Worn Driver side door seal after 6 months

[Gene S]

Hello… long time lurker here but I have an issue now and seek advice. I got out of the car today and noticed the driver door seal was falling apart. 6 months of use. Looks like this is a contact point when the driver seat goes all the way back for exit.

Dealer wants $375 to replace. Says it’s wear and tear so warranty doesn’t cover it.

If I replace it with Toyota parts I suspect it will be the same issue in 6 months. Kind of expensive consumable part.

Has anyone else noticed wear on their door seal?

If I get the part how difficult is this to replace?

Is there a better quality aftermarket part that you’d recommend?

This is my fifth 4runner limited and never had this issue with the previous ones.

I am open for recommendations.

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[Jay Dee]

Wear and tear after 6 months??

 

[NotApplicable]

The seat tugs on the seal every time it does the entry/exit dance? Sounds like a design flaw not wear and tear. I don’t use that feature but understand why some do

 

[Vincenzo]

Can we get a pic of the door where it comes in contact at that point?

 

[BadTrainDriver]

Are you sure it's the seat rubbing that area, because I just looked at my 4Runner's driver side door and seat, moved the seat fully frontwards and backwards, and it doesn't come near there. And there are red fibers in the rubber seal tear. Something else is going on here...

 

[Dead Horse]

Is the seat hitting that, or your hip/butt?

 

[Gene S]

My butt/jeans rub as I exit the vehicle. I noticed it today because I was wearing a red sweatshirt and the lint rubbed off and caught my eye.

 

[Gene S]

Are you sure it's the seat rubbing that area, because I just looked at my 4Runner's driver side door and seat, moved the seat fully frontwards and backwards, and it doesn't come near there. And there are red fibers in the rubber seal tear. Something else is going on here...

Not the seat itself. My butt rubs it when the automatic seat position goes back and I slide out.

 

[Gene S]

Are you sure it's the seat rubbing that area, because I just looked at my 4Runner's driver side door and seat, moved the seat fully frontwards and backwards, and it doesn't come near there. And there are red fibers in the rubber seal tear. Something else is going on here...

I was wearing a red jacket today and the lint rubbed off. That is what caught my eye and I noticed it (and said some words that I can’t post here)

 

[Vincenzo]

So it’s legit wear and tear

 

[Gene S]

So it’s legit wear and tear

Poor design that it wears out in 6 months of use. Hopefully there is better quality aftermarket ones.

 

[BadTrainDriver]

Gene, if it was me, I'd first try a repair with this:
Amazon.com: Gorilla Duct Tape, Black Tape, 1.88" x 50 yd (Pack of 1) - Heavy Duty and Weather Resistant for Indoor or Outdoor : Industrial & Scientific

This tape is incredibly sticky and tough. It is the best duct tape on the market by far.

If the repair didn't look good, my only other suggestion is to pay to have it replaced and then try to change how you enter and exit the vehicle.

I'm not denying it's possibly a frail part, but I think most people would never really come into contact with it like you have, so it's a non-issue to the majority.

 

[Gene S]

Gene, if it was me, I'd first try a repair with this:
Amazon.com: Gorilla Duct Tape, Black Tape, 1.88" x 50 yd (Pack of 1) - Heavy Duty and Weather Resistant for Indoor or Outdoor : Industrial & Scientific

This tape is incredibly sticky and tough. It is the best duct tape on the market by far.

If the repair didn't look good, my only other suggestion is to pay to have it replaced and then try to change how you enter and exit the vehicle.

I'm not denying it's possibly a frail part, but I think most people would never really come into contact with it like you have, so it's a non-issue to the majority.

Thanks. I use gorilla tape all the time. It is great and I already considered that. I was wondering if other people have noticed any wear on their door seal.

 

[NotApplicable]

Gene, if it was me, I'd first try a repair with this:
Amazon.com: Gorilla Duct Tape, Black Tape, 1.88" x 50 yd (Pack of 1) - Heavy Duty and Weather Resistant for Indoor or Outdoor : Industrial & Scientific

This tape is incredibly sticky and tough. It is the best duct tape on the market by far.

If the repair didn't look good, my only other suggestion is to pay to have it replaced and then try to change how you enter and exit the vehicle.

I'm not denying it's possibly a frail part, but I think most people would never really come into contact with it like you have, so it's a non-issue to the majority.

yeah, I was also thinking that maybe one way to prevent this is to coat the target area with something to reduce friction with clothes or make it stronger like tape or something.

Generally speaking, door seal rubber is probably pretty sensitive to repetitive friction with cloth so I'd think the only way this is really a 'design issue' is if one asserts the door opening should be shaped differently - the seals look to be made out of standard stuff to me.

 

[TrdProGirl84]

Dealership won’t cover under warranty?

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