Driving a 30 year old 4runner on roadtrips, you tend to be prepared for most things that can go wrong. Well, not this time. I was 4 hours into my trip cruising at highway speed when a crosswind hit my vehicle and tore the lid off my Yakima Skybox.

Yes, the lid was shut properly -- had survived a 4 hours on the road up to that point just fine. Just as the crosswind hit, I heard a low rumble and then a 'thunk'. Next thing I saw was the lid to the box twirling in the wind behind me.

Thankfully, none of the contents blew out (toolbox, an ax, folding chairs and firewood). Any one of them could have killed someone.

Ironically, this happened in Yakima WA on the way to the NW Overland Rally in Plain WA.

I called Yakima on Monday and explained the situation and they were not phased. The customer service agent said that wind is an act of God and not covered. They were not willing to replace the box for free. The 'best' they could offer was 50% off a new box plus shipping (which eats up most of the 50% discount).

Pretty disappointed in Yakima. Thinking it may be time to switch to Thule.




The lid survived in one piece. All of the rivets pulled out.<br/>




Here's the base still secure on the roof of the 4Runner.




Close up of one of the latch arms that used to attach to the lid. One of the rivets is still in the arm.




Front shot of the rig with the base still on

 

You would think one Customer Service rep could have crippled there business by not replacing your box.

I would no longer think about buying one.

Might be time for others owning them to think about throwing a ratchet strap around just for insurance .

Glad you didn`t lose anything .

 

I abandoned Yakima a long time ago since I found out that:
1) Its foot pads for gutterless mounting went gummy,
2) Footpads rest on sloping corner of the roof and shift as load compresses the rubber.
3) The cam tightening mechanism to hold the cross bars tight to the towers tore the coating on the cross-bars, and shifted as one tightens the cam.

On the other hand:
1) Thule's foot pads were solid and firm rubber
2) Thule's foot pads rested on more stable and horizontal spots on the roof.
3) Thule has a plain clamp that does not tear up the coating and does not shift as one tightens it.

I would recommend using the simpler cam-lock straps; ratchet straps make it too easy to over-tighten and possibly damage the lid. Or old-school rope; people who drive 30-YO classics should know their knots

 

When one uses ratchet straps on high end welders you get a feel for how tight they are .

I do concede your point for people that use them a few times a year.

I bet not to many know the basic knots What do you think??

 

I agree, I use ratchet straps severaltimes a month, you get a feel.

Knots- I bet I could still build a secure one rope bridge for a water crossing or just refer to the handy dandy Ranger Handbook

 

None of this should be necessary for a $500 product built for highway speed and wind. I have full confidence that my car doors won't blow open while I'm driving down the road - I'm not tying ropes around them just in case. This should be no different.

 

I'm pleased to report that Yakima and I reached an agreement yesterday after I shared my story on their Facebook page. They will be providing a free replacement for my skybox. For any long-haul highway treks, I'll likely be putting a strap around it for extra insurance from now on.

 

Awesome! Happy for you, Stanz.

 

Glad it all worked out !!

You mean your doors don`t blow open ??

I put tarp straps on all of mine to keep them from coming open.

 

I tried flushing it from the cooler hose on the radiator.....fire it up, drain a quart, kill it, replace a quart with clean atf and repeat. haha clearly the previous owner didn't do any maintenance or transmission service throughout its life, luckily I paid only $1800 for the rig and the only reason I plan on saving the thing is because it came from Cali so the frame is immaculate which is nearly an impossible find for any Older Toyota up here in Maine by the beach.

 

So my Yakima Lo Pro blew off in a crosswind today here in Silverthorne, CO, into a 4 runner exactly like your issue. Damaged the 4 runner! Needless to say Yakima is getting a phone call! Glad I found your post!

 

Old thread but be expected to take the same steps the op did. Give CS a chance first then facebook thread and maybe Something like Yelp.

 

Update.... so far so good. Yakima replaced my box, even arranged for me to get from a shop locally vs waiting to ship. I'm working to get the damaged box back to them (a bit of a pain), but they are also opening a claim given the damage to another guys vehicle. He is getting repair estimates and my goal is that Yakima will completely cover everything. Will post another update when I have more to report, but so far, very pleased with Yakima.

 

Good to here. Sounds like they are making it right. Good deal.

 

happened to me about a couple years ago when is "stuffed" a suitcase into my thule-box and was doing like 75 on i-75. thank god for the internal strap system that held everything in.

 

After shopping for roof boxes I decided to go with a packasport box.
Found one on Craigslist and after buffing the gel coat and replacing the lock, gasket and latches I couldn't be happier. One hundred times more solid than any of the other boxes I looked at.

 

The exact same thing happened to me, except I did have skis fly out. So happy I found this thread. Yakima did absolutely nothing and told me this was a result of normal wear and tear. Buyer beware as you are responsible for their faulty products.