Tools you need for front wheel bearing on a 2013-2018 Toyota RAV4

The XA40 RAV4 uses a bolt-on front hub unit, which is the good news: no press, no knuckle removal if you can get enough room to slide the axle out. The whole job comes down to three fights - breaking the staked 30 mm axle nut loose, reaching the four bolts on the back side of the knuckle, and separating the hub flange from the rust in the knuckle bore. Budget a slide hammer or a big dead blow and a can of penetrating oil if the car has seen winter roads.

All XA40 RAV4s in the US got the 2.5L 2AR-FE, so hardware is the same across LE, XLE and Limited, and FWD and AWD share the same front hub. The one thing people get wrong is the axle nut: they torque it with the wheel in the air, or they reuse the old staked nut. Torque it on the ground with the tire loaded, use a new nut, and stake it.

Complete tool and parts list

Differences within the 2013-2018 generation

The whole US-market XA40 generation uses the 2.5L 2AR-FE, so front hub tooling is identical across trims; FWD and AWD models use the same front hub unit and the same 30 mm axle nut. Only wheel/lug seat style varies (17 in and 18 in wheels both use 21 mm lug nuts), and the 2016+ facelift changed nothing in this area.

Torque specs

How the job goes

1. Chock the rear wheels, loosen the 21 mm lug nuts and the staked 30 mm axle nut while the car is still on the ground (un-stake the nut collar with a punch first).
2. Lift the front at the crossmember, set jack stands under the pinch welds or subframe, and remove the wheel.
3. Spray penetrating oil on the hub-to-knuckle bolts, axle splines and ABS sensor bolt.
4. Remove the 10 mm ABS speed sensor bolt and carefully twist the sensor free; do not yank the wire. Unclip the sensor harness from the strut bracket.
5. Remove the two 19 mm caliper bracket bolts, lift the caliper and bracket off as a unit and hang it from the spring with a bungee. Pull the rotor off (tap with a hammer or use the threaded jack-screw holes if fitted).
6. Fully remove the 30 mm axle nut and discard it.
7. Push the axle shaft back out of the hub splines with a dead blow hammer or three-jaw puller. If it will not move, separate the lower ball joint (or unbolt the two strut-to-knuckle bolts) to tilt the knuckle and gain clearance.
8. From behind the knuckle, remove the four 17 mm 12-point hub bolts using extensions and a swivel. Rotate the hub flange to line up with the access window if needed.
9. Pull the hub unit out of the knuckle. If it is rust-bonded, bolt a slide hammer to the wheel studs and shock it out, or tap evenly around the flange. Some cars have a thin backing plate/dust shield that stays on the knuckle.
10. Wire-brush the knuckle bore and mating face until bare metal, clean with brake cleaner, then wipe a thin film of anti-seize in the bore only (keep it off the bolt threads and the encoder face).
11. Fit the new hub, start all four bolts by hand, then tighten evenly in a cross pattern to spec. Do not let the hub cock in the bore.
12. Reinstall the axle through the hub, fit a new 30 mm nut hand tight, then reconnect the lower ball joint or strut bolts and torque them.
13. Reinstall the rotor, caliper bracket (79 ft-lb) and caliper (25 ft-lb slide bolts), and refit the ABS sensor with a light smear of anti-seize on its body.
14. Lower the car onto the wheel, torque the axle nut to 159 ft-lb, then stake the nut collar into the axle groove with a punch.
15. Torque the lug nuts to 76 ft-lb in a star pattern, pump the brake pedal firm, then test drive and confirm no ABS or VSC lights.
16. Re-torque lug nuts after 50 miles.

Watch out

The 21 mm lug, 30 mm axle nut, 19 mm caliper bracket and 14 mm slide bolt sizes are solid for the XA40 RAV4, and the 159 ft-lb axle nut and 76 ft-lb lug torques match Toyota spec; double-check the four hub-to-knuckle bolt head (17 mm 12-point on most units) and its torque against the factory manual before final assembly.

Other jobs on the 2013-2018 Toyota RAV4

Front Wheel Bearing Replacement on other vehicles