Four problems related to brake disc pads have been reported for the 1997 Toyota 4Runner. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
Complaint received via email. The brakes failed many times on my car and they were in the repair shop four times. Each time they fixed it temporarily. Also, they indicated that oil or grease was leaking from the differential and coating the brake pads, rendering them ineffective. The symptoms included the anti lock brakes kicking in too often/ loss of braking power, and jolting at slow speeds. Last time in the repair shop they guaranteed that problem was fixed, yet the same problem recurred. This was very dangerous. They told me this was not the only incident, and that new models were designed to fix this flaw. What about the safety of those driving 1997 models ?.
Rear axle seals leaking requiring replacement of seals & rear brake pads. Defogger is inoperable due to linkage disengaged.
Vehicle locked up when brakes were appled and would not move. It has been to dealer three times and nothing has changed. Also, rear axle seal was defective and replaced. Brake pads were cleaned. If problem reoccurred dealer was suppose to replace pads. When it happened again, they were just cleaned. Consumer was very fustrated at this point because there seemed to be no remedy.
1997 Toyota 4 runner. The consumer stated there were two different major braking problems with the braking system. The vehicle started having braking problems at 19,900 miles. When the brakes were applied they became weak. This took 6 months to diagnose, the master cylinder was leaking. She was then informed the vehicle was unsafe to drive. This was replaced at 24,000 miles. She has also been experiencing problems since late 2003. When checked she was told there was nothing wrong. When the brakes were applied, especially on wet pavement, the vehicle would slide. She was told it was probably the abs, she states it was braking differently than prior to the problem. She took the vehicle to dealer on August 19, 2005. The parking brake handle was pulling up higher than usual. This was checked, and they found the rear brake pads were soaked in oil. This required the seals, bearings, retainers, sensor rings and the rear brake shoes to be replaced. She felt there was a design flaw in the rear axle.