Body problems of the 1997 Toyota 4Runner

Very rusted out undercarriage. My other is only 3 years newer and has nothing like this on it. I was advised to sell it by a suspension shop that noted my broken, rusted out undercarriage, bad shock and the condition of the rear of the truck's frame in general. There is nothing wrong with the truck other than this rust.

The frame on my 4runner is rusting along the rear axle control arm mount (the piece welded to the frame that you can see when crouched down looking under the rear doors). This separates and causes the rear axle to float around which may cause a very serious accident. I have seen countless other incidents where people have had this separate completely while on the highway and they were barely able to maintain control of the vehicle.

Frame is completely rotted vehicle well kept and it just keeps rotting so I do not know what to do but I was driving on the highway and they trailer arm broke off the truck almost causing me to wreck.

My 1997 4runner only has 116,xxx miles and its frame is starting to rot. Making it dangerous to drive and it's also on other 4runners. I guess it happened over the years but it is near the back by the rear part of the frame.

I am the only owner of this 1997 Toyota which I've planned to keep for ever. However, this weekend while replacing a shock absorber I found that the frame, by the muffler has rusted through, the gash is approximately 18 inches long. There are other areas far beyond what can be considered normal rust due to aging. The damage looks unsafe. I found the damage on the below stated date but this kind of damage must to have taken years.

Going down road at 50mph car let loose very hard to handle pulled me into burm of road swaying back and fourth. Had car taken to be inspected frame broke loose totally rotted from inside out looks like cookie crumbles. Frame has always been taken care of as this is 22nd 4runner owned with same problem this time almost severe accident. Contacting a lawyer as this issue is being neglected research done and this is very common in 4runners and a very good class action law suit.

Extensive rust , frame will not pass inspection.

1997 Toyota 4runner - I am original owner of this defective vehicle. The frame rail on the passenger side has severe rust perforation in the back where the rear control arm bracket is welded to the frame rail. An independent certified mechanic has stated that the vehicle is unsafe to drive and should have been recalled as this is a manufacturer design/material defect and a common issue although previously unknown to me. Upon further research I have learned that many other owners of this generation of thetoyota 4runner have reported this issue. Please note there a great many of these vehicles still in service whose owners are unaware of this issue and are in serious danger of harming themselves and other innocent people. Must the NHTSA wait for someone to die before Toyota is held accountable by the NHTSA for this defect?.

To whom it may concern: thank you for your immediate attention to this concern. I just purchased a 1997 Toyota 4runner with 173,000 miles on it. I was made aware before buying the vehicle that there is some rust underneath and so I examined the problem and determined that it is not major and is repairable. After purchasing the vehicle, I found that the problem is quite larger than I initially assessed. I realize that this makes me responsible for a bad decision but I also think that it is important for the safety of the general public to bring these rust issues to the attention of the NHTSA with the hope that enough complaints will affect a response that will hold the manufacturer responsible. I realize that this vehicle is 15 years old and has high mileage but at the same time, I don't believe that the rotting frame is an acceptable defect in an 18 year old vehicle that was clearly very well maintained by it's original owner, and by the number of submitted and unsubmitted complaints, this is a common problem with this particular vehicle which points to a defect in manufacturing. In addition, this rotting frame problem must have started when the vehicle was much younger because the frame is rotted through in two places and it doesn't take a scientist to know that this kind of damage takes time. The main frame on my 4runner is rotted completely through in front of and behind the left rear wheel. I cannot drive the vehicle that I just bought because of the safety concerns and I'm concerned that there are less mechanically inclined persons out there who are unaware of this issue and unknowingly putting themselves and the general public at risk. Please take immediate action to hold the manufacturer accountable for this defect. Thank you.

The contact owns a 1997 Toyota 4runner. When the vehicle was taken to have the tires replaced, the technician noticed that the frame of the vehicle was corroded. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 160,000.

The contact owns a 1997 Toyota 4runner. The contact stated that the vehicle's frame was corroded on the rear driver side. The vehicle was taken to a body repair shop, but was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 175,000.

Tl- the contact owns a 1997 Toyota 4 runner. The contact stated that with no warning, the frame fractured on the rear of the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to a repair shop for inspection, diagnosis and repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and they provided no remedy. The approximate failure mileage was 261,909. Dyd.

The rear end part that connects to frame broke free from weld on frame caused serious swearving on road at 65 mph my kids were scared to death could of caused a roll over but kept it on road.

Tl-the contact owns a 1997 Toyota 4runner. The contact stated while he replaced the front tie rod he found the subframe rear area and the rear lower control arm severely corroded. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacture was made aware of the failure. The failure and current mileage was 144,216. Li.

The contact owns 1997 Toyota 4runner. The contact stated that the frame was completely corroded. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the technician confirmed the failure and stated that the frame needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 175,000.

Having complained about a clunking noise in the rear of the vehicle for quite some time to the Toyota dealer, I was sold a number of repairs over the last 15,000 miles, including rear stabilizer links and rear shocks. However, the noise persisted. After spending hundreds and hundreds of dollars on repairs, I have now discovered the rear drivers side portion of the frame in the area under the rear seat has totally rotted away and the lower rear control arm weldment is no longer attached to the frame, leaving the vehicle unstable (swaying side to side) and unsafe. The dealership never advised me of any problem, leading me to spend the money on these other repairs. This frame design has been recognized as a problem by Toyota a few years back. Toyota provided relief for the same issue on the tacoma. Obviously the 4runner suffers the same problem and should be evaluated as this is a very serious safety issue.

The contact owns a 1997 Toyota 4runner. The contact stated while routine maintenance was being performed, he was notified that the frame was completely corroded. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who verified the defect and stated that the condition of the frame was so severe that it was unable to be repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The failure and current mileage was 150,000.

Tl- the contact owns a 1997 Toyota 4runner. The contact stated that while driving 50 mph, he heard a crack. The contact pulled the vehicle over and noticed that the frame had fractured. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for inspection . The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 163,000. The VIN was unavailable. Mah.

Vehicle has been swaying and then recently the steering got bad so I took it to a Toyota dealership where they told me that the frame was completely rusted through was told it was not safe to drive.

The contact owns a 1997 Toyota 4runner. The contact stated that while attempting to decelerate, stopping power decreased and the abs erroneously engaged. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic where it was found that the rear under body frame had fractured in half due to corrosion. The contact also stated that the fuel tank was also corroded. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted about the failure but did not provide any assistance. The approximate failure and current mileages were 159,000. . . . . Updated 03/08/13 the consumer stated on several occasions, they brakes wouldn't perform as designed. The braking system was random, because of the rear -end swaying from being detached. Updated 03/11/13.

Frame on vehicle completely cracked. There is numerous holes and rust perforation on the frame. Local dealer deemed vehicle unsafe. Toyota has a major problem with their older frames and they need to take care of 4runner owners like they did with tacoma and tundra owners. This is a serious issue and my life was in danger every day that I drove this vehicle. Please, somebody do something about this before someone gets killed. I am left with a vehicle that is totally useless.

I took my 1997 4runner in for routine maintenance and the mechanic discovered that my frame has completely rusted out and that my car is extremely unsafe to drive. I got the opinion of two other auto body shops and they all agreed that the car is unsafe and is beyond being repaired. Toyota offered a buy back program for their tacoma's for the same reason however they will not buy back the 4 runners. I've found so many people having the same rust issue with the frames on their 4runners. I think Toyota should step up and do the right thing.

This 1997 Toyota 4runner has premature structural frame failure. The frame is rotting from the inside out. The frame rot is located in the rear on the drivers side where the rear suspension bracket is welded to the frame. This is an epidemic among older Toyota trucks and SUV's. Toyota has already recalled the tacoma's of this model year due to the frames rotting. I have read countless numbers of complaints on the internet from other 4runner owners. It is time to push Toyota to help all of the owners of these Toyota's out.

Rust. The frame has almost completely rusted through, as has the rear fender. 1997 Toyota 4runner with major rust issues.

Three weeks after having the vehicle the sun visors were falling off.