150 Cracked Inner Guard List

[Rob L Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Rob L]

Yep, sure does. Here's the pass side where the Crack is only just starting. It's a little below and to the left of the backwards 'D' shaped hole and about a centimetre in length. Because of its originating position in this case it suggests the area of concern is actually bowing (sp?) which certainly backs up your theory.

Hopefully it's visible on the photo.

[Rob L Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Rob L]

Ok at Toyota now. They've never heard of it before of course and suggest that I should have bought a factory Toyota aux battery tray. First I've heard of them. Certainly didn't help with the passenger side. Gonna put to Toyota and get back to me.

I'm not confident that I'll have a win with this. To be continued....

[rob_macca67 Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close rob_macca67]

Ok at Toyota now. They've never heard of it before of course and suggest that I should have bought a factory Toyota aux battery tray. First I've heard of them. Certainly didn't help with the passenger side. Gonna put to Toyota and get back to me.

I'm not confident that I'll have a win with this. To be continued....

Whatever they try to blame it on, get them to put it in writing.... This is what I did and fortunately they had a change of heart and decided to pay for repairs....

[krypto Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close krypto]

Ok at Toyota now. They've never heard of it before of course and suggest that I should have bought a factory Toyota aux battery tray. First I've heard of them. Certainly didn't help with the passenger side. Gonna put to Toyota and get back to me.

I'm not confident that I'll have a win with this. To be continued....

I wrote a factual but passionate letter to the top of the company that focused on the safety aspects and got a great result. It seems that they do use accessories such as bullbars as a way of shifting blame. Use of a Toyota battery tray, if such a thing exists, is a red herring and has no bearing on the problem which is well known and documented.

Stick to your guns. The fact that a patch kit exists is an admission of a known fault in the guard design, it's also the reason that they have kept it so quiet.

[Bushbasher Out of control poster! Find all posts View Profile Close Bushbasher]

I'm thinking that, just as was the case with the injector sheet (seal) issue with the early D4D, it's only Toyota Australia that's refuting the claims. That would answer why when most dealers search for parts they can't find the patch numbers. Give them the part numbers and suddenly they find them in their database and exclaim "those are overseas parts."

[Rob L Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Rob L]

Cheers guys. Off to the mines so will follow up again once I get back. The letter sounds like the go.

[Clancy Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Clancy]

Member: Clancy
DOM: 11/2010
Engine: D4D
Model: GXL
Crack Location: Passenger Side
Crack appeared @: 75,000km
Toyota Response: Haven't tried
Outcome: Will probably just get local panelbeater to weld it and put a bracket over the top of the crank battery to support it
Battery & Weight: standard crank battery
Battery Tray: standard
Tray Modifications: none
Vehicle Modifications: ARB bar, Warn winch with plasma rope, dual battery is on the passenger side up at the firewall
4WD Trips: Tasmania touring, Big Red Bash 2014,

[krypto Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close krypto]

Member: Clancy
DOM: 11/2010
Engine: D4D
Model: GXL
Crack Location: Passenger Side
Crack appeared @: 75,000km
Toyota Response: Haven't tried
Outcome: Will probably just get local panelbeater to weld it and put a bracket over the top of the crank battery to support it
Battery & Weight: standard crank battery
Battery Tray: standard
Tray Modifications: none
Vehicle Modifications: ARB bar, Warn winch with plasma rope, dual battery is on the passenger side up at the firewall
4WD Trips: Tasmania touring, Big Red Bash 2014,

The bracket/patch will make the biggest difference as it spreads the load, a weld alone will just crack again.

[brogers Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close brogers]

Member: Clancy
DOM: 11/2010
Engine: D4D
Model: GXL
Crack Location: Passenger Side
Crack appeared @: 75,000km
Toyota Response: Haven't tried
Outcome: Will probably just get local panelbeater to weld it and put a bracket over the top of the crank battery to support it
Battery & Weight: standard crank battery
Battery Tray: standard
Tray Modifications: none
Vehicle Modifications: ARB bar, Warn winch with plasma rope, dual battery is on the passenger side up at the firewall
4WD Trips: Tasmania touring, Big Red Bash 2014,

I had same model Prado, same month, same unmodified crank battery, and same crack on passenger side.
Grab the battery and gently rock it forwards and backwards, and watch the crack open up and close up...so a top brace will help. I had it welded but no top brace, and it cracked again. The other side had a TJM battery tray with top brace, with a heavier battery,and it didn't crack at all....despite two trips to two consecutive Big Red Bashes, and a trip to Innaminka, the Bridsville track, Lawn Hill, the gulf etc.

[krypto Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close krypto]

Mine was same date and model with no mods and just 50k. Crack under cranking battery, other side just had a normal tray with no crack.

[Clancy Lurker Find all posts View Profile Close Clancy]

Thanks for the replies krypto and brogers. Can you post a photo of the brace please. No point in me re-inventing the wheel. The last time I tried it ended up square with the axle in one corner!

[krypto Avid PP Poster! Find all posts View Profile Close krypto]

Thanks for the replies krypto and brogers. Can you post a photo of the brace please. No point in me re-inventing the wheel. The last time I tried it ended up square with the axle in one corner!

Hi Clancy, Toyota fitted the patch kit to fix mine as it was still under warranty. I think the part number is somewhere in this thread. It was fitted from underneath the guard and matches the profile of the guard so it is impossible to see as it was re coated with the black sound deadening.

[brogers Advanced Member Find all posts View Profile Close brogers]

Thanks for the replies krypto and brogers. Can you post a photo of the brace please. No point in me re-inventing the wheel. The last time I tried it ended up square with the axle in one corner!

I just googled this image, just as an example, so you get the idea, and I know it shows a battery on the driver's side, but you can see the metal brace, linking the battery hold down post at one end, and bolting to an existing hole in the upper, front, engine bay cross member at the other end...its all about bracing the battery to stop a rocking motion as you drive over rough country.

I guess you could make something up yourself, or there are some propriety battery trays that have this brace.

Krypto is correct in saying that there is a part from toyota to reinforce the guard. Simply welding the crack even with a small patch didn't work for me, it just cracked again adjacent to the patch. I would be inclined to ensure the battery is well braced, with a connection to the front upper engine bay cross member, (like in the image) ..and also install the guard overlay patch.
Its a shame, seems to be a weak point in the Prado, and I understand that in the new model this has been reinforced....I hope so.

[Guest Close Guest]

Part numbers are here
http://www.pradopoint.com/showthread...l=1#post493964

[leethal1 Member Find all posts View Profile Close leethal1]

Part numbers are here
http://www.pradopoint.com/showthread...l=1#post493964

I still can not locate a part number for the FL guard. one is the patch and the other one the apron, however I have had the L/H apron tig welded and braced the battery top, no more cracks at all.