Air dam falling off

[Maxine_Offroad]

My air dam fell off less than 24 hours after I left the dealership. I noticed on screw fell out on the ground while at home. I put the screw back in. Went for a drive and then two screws fell out, one on each side causing the dam to get caught in the tires and was damaged. Went to dealership, they ordered the part and told me they have no idea when it would be shipped. Its been over a month and no word from the dealership.

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[Tallgeese00MS]

My air dam fell off less than 24 hours after I left the dealership. I noticed on screw fell out on the ground while at home. I put the screw back in. Went for a drive and then two screws fell out, one on each side causing the dam to get caught in the tires and was damaged. Went to dealership, they ordered the part and told me they have no idea when it would be shipped. Its been over a month and no word from the dealership.

All the parts are on back order because they are having to fix and replace the 4Runners sitting at the ports and rail yards on the qc holds for this same issue. It’s going to be awhile before yours gets a part.

 

[beehaw]

Not correct. 1200 miles, freeway speed, air dam not loose. It's crazy that some folk make statements that are not factual and misguide others.

7500 miles here no issues with the air dam. Just checked it and the screws are tight

 

[2Runner_6G]

I can confirm that the handling at fast highway speeds is much better with the air dam installed.

I took mine off because it was missing screws, but I had the dealership reinstall it with all the screws since it was that noticeable for me.

It feels really smooth and planted now, and I do get 1-1.5 better mpg.

 

[brumey]

It woukd be good to know if dealers or the Port QC people are adding anything, changing the bolt type, etc.

If anyone gets a dealer fix in which they got new, upgraded parts, let us all know.

 

[beehaw]

It woukd be good to know if dealers or the Port QC people are adding anything, changing the bolt type, etc.

If anyone gets a dealer fix in which they got new, upgraded parts, let us all know.

Yes please. I want to know what the qc hold is for and what I need to do to rectify whatever the issue is

 

[bakutheleo]

I find it curious the strong opinions on this. As well as the various wild guesses like what the majority think (my wild guess is that no survey was done an dthat was based on no actual data).

Personally I do not object to its look. Not gorgeous, not ugly. Just there. As far as its "insignificant" potential MPG improvement--if it gets, say a .7MPG improvement (that seems to be about the most common claim; I have not tested) then that is approximately a 3% improvement. To me that is quite a bit for a "flimsy piece of plastic." Over time that makes a difference--depending on fuel price and actual mileage that would be around $2 per tank of fuel. No, that will not likely break the bank. But I am guessing most people will complain more about having to pay $2 more for anything than saving $2 ;-).

On to the more serious, and the topic of this whole thread--I finally checked mine yesterday and the screws were all tight. I have around 1700 miles on it. I was rather surprised to see screws that go into plastic anchors--I expected bolts/threaded holes. Not a big deal for strength, but not as nice if we want to remove/reinstall the dam as I will likely do as needed (remove only for the trail). The anchors are probably easy to get/replace though, so probably not a big deal either. I wondered if that was intentional so they might break before the actual dam, but I doubt that would be the case so I'd say not.

I've thought of trying to come up with a "quick release" system that would still be secure enough, but really the effort is probably not worth it for the time it takes to just take out the screws!

 

[JONNYBOSCO]

I can confirm that the handling at fast highway speeds is much better with the air dam installed.

I took mine off because it was missing screws, but I had the dealership reinstall it with all the screws since it was that noticeable for me.

It feels really smooth and planted now, and I do get 1-1.5 better mpg.

This is good to know… I do like the way it drives at higher speeds, 65-80… I did have it at 85 only once - it seems to be more stable on the road then my 2022.. Thanks for your comments!

 

[beehaw]

Had a service appointment today at the dealership and asked them about the qc hold, I was told it was for “clips breaking off” which I took as the clips for the air dam

 

[DLEE]

If air dam is removed, should the crappie splash guard be removed also?

 

[307rockhound]

I just got mine and took the ugly thing off and threw it in the trash. Mine came into port on 6/11. It had a date sticker of 5/13 on it. The four outside screws all had blue locktite. After removing all the screws it was still held on with double sided tape. I drove it a hundred miles after removal and my mpg was less than a mpg different and I didn’t notice a difference in handling. This was 80 mph on the interstate. I kept it on for the first 250 miles.

I feel sorry for all of you that stress and worry about it as mine was fixed…you shouldn’t have to worry about it if you want to keep it; especially on a new vehicle.

My stress was having the piece of garbage on there as even a deep gutter or pulling up to a curb the thing will scrape and be in the way.

 

[Marty60]

The point is that Toyota designs a part for a reason, and they decide to attached it with bubblegum and pixie dust. And those snorkels? Right in the trash. I want to see one photo of a pavement princess in water deeper than a mud puddle

 

[alpa_chino]

Mine was on the qc hold and I already took mine off. Think it was about 9 10mm bolts that were used and mine was secured on with no issues. I did notice that 2 or 3 of them had locktite so maybe thats all they did on the hold?

 

[4RunnerTony]

When I took my 4Runner in for the 1,000 mile oil change I checked my air dam and saw that 1 screw was missing and one was about to fall off. The service advisor said he never saw this problem before and there was no email from Toyota to look out for this defect. The service tech put a new screw in to replace the lost one and tightened all the others. I drive both city and highway. I have put another 500 miles on since and need to double check it again.

Hope I don't jinx myself but I just hit 2,000 miles and doubled checked the air dam. No missing screws and all seen still tight.

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