Bearing / Hub Assembly Problems?

[RdSolaraSLE]

Hi All,

Curious if any other '99 SLE owners are having rear wheel bearings going bad around the 60K mark? I searched the forum here and found one other posting by TXSOLARASLE back in July '03 for the identical problem with the exception I still have the stock rims. Toyota is telling me I need both replaced at a cost of $420 each. They're also telling me you can't replace the bearings, but must replace the hub assembly. I've talked to the dealer customer service rep and he's indicated it isn't a common problem. I've found no TSB's or recalls on the subject. I'm figuring it was a bad batch of bearings (I think Timken?) that wasn't wide spread. I've rotated the tires at regular intervals and torqued to factory specs, so I don't believe it's a tension issue and have been running the original rims and Michelin's since we bought it new. Any thoughts?

Thanks,

SL

[HKSV6SLE]

never heard of that before.

[RdSolaraSLE]

We were to drop off at Toyota this afternoon for repairs scheduled for tomorrow, but got there and found out the parts are on national backorder until July 22nd. Can't imagine a parts shortage unless they're changing out quite a few. Thanks for the feedback though!

[ZXLNT]

Unless its different than a 96 camry then yes you can replace them. Its not actually just the bearings themselves that get replaced. Its more of a bearing assembly. They are pressfit into a housing which has 4 bolts and bolts to the rear axle housing. U will have to remove the peened nut that holds the wheel spindle to the axle bearing housing. That part has the backing plate and lug nut bolts to it. Press it out and press it back into the new axle housing assembly and bolt it back onto the rear axle housing. It's really not that hard to do. Just make sure take care when removing that peened nut that you dont damage the threads on the axle spindle.. If this isn't applicable then at least we will know how to do it on a Camry

[RdSolaraSLE]

Thanks for the info. I'm picking up the manual today and will be able to verify if the configuration is similar to the '96 Camry (if it shows that much detail). Thanks again.

[indiglosolara]

what does this problem cause...... ???
what are the symptoms...??

and what usually causes this????

[ZXLNT]

Well when my bearing went out in my Camry at around 60,000 miles it was just a kind of low rumbling noise. That side of the car seemed to be a little louder towards the back. It was confirmed bad when I had new tires put on. U could take the whole tire/wheel assembly and rock it back and forth. The bearing was pretty shot.

[Jai_Jai_Binks]

On my celica the symptoms were small noises when going on low speeds. This is what the repair shop told me (wasn't sure to believe them or not..) but according to them someone tried to steal my rims, and well...they caused that problem (since i had wheel locks).

[TRDmonkey]

i have a 99 sle also and i have 65k on it n its fine.

[RdSolaraSLE]

I noticed a low rumble coming from the rear of the vehicle starting at 25mph and increasing in magnitude as vehicle speed increased. I thought I had a belt going bad on one of the original Michelin's so had them all replaced and the noise stayed. Haven't noticed any handling issues as of yet & Toyota tells me it's fine to drive until replacement parts are available (mid-July). Since these bearings are sealed, there's no regular maintanence to perform, so I'm assuming a bad batch of bearings and/or seals for a small quantity of builds. Doesn't seem to be a wide-spread problem judging from my research and responses here.

[solarafan]

Hello. I have a 2000 Diamond While Pearl SLE. I just had the rear driver's side wheel bearing assembly replaced at about 72k miles. I had a similar issue where there would be a low rumbling sound, but it wasn't clear where it came from. It finally got to the point where there was some vibration and then became more obvious between 35-45 mph. I am awaiting some feedback from Toyota. After replacing the assembly, the car is quiet again!