Our 2025 Toyota 4Runner TRD Pro Gets a DIY Tire Rotation

• At 5,000 miles, our 4Runner needed a tire rotation.
• I used the opportunity to teach my kids to change a tire.
• It was rewarding and easier than I thought it would be.

Let me take one step back. Every new Toyota comes standard with a service plan called ToyotaCare. On the 4Runner, this free coverage includes roadside assistance for two years and scheduled maintenance for two years or 25,000 miles (whichever comes first). This 5K interval offered a perfect learning opportunity since it was a basic inspection of the brakes, fluid levels under the hood, and a tire rotation.

My son and daughter joined me in the garage early that Saturday morning. Whether it was a good night's rest or the promise of In-N-Out Burgers when we finished, spirits were high. My plan was to teach them to use the 4Runner's native tools, but adolescent attention spans are fleeting, so I took an abbreviated approach. We located the wrench in the floor of the cargo area and assembled it. I pointed to the spare tire and explained how it lowered. I showed them the in-car jack but left it. We used a hydraulic floor jack instead since it was easier.

I did my best to cover the tips my dad taught me. "Dad, I'm pushing as hard as I can, and it won't move," my son said on the first lug. I could remember scrawny little me struggling the same way at his age. I gave each one a good quarter-turn to get him started. Then he raised the 4Runner and removed the lug nuts fully. My daughter got in on the action, too. We learned about leverage, star patterns, safe jacking points and more.

I felt a legitimate swell of dad pride when that first wheel came off the hub. That will be the moment I remember most about this morning. Not a minute later, my daughter lost interest and went back into the house. After the second wheel, my son said, "This was fun." Then he also asked to leave. I had another flashback to ditching my dad the same way when he tried to teach me this stuff. Now I get it.

I finished the job myself, with nostalgia keeping me company. The last step was to reset the Toyota's maintenance meter for the tire rotation. I briefly stumbled through the menus, but once I found the right one, the commands were logical and clear. It took a few miles for the tires to learn their new positions, but they were good before the smell of Double-Doubles left the cabin.