The XV70 Camry makes this job much easier than press-in bearing designs: the bearing and hub are one bolt-on unit held by four bolts through the back of the steering knuckle. No press, no knuckle removal, no ball joint separation if you are patient with the axle. The whole job is realistically a two to four hour afternoon on one side, and most of that is fighting corrosion rather than turning bolts.
The two things that go wrong are the same on every one of these cars. First, people reuse the staked axle nut — don't, buy a new one and re-stake it. Second, the hub flange corrosion-welds itself into the knuckle bore, and people start hammering on the inboard seal, which destroys the ABS magnetic encoder ring on the new part or the old part they were trying to save. Use a slide hammer puller on the wheel studs instead, and sand the knuckle bore clean before the new hub goes in.
| Item | Type | |
|---|---|---|
| Floor jack 2 ton minimum, low profile Lifts the front of the car at the pinch-weld or front subframe jack point. | Required | shop |
| Jack stands 2 ton pair, pinch weld pads Supports the car at the factory pinch-weld points while you work. | Safety | shop |
| Wheel chocks Blocks the rear wheels since the parking brake holds the rear only. | Safety | shop |
| Lug nut socket 21 mm, 1/2 in drive, thin wall Removes the five lug nuts; thin wall protects alloy wheel faces. | Required | shop |
| Breaker bar 1/2 in drive, 24 in Cracks the axle nut and lug nuts loose with the wheel on the ground. | Required | shop |
| Impact wrench 1/2 in drive, 600+ ft-lb nut-busting Fastest way off for the axle nut and the four rear hub bolts. | Recommended | shop |
| Axle nut socket 30 mm, 1/2 in drive, 6-point Fits the front driveaxle hub nut on 2.5, 3.5 and hybrid Camrys. | Required | shop |
| Small chisel and hammer 1/4 in flat chisel, 16 oz ball peen Unstakes the collar of the old axle nut before loosening it. | Required | shop |
| Socket set 3/8 in drive, 10-19 mm, 6-point ABS sensor bolt (10 mm), caliper slide bolts (14 mm), brake hose and dust shield bolts (10-12 mm). | Required | shop |
| Socket 19 mm, 1/2 in drive, 6-point Removes the two caliper mounting bracket bolts on the back of the knuckle. | Required | shop |
| Socket 17 mm, 1/2 in drive, 6-point plus deep Removes the four hub-to-knuckle bolts from behind the knuckle. | Required | shop |
| Ratchet and extensions 1/2 in and 3/8 in, 3 in / 6 in / wobble Reaches the rear hub bolts around the driveaxle and dust shield. | Required | shop |
| Breaker bar or torque multiplier adapter 1/2 in Hub bolts are often seized with thread locker and need real leverage. | Recommended | shop |
| Bungee cord or wire hanger Hangs the caliper from the spring so the brake hose is never loaded. | Required | shop |
| Dead blow hammer 2-3 lb Knocks the hub flange out of the knuckle bore and taps the axle back through. | Required | shop |
| Slide hammer with hub puller plate 5-lug, M12 x 1.5 studs Pulls a corrosion-welded hub out of the knuckle without damaging the flange. | Recommended | shop |
| Penetrating oil Soaks the axle nut, hub bolts and hub-to-knuckle joint the night before. | Consumables | shop |
| Wire brush and emery cloth 80-120 grit cloth Cleans rust from the knuckle bore and mating face so the new hub seats flat. | Consumables | shop |
| Brake cleaner non-chlorinated, 14 oz Degreases the rotor, hub face and axle splines. | Consumables | shop |
| Anti-seize compound nickel or copper based Thin film on the knuckle bore and rotor hub face only — never on bolt threads or the wheel mating surface. | Consumables | shop |
| Thread locker medium strength, blue Hub bolt threads if the factory pre-applied locker is scraped off. | Consumables | shop |
| Torque wrench 1/2 in drive, 30-250 ft-lb Sets the axle nut and hub bolts to spec; the axle nut is high torque. | Required | shop |
| Torque wrench 3/8 in drive, 10-80 ft-lb Accurate for caliper slide bolts, ABS sensor and lug nuts. | Recommended | shop |
| Bolt extractor or M8 bolts M8 x 1.25 x 40 mm, two Threaded into the rotor's service holes to jack a rusted rotor off the hub. | Recommended | shop |
| Pry bar 12-18 in Retracts the caliper pistons slightly and separates stuck parts. | Recommended | shop |
| Front hub / bearing assembly XV70 front axle hub sub-assembly with ABS encoder ring The replacement unit; the magnetic encoder ring is part of the hub seal. | Parts | shop |
| Axle hub nut new staked nut, 30 mm hex The nut is staked and single use — do not reuse the old one. | Parts | shop |
| Nitrile gloves and safety glasses Brake dust, penetrating oil and hammer debris. | Safety | shop |
Tool sizes are the same across the 2.5 A25A-FKS, 3.5 2GR-FKS and the hybrid: 21 mm lugs, 30 mm axle nut, 19 mm caliper bracket bolts, 14 mm slide bolts, 17 mm hub bolts. The difference is brake hardware — V6 and TRD models use larger front rotors and calipers, which are heavier and may need the bracket removed as an assembly rather than just the slide bolts, and hybrids have a regen brake system so any ABS sensor fault will also disable regen until cleared.
| Front axle hub nut (driveaxle nut) | 159 ft-lb (216 Nm) — verify in the service manual |
| Hub/bearing assembly to steering knuckle bolts (4) | verify in the service manual (commonly around 80 ft-lb / 110 Nm on this platform) |
| Brake caliper mounting bracket to knuckle bolts (2) | 79 ft-lb (107 Nm) — verify in the service manual |
| Caliper slide (guide) bolts | 25 ft-lb (34 Nm) — verify in the service manual |
| ABS wheel speed sensor bolt | 7 ft-lb (10 Nm) — verify in the service manual |
| Wheel lug nuts | 76 ft-lb (103 Nm) |
The 21 mm lug nuts, 30 mm axle nut, 19 mm caliper bracket bolts, 14 mm slide bolts and 17 mm hub bolts match Toyota's XV70 front suspension, but hub bolt head size can vary by production run and supplier, so test-fit 17 mm and have a 14 mm and 18 mm handy, and confirm the axle nut and hub bolt torques against the factory repair manual for your exact model year.
30 mm, and it is a staked collar nut that should be replaced, not reused. Break it loose with the wheel on the ground before jacking the car, and torque the new one to roughly 159 ft-lb (216 Nm), verified against the service manual.
No. The bearing comes as a complete hub unit that bolts to the steering knuckle with four bolts from behind, so you only need hand tools and possibly a slide hammer puller to break the flange free of the knuckle.
Almost always the wheel speed sensor air gap. Either debris under the sensor mounting flange, a damaged sensor cable, or a scratched/magnet-contaminated encoder ring on the new hub. Clean the sensor seat to bare metal, reinstall at about 7 ft-lb, and clear the code with a scan tool.
Usually not. With the caliper, rotor and axle nut off, the axle can be pushed inboard enough to clear the hub splines. If the axle is rust-seized in the splines you may need to separate the outer tie rod (19 mm nut) or lower ball joint for extra swing room.