Bolts falling off from underside of Prius v

Checked our"v" this AM and bolts are in place and tight...Two(2) per side...
Thanks for ther "heads-up"

 

I used to do a lot of long distance bicycle riding on highway shoulders and had to watch in front of me to make sure I didn't run over any debris that would damage a tire. I saw lots of nuts on the shoulder (but few bolts). With all of those car parts (mostely nuts) on the side of the road, it's amazing that more cars don't collapse on the road due to missing parts.

 

From ADV the Op, " Can someone explain to me what this bar is? (it appears to simply bolt to the undercarriage, so I assume it is just there to deflect obstacles from hitting cables, etc.)

Can one of our "suspension experts" explain the purpose of this bar? It's exactly as AVD described it, but not being familiar with the rear suspension used on the v, I am at a loss to understand its purpose.​

 

If the missing bolts turn out to be a safety concern (e.g. accident or catastrophic failure could occur, if missing), I'd also file a safety complaint at Home | Safercar -- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

 

Toyota, like most Japanese and Korean cars use J.I.S. or Japan Indistrial Standard bolts. They like as they may be M8x1.25 metric fine with smaller 12mm between the flats hex heads.

I worked on aircraft systems for years. Nearly all bolts are retained by safety wire.Back in the days of the Model A and Model B Ford, a lot of engine an drive train bolts were also safety wired.

Now, for the sake of economy all bolts are just torqued.

Yearly, I inspect all of the bokts on my vehicles and tighten them as needed. Working on bolts for over 50 years, I have a good feel on how tight they should be.

For those, who are novices, a torque wrench, even a cheap $10 Harbor Freight one is a good investment.

 

I looked under my "v" today.

The crossbar, apparently, is placed there to offer a degree of protection to protect the gas tank from backing over debris that might cause it damage.

As I suspected. the two M8 J.I.S. "flanged bolts" on the ends fasten to "captive" nuts welded to the inside of the chassis. The inner bolts go through the bar and are closed with closed end acorn nuts, also J.I.S. The inner bolts and nuts hols small metal brackets that retain amd route the parking brake cables.

Over the years, when I visited those "pick ypur part" wrecking yards, I have collected a wide variety of those J.I.S. bolts and parts.

I also found a source for brand new high strength 10.9 grade J.I.S. bolts that are suitable for internal engine and transmission use.

It is sad that Toyota dealers do NOT have the foresight to do the same.