Parts for your 2015 Toyota Fortuner-Strut mounts

2015 Toyota Fortuner strut-mounts — are they used?

Short answer: traditional strut-mounts aren’t used on the 2015 Toyota Fortuner. Toyota’s own technical literature lists the Fortuner (AN160, launched 2015) with a double‑wishbone front suspension using coil springs, a separate shock absorber and a stabiliser bar, not a MacPherson strut. That’s documented in Toyota’s New Car Features/Repair Manual for the AN160 platform and echoed in Toyota Australia spec sheets and global press materials for the 2015 model. Because it doesn’t run a MacPherson strut, there’s no rotating strut top bearing or classic “strut mount” assembly to service.

Why that matters: in a MacPherson setup, the strut is a structural member and turns with the steering, so a strut-mount with an integrated bearing is essential. The Fortuner’s double‑wishbone design locates the hub with upper and lower control arms, the shock and spring sit as a coilover unit but don’t steer. Up top, there’s simply a shock top mount with rubber bushes and a plate — not a strut-mount with a bearing.

So if someone’s chasing a knock or creak on a 2015 Fortuner and thinking “strut-mounts,” the smarter play is to inspect the components the platform actually uses. Based on Toyota workshop procedures and common service practice, the usual suspects are:

• Front shock absorber upper mounts/bushes and spring seats/insulators
• Upper and lower control arm bushes and ball joints
• Sway bar (stabiliser) link rods and D‑bushes
• Front hub top mount plate hardware (for looseness)
• Rear four‑link bushes, panhard rod bush and rear shock mounts

Aftermarket kits sometimes label the Fortuner’s front coilover assembly as a “strut” and sell “strut top plates” or spacers. That’s naming, not function. Those plates are non‑rotating shock top mounts or spacers, they don’t contain a steering bearing and aren’t the same as a MacPherson strut-mount.

For servicing, a technician will typically check for perished shock top bushes, cracked spring insulators, play in control arm bushes and ball joints, and worn stabiliser links. Any time the front coilover is removed — like for a lift — use new nyloc nuts, torque the top mount fasteners with the vehicle on its wheels, and get a proper wheel alignment. If there’s a clunk over corrugations or at low speeds, start with the sway bar links and the shock top bushes before reaching for pricier parts.

Technical sources referenced: Toyota New Car Features/Repair Manual for AN160 Fortuner (front suspension: double‑wishbone, coil spring, separate shock), Toyota Australia 2015 Fortuner specifications, Toyota global press materials for 2015 Fortuner noting double‑wishbone front and four‑link coil rear.

• Does the 2015 Toyota Fortuner have strut-mounts?
  Not in the MacPherson sense. The Fortuner’s double‑wishbone front end uses a coilover shock with a simple top mount and bushes, so there’s no rotating strut top bearing to replace.
• What should be checked or replaced instead of strut-mounts?
  Look at the front shock upper bushes and mount plate, spring seats, sway bar links and D‑bushes, plus upper/lower control arm bushes and ball joints. These are the common sources of knocks and squeaks on this platform.
• Are “strut top” spacers or plates compatible with a Fortuner lift?
  Many lift kits include a top plate or spacer that sits above the front shock assembly. It’s fine when matched to the kit, but it isn’t a strut-mount bearing. Keep lift heights sensible, mind CV and ball joint angles, torque everything correctly and book an alignment.