Brake Lines Blown While Towing with Toyota Tundra!!!!

It could be. I do not know how the setup is on a Tundra.

My E-450 chassis has the rubber line from the frame to the rear axle about half way between the differential and the left wheel. This connects to a "T" and steel lines go in both directions. A short run to the left side which has a rubber hose on the par that connects to the caliper. There is a long run to the right rear wheel which bends up and over the differential and is held away from the metal by brackets. At the right side it also terminates in a rubber hose which connects to the caliper.

The part that failed/ruptured was the long run from the "T" to the right side. The rubber hose was molded in to the metal line so I had to purchase steel line, bend it over the differential and then purchase rubber hose to attach to the caliper on the end of the steel line.

deltamaster wrote:

RedRocket204 wrote:
OP, good to hear that nothing serious happened to you and your family!

deltamaster wrote:
The steel crossover line on my RV ruptured at the fitting due to corrosion...

My Dakota ruptured the line that runs from front to rear. Same thing... corrosion from water, road salt, etc trapped between the frame rail and the fuel tank where the line passes...

deltamaster...remind me to turn you down if you ever offer me a ride ;)

Just a little bad luck and age. Salt air and road salt do take their toll on metal parts. The RV was attacked by salt air while work camping on the CA beaches. The Pickup was a product of PA/NJ winters by the previous owner.

Either way the repairs have been made and all is well now.

I have since replaced the calipers, hoses, pads and rotors as well as the rear pads and cylinders on the pickup. I checked all the lines and gave it a good cleaning underneath and all seems well now. She stops on a dime and braking is the best it has ever been since I bought it.

I have replaced the front rotors and the damaged line on the rear. New pads all around and a thorough inspection and good cleaning have also been performed so the RV is all set as well.

The brake systems on them both should be working as well as the day they rolled off the assembly line so no worries if I ever stop to offer you a lift! ;) :)

If it was above the diff I would think it was the rubber line that goes from the diff to frame.

LoneStar1 wrote:
It has been my experience (I am a mechanic) that when a dealer does not have a part and has to order it, that part either has a very low failure rate or so many fail that the dealers can't get one.

Yup. Either extreme results in no part inventory. One of my work trucks was a Ram 4500 with the Aisin transmission that self-destructed. It was a 3-week lead time because so many of them were going out. But generally yes, lack of parts on the shelf usually means its a seldom sold part. A few months ago I though maybe I'd change my water pump preventively. My local NAPA had never sold a V10 water pump, and the closest one would have to be special ordered! I decided to leave it be, even though I have 390,000 miles.

Having owned 2 brand new Toyota's trucks (and 2 brand new cars, as I was a previous die-hard believer in Japanese vehicle quality). To say that the Tundra or any Toyota truck (or vehicle) is better quality baffles me.
I'm not suggesting they are junk, but they are dull, and under harsh treatment they don't hold up as well as domestic equipment in my experience.

Does everyone forget the 2007 engine failures and transmission failures on the Tundra? How about the wobbly frame denial for 5 years? Only to quietly issue a TSB after the 2007's were off warranty.

Not that that has anything to do with the brake line, fluke failure IMO.

It has been my experience (I am a mechanic) that when a dealer does not have a part and has to order it, that part either has a very low failure rate or so many fail that the dealers can't get one. Being as there is little mention of failures I suspect it is a very low failure item. I found two failures of brake lines with late model Tundras on the net. Both seemingly due to aftermarket exhaust and one of these was carrying a lot of weight in the bed.

agesilaus wrote:
Sorry to hear about this problem. Toyota's don't have a reputation of being a good choice for towing. How heavy is your trailer?

I have yet to tow a TT with my 2007 Tundra but have towed my 29 year old boat for the last 7+ years with it without ANY issues whatsoever.

I have owned every other truck and SUV you can almost name since my first 1977 Chevy Blazer and will say this Tundra is bullet proof and the most reliable and refined I have owned. It is the ONLY vehicle I have ever had that has NEVER been back to the dealer. I do my own maintenance and have had to replace brakes, oil changes, filters and tires but that's it.

All vehicles have had their problems, but this one is a keeper in my eyes.

I had to replace the main bearing seal on one Chevy truck at 11,000 miles and on another the rotors were shot at 28,000 miles and I had to replace the head gasket at 71,000 miles. My Ford truck with its I-beam suspension was in the shop almost monthly.

By way of contrast I have put more than 170,000 miles on each of the four 4WD Toyota trucks I have owned and never had a breakdown with any of them.

Your experience is unfortunate and I would Google search Tundra and brake and see what comes back in general and for your truck's model year. It may be a common problem or it may not and that would shape how I proceeded with the dealer.

When the head gasket on my Chevy truck's engine failed at 71,000 miles I found after researching the problem on the internet that it was a common defect with this engine. I bought aftermarket gaskets that were better than the GM ones and paid for the work. My brother with his Toyota's V-6 engine at over 110,000 miles had the head gasket fail. Not only did Toyota do the repair at no charge they extended his warranty by 100,000 miles telling him that it was considered a factory defect. He now has more than 300,000 miles on that same engine.

bguy wrote:
I want to know why it's going to take a week for them to fix the brakes?

Guessing special order the rubber/fitting hoses for rear. FYI, the front hoses are the same, just an inch shorter or so. Just make your hard line an inch or so longer and use it ;)

I want to know why it's going to take a week for them to fix the brakes?

Toyota does (at least did) have a problem with brake lines.

When I replaced the rear brake lines on my 2004 4Runner this year, I noticed the section of lines over the rear differential AND at the junction under the driver's door were EXTREMELY CORRODED.

The lines have some sort of coating on most of the line, but a couple inches at the END of the lines are NOT coated. They were extremely rusted, requiring replacement of all affected lines from that junction back and the lines on the rear diff.

The coated sections of line looked brand new. The uncoated sections were mostly destroyed by rust at EVERY location.

I'd put money on yours being the same way and DEFINITELY SUGGEST you have at a minimum, the junction near the driver's door checked.

Yes, it is a Tundra, not 4Runner, but you'd be surprised how similar they are.