Just got stuck in a 2014 Toyota 4Runner on loan from Toyota!

[toyotafan]

I've got video that really makes this story come alive, but here are the photos and the basics, see the bottom of this post!

So Toyota gave me the new 2014 4Runner to test drive. I decided to take it on some light off-road trails that I know and that I've been on before. I did about 10 minutes of driving on some otherwise very dry and stable dirt paths until I decided that it was time to leave, so I did a quick turn around and spotted a straight shot across what looked like nice dry grass. NOPE, it was wet and soggy ground with a layer of grass over the top of it.

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Long story short, I got myself stuck. I could have used the jack to lift me up and then I could have pushed the wheels over onto some wood that I had found. I could have also let some air pressure out of the tires and that would have given me some more pull up out of the mud. No, instead I got the attention of some others that were in the area (and it was getting dark) and asked if they could help pull me out, and they said sure thing.

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Really long story short, we got back to the 4Runner and hooked up to their modified Suzuki Samaru with some type of Ford powerplant. They hooked a tow strap up to the 4runner and on the other end up to their winch. That's where the fun began.

When the 4Runner was getting pulled up. The winch cable snapped and the tow-strap went flying about 30 feet from the pull vehicle straight to the windshield of the 4Runner. SMASH!

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Needless to say, after a few minutes of scratching out heads and making sure that everyone was ok. We got the 4Runner pulled out with no problems after that. I took her to a car wash and got the mud off with no problems at all and it would have all bee fine except for the pull strength of the winch cable.

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Well, it also would have been fine if I stuck to the dirt trail, but that's another subject altogether.

EDIT: Here's the video we made of the event. That's pretty crazy huh?

 

[MuddyTacoma]

TF, you seem very calm about it. I would be all like "Oh no you di-uhnt just snap off your tow strap all over my baby!" Since Toyota owns the vehicle I'll bet that they have some hefty insurance on that thing just for these types of situations that their journalists get themselves into. glad no one was hurt as you said, i hate to get all sappy but it's really true, they can replace a windshield in that thing for $500 list probably, but even a broken arm will cost 5x that amount, plus you've got someone with a broken arm ... or worse!

 

[toyotafan]

Here's the video! That's pretty crazy huh?

EDIT: I had to make a small change to the video so I'm re-uploading it to YouTube and it will be live in the next 15 minutes.

 

[tbplus10]

Was that damage done by just the tow strap?
The guy with the 4Runner on the trailer is named Justin if I remember correctly, his brother is, or maybe used to be the window tint guy at Grapevine Toyota, havnt seen either one in about 2 years.
So what did Toyota say?
Think theyll give ya anymore demo vehicles?

 

[toyotafan]

His winch line broke and it shot the metal hook back.

It's just a glass claim. Heck is good pr for Toyota. Lol

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using Tapatalk

 

[tbplus10]

Ok, I was wondering how a strap did that damage.
Strap or cable whip is why you should always use a blanket or jacket over cables or straps.

 

[toyotafan]

Ok, I was wondering how a strap did that damage.
Strap or cable whip is why you should always use a blanket or jacket over cables or straps.

Good tip. I'll remember that next time.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I317 using Tapatalk

 

[James]

Did you share the video with Toyota? Maybe they will post it on one of their websites. Did you get the truck at a dealer or is there a special person to get Toyotas from for testing?

I really enjoyed the video. Breaking the wind shield is just icing on the cake. I can't wait for your next adventure toyotafan! Keep on trucking!

 

[toyotafan]

Well, I posted it to YouTube, I think that counts as sharing it with Toyota. Lol. Technically its just a glass claim, that's what insurance is for.

As for getting access to these vehicles to test drive, all one has to do is launch a network of websites that earn tens of millions of visitors per year and you won't have any problem.[/quote]

 

[tbplus10]

I was thinking about this today and I have a couple questions/observations.
Why did he use the snatch method to pull you out if he had a winch? The winch puts less shock on both vehicles which equates in less broken parts.
Why did he hook the snatch strap to the winch cable if he was gonna snatch the truck? Why not hook to a solid frame mount?
Winch cables arent designed to stretch and retract like a snatch strap, they come apart if stressed, as you found out.

 

[toyotafan]

I was thinking about this today and I have a couple questions/observations.
Why did he use the snatch method to pull you out if he had a winch? The winch puts less shock on both vehicles which equates in less broken parts.
Why did he hook the snatch strap to the winch cable if he was gonna snatch the truck? Why not hook to a solid frame mount?
Winch cables arent designed to stretch and retract like a snatch strap, they come apart if stressed, as you found out.

Those are really good questions. I think there are some answers on some, but who knows on others.

First, they were doing me a favor and we were losing light and I don't think he thought that would happen. Also, even though that machine he had was more than capable of going though mud, I think he wanted to stay back as far as possible from the mud, so hooking to the winch gave him some more room. Now, it only gave him like an extra 5 feet, so that's somewhat questionable if you think about it.

Why not hook up to the frame? Well, that's why I added in the phrase about hindsight. I don't think they were trying to cause this to happen, he just got in a rush and forced it just a bit too hard and the cable gave way.

For me, I'm just going to chalk it up to a lesson learned. YOU GUYS can ponder and question to your hearts delight.

 

[James]

Tomorrow is a new day. Life is about learning from what you do every day. If there was nothing new to learn, then what would be the point of life? It would be rather dull. However, this was a great story and a learning experience for everyone. I love the photos and the video!

 

[Toyota Girl]

This is crazy, looks like there was dry ground pretty close to where you stopped. looks like the wetlands that we have up here where you just sink in and spin.

 

[TacoJennifer]

What did the other truck look like? that's quite an impressive windshield smash to be honest, glad it was just glass though and like you said no one was standing there when it broke free.

 

[MuddyTacoma]

did you ever hear back from the Toyota people? I'm just wondering what it totally ended up looking like after they were all done with it. I guess if its just glass, it probably ended up looking okay. Then again it was pretty dirty and muddy so hopefully they got it all out.

 

[toyotafan]

Everything is good with me and Toyota. "These things happen" is what I keep hearing. The problem is, I guess ... I keep hearing it.

 

[toyotafan]

I'd like to take a minute to review this event as I think that people have the wrong idea about what I was doing when I got stuck.

First off, my experience has been very positive with the folks at Toyota's PR firm. They're professional, well organized and make themselves available to answer questions and invite us to regional events. They're reviewing this event, as they should and they have some concerns but . They've not asked me to do this, but out of professional courtesy I'm going to paint a picture of what I was trying to do before getting stuck.

For a bit of background, I grew up in Idaho and Washington state. Some of my earliest memories are being off-road in the forests of Northern Idaho getting firewood and camping. I've always been a truck and jeep guy and I've driven off-road in all types of terrain from the mountain logging roads in Washington State to the sandy beaches in Florida. I've actually never really been stuck before like this except for mechanical problems. Seriously.

I had the 4Runner for a week and I really didn't drive it all that much compared to other reviews. So, on my last day with it I took it out on some city streets, went to a local park, stuff like that. Then, just like every other 4WD vehicle that I test, I took it off-road for a short period to see how the 4WD works and maybe get some video.

While off-road I kept it very tame and stayed on solid terra firma dirt paths. I was only off-road for a few minutes when I decided to head out as I had what I needed. There was no rock-crawling, no hill-climbing, no jumping, certainly no mudding or anything like that. Just a peaceful trip off-road for a few minutes.

The problem comes from me misreading the land type when I turned around. It was grass and started out very firm, but it didn't stay that way. As I was driving to get back on the dirt-path the tires sunk in. I spent a minute or two trying to get unstuck, but then looked and the situation and decided the mud was too slick and sticky.

Now, I could have deflated the tires and that alone probably would have gotten me out. I could have used the jack to lift the tires up and over the mud and that also would have helped out a lot. I could have gone to get a block-and-tackle and hooked up to a tree that was about 20 feet away. No, instead I got help from the gentlemen you see in the video and if it were not for the winch cable breaking, it would have been just a muddy vehicle that I needed to get cleaned up.

That's it. End of story. To me looks like it was just a vehicle with a broken windshield that needs a simple detailing and it's back on the road.

 

[James]

Steve,

Either way, it makes for a great story. Somethings things happen that are out of our control. What would we have to talk about if winch cables didn't break and crack windshields?

Good luck with your next review. I can't wait to see a review of another Toyota Truck.