To most people, a Toyota RV built in the 1980s looks like a cute and charming RV. And for the most part this is exactly what they are. But there was a fatal flaw built into these early 1980s RVs that caused hundreds of people heartbreak and disaster.
As the size of the RV expanded to over 18 feet, the original Toyota truck chassis, which was only rated for 1/2 ton capacity, simply wasn’t up to the job. Specifically the rear axle began to fail. When this happened, bad things happened to good people.
Completely empty, these little campers have a marginal carrying capacity for people and possessions. This meant that the typical motor home left the driveway probably in an overloaded condition. This was normally not a problem because the motorhome’s performance ensured that slow speeds were maintained on the trip. The hundred horsepower four-cylinder engine would not move three times around the house at a very fast pace.
As the size of the camper increased, it was not long before the rear axles began to fail. Caravan manufacturers compensated by adding a second set of wheels on the axle. This created a double set of tires on each side. However, this did not correct the problem. The problem lies in the fact that the bearings and the shaft itself were not strong enough to carry the load.
The excessive load caused the bearings to overheat, fail, and then disintegrate with disastrous consequences. Victims of this problem reported that the wheels would come off the truck. This was such a serious problem that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration got involved and issued a recall on certain Toyota RV models.
There was no way to predict when the shaft would fail. Some drives failed almost immediately, some drives went thousands and thousands of miles, and some drives have not failed yet. However, any Toyota motorhome without the heavy-duty axle should be considered a suspect vehicle.
There’s an easy way to tell if your Toyota RV has a secure axle. First of all, all Toyota RV models built after 1987 were built with the improved safe axle. All Toyota RV models built in 1984 and earlier are required to have the axle upgraded due to the safety recall. In 1985 and 1986, some models were made with the improved safe axis and some were not. So it’s up to you to be careful when inspecting the axle on any Toyota motorhome you’re considering buying.
A simple inspection of the shaft itself will tell you if it is safe or needs to be replaced. The safe axle will have six nuts, the unsafe axles were made with five nuts. The safe shaft will also have a protruding center hub that has a ring of nuts around the outer edge.
If the axles on the Toyota RV you are considering only have five nuts and the center does not protrude and has a ring of bolts on the center hub, keep looking for another camper to buy.