I am 2 days into a 6 week camping trip and my truck broke down on the freeway. The serpentine belt broke, and the engine overheated. That belt drives the water pump, generator , and power steering.We spent last night camped in the repair stations parking lot.They tell me that when a serpentine breaks, it is usually because something else broke first, but we couldn’t see anything obvious. Does anyone else have any experience with this?The annoying thing is that I had the truck (a Tacoma) in to Toyota for the 60000 mile repair less than 1000 miles ago

If it's the original belt, it's possible it was worn out. Usually it would be cracked and weathered long before it breaks however. Had you ever inspected it? This item seams more affected by age than miles.The usual culprits for "other parts breaking first" are the tensioner and the belt idler pulley. The tensioner can rust up and seize internally, putting extra strain on the belt. You may not get advance warning that it's seized. But it's easy to diagnose because you won't be able to install the the belt. Bad pulley bearing usually makes noise first, but not everybody recognizes them. That noise can range from crickets chirping to loud squealing or sometimes just a rubbing sound that mimics radio static.Any other parts that could seize up (alternator, water pump, AC compressor etc) can be easily checked by spinning them with the belt off.

It would not surprise me if the belt simply broke apart due to age. Time is harder on some things than mileage. You don't say how old your Taco is, but the mechanic doing the service may have looked at the belt and felt it was fine, not thinking about how old it was also.

I hadn’t inspected the belt, I was hoping that Toyota did, but maybe it wasn’t obvious.The truck is a 2011, so the belt has some years on it. The pulleys all turn smoothly, and I didn’t notice any strange sounds, so maybe it is just the belt. The shop is looking at it now.

Thanks for the reminder to replace the belt. Vehicles are complicated. It is amazing they do so well. In the 1960s cars did not last and we had break downs all the time. We never went anywhere without a large box of tools.

At 60k miles you are inline with the normal replacement intervals on these. Get your belt and go enjoy your trip.

TV breakdown 2 days into trip | Good Sam Community

Lessmore
Explorer II
May 30, 2019
I always carry an extra belt in my vehicle when towing. Years ago, a fan belt broke and I was fortunate to get the last one the garage had that fit. Since then I carry a spare.
time2roll
Nomad
May 30, 2019
Don't over think it. Replace the belt and get on with the fun.
Usually these belts are good for 10+ years and 100,000+ miles. But not always.

Thanks for the reminder... mine is at 100k
Iraqvet05
Explorer
May 30, 2019
I was a temp biologist for the Nebraska Game and Parks one summer after college. Our district office in Kearney bought a new F150 from a dealership in Lincoln (2 hours away). I got to drive this brand new F150 back from the dealer. Half way home, some flexible rubber between the top of the radiator and grill came loose and got caught up in the serpentine. It threw the belt, which got lost on I-80 and left me stranded for hours. It happens...
Grit_dog
Navigator
May 30, 2019
time2roll wrote:
Don't over think it. Replace the belt and get on with the fun.
Usually these belts are good for 10+ years and 100,000+ miles. But not always.

Thanks for the reminder... mine is at 100k

Agreed, belt failures, on their own, are quite rare. Vary rare on a newer low mile vehicle like yours.
Anything is possible, but it is much more likely that one of the components/pulleys failed causing the belt to get thrown or shredded.
Bad luck, sounds like.
waynefi
Explorer
May 30, 2019
Well, they couldn’t find anything besides the belt, so I’m on the road again
badercubed
Explorer
May 30, 2019
waynefi wrote:
Well, they couldn’t find anything besides the belt, so I’m on the road again
ENJOY!!
carringb
Explorer
May 30, 2019
drsteve wrote:
60K is very low mileage to experience a serpentine belt failure, I think most manufacturers specify 100K miles for belt replacement. I'd be looking for another factor, like maybe the tensioner.

But it's also 9 years old. Most rubber compounds start to deteriorate after 5.
ItsyRV
Explorer
May 30, 2019
Wouldn't be surprised if during some other fix the belt was moved off a pulley and was riding the edge. This is another common reason belts fail, they get sliced and when the pulley edge rides the slice, it cause the belt to slide further ripping it apart.

While at it, check the hoses especially at the clamp locations.
pianotuna
Nomad III
May 30, 2019
Hi,

OEM belt from 2011. I'd replace it at 6 years.
Campfire_Time
Explorer
May 30, 2019
carringb wrote:
drsteve wrote:
60K is very low mileage to experience a serpentine belt failure, I think most manufacturers specify 100K miles for belt replacement. I'd be looking for another factor, like maybe the tensioner.

But it's also 9 years old. Most rubber compounds start to deteriorate after 5.

Exactly.