crack through it
• Play in the wheel when the vehicle is raised in the air
• Ticking or clicking noise from the wheel area that increases with speed

Don’t continue to drive if your Toyota 4-Runner has a broken wheel stud. Have the stud replaced as soon as possible.

Try to avoid broken wheel studs by using a torque wrench when tightening lug nuts. This way, the nuts are not being overtightened and causing undue stress on the studs.

A wheel falling off at 100km/h is not an experience anyone wants. True, we are talking worst-case scenario here but if symptoms are ignored that nightmare could happen.