Body problems of the 1998 Toyota 4Runner

The frame is rusting out and broke while driving. The frame is almost totally destroyed from rust . The rear started swinging violently but luckily got it stop without crashing. The entire frame is a joke. I can't believe it hasn't been recalled still. The body is in perfect shape but a frame that can snap at any moment. . . . I thought Toyota put safety first?.

The frame of my vehicle is rusting out to the point of being unsafe. The vehicle only has 68k miles. The rear trailing arm bracket has a hole inside.

Rear passenger side sway bar attachment rusted through and snapped from frame. And on other side sway bar link snapped. In addition the frame near it is rotting away. Noticed it while driving it was swaying badly. In addition the driver side seat belt will unlatch occasionally while driving.

While on a city street with a 45mph speed limit, when the accelerator was pressed the back end of the car started to fishtail to the side. The vehicle was taken to a Toyota dealership where they discovered the frame of the vehicle had rusted and broke where the rear control arm to the driver side rear axle attached. The vehicle had been well maintained by the only owner and the body is in near excellent condition with no accidents.

I purchased this truck only 20 days ago. I have been loyal to Toyota all my life and my family too. The truck appeared to be in immaculate shape. However after its 3rd drive I noticed a sway when letting off the accelerator. I took it Toyota and they deemed it unsafe to drive. The entire frame is rotted out. I have read online that this is a common issue and is very dangerous causing the frame to break and people wrecked. Toyota needs to recall these 3rd gen 4runners. Seeing as how they recalled every other model for the same issue except the 4runner.

I own a 1998 Toyota 4runner that I bought from a Toyota dealer in 2001, after about three to four year later, I started to notice rust showing up on the rear bumper and also under neath the vehicle so I bought a gallon of rust prof paint and started to coat beneath the truck with the hope to stop the rust from taking over the vehicle. Well the long and short story is I have finaly lost the battle after replacing rear bumpers,two rear shocks and a muffuler systems. I was told today that my 4 runner is unsafe to drive. I will include some pics and let you decide what happen.

When to get inspection sticker and fail because frame had holes on undercarriage and also on the chassis.

The contact owns a 1998 Toyota 4runner. While driving approximately 60 mph, the vehicle veered to the left and right before wobbling violently. The vehicle was driven to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the rear passenger side of the frame was fractured. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 152,000.

Frame is loaded with holes body panels are perfect. Car is unsafe to drive and will not pass safety inspection. With only 80,000 miles.

The frame or the chassis and all around it are heavily corroded that I was advised by the inspector and the tire place (costco) where I brought the car for tire replacement not to drive it as it is unsafe. I understand that the Toyota tacoma of the same year with the same kind OH chassis was recalled by Toyota. My question is why not do the same for the 4runner?.

I own a wonderful 1998 Toyota 4runner ltd sport vehicle. The frame is disappearing due to severe rust. The heat shield has worn away, and now my feet get very hot after just 20 minutes of local driving. Have had it checked by a garage, nothing functionally wrong with my SUV.

Frame is rotting out by control brackets. I've been told by a mechanic that it will not make it through the winter. Its not safe and will crumple on impact.

The contact owns a 1998 Toyota 4runner. While driving approximately 45 mph, there was an abnormal noise coming from the steering wheel. The contact coasted the vehicle to the side of the road and noticed that the rear passenger side frame was corroded. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 161,000.

Tl- the contact owns a 1998 Toyota 4runner. The contact stated that while changing the oil and fuel filter the contact notified that the vehicle had severe corrosion of the frame. The failure occurred with no warning. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle failure mileage was approximately 198,000. Kh.

Recently bought this 1998 4runner thinking it was in great condition. After the purchase we brought it to a mechanic to have it checked out and have the back brakes fixed. While he was doing the maintenance he saw that the whole underbody frame of the truck is rusted out and isn't even drivable due to the fact at any moment the whole back of the truck could fall out. I understand that this stuff happens but through my research this is fairly common in the older 4runner models along with the very similar framed tacoma which has the frame recall.

Tl-the contact owns a 1998 Toyota 4-runner. The contact stated when the vehicle was in a parked position he observed corroded pieces of metal that dropped from the under carriage. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 161,000. Lb.

The vehicle in question has serious signs of frame decay that should not be present on a vehicle of this age and use. There are three areas of frame perforation that suggest a defect in the material and/or design of the frame. This issue seems to be prevalent on 1998 models of this same vehicle as I have found numerous complaints of the same nature within the NHTSA site as well as other sites around the internet. I have contacted Toyota corporate and was met with an unwillingness to properly address this issue. I will follow up with photos of the frame perforation to show the extent of the deterioration.

The contact owns a 1998 Toyota 4runner. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 mph, the rear of the vehicle began shaking violently. The contact stopped the vehicle on the shoulder of the road. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic for diagnosis. The mechanic stated there was corrosion on the left rear axle trailing arm attachment point. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 230,000.

Tl- the contact owns a 1998 Toyota 4runner. The contact stated that the frame suffered from severe rust and the trailing arm bracket also suffered from extensive rust. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for repair but the contact was informed that due to liability they would not work on the vehicle. The manufacturer was notified but they offered no assistance. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure and current mileage was 250,000. Dt.

Vehicle started shaking and clunking. I was near home and able to get it back to my driveway. Upon towing to the mechanic, it was discovered that the rear control arm had rusted out and detached from the frame. Frame rot was discovered on the side rails. Car is considered undriveable and should be totaled.

My mechanic (jay shiel of fine tunes, middletown, CT) informed me that I had an unusual amount of rust under my vehicle. He said he knew that Toyota had problems with insufficient rust protection on the tacoma's, but he hadn't heard anything about the 4runners. He said we should contact Toyota and ask to have a rep look at it. We did and Toyota declined.

The frame of the body is rusting from the inside to outside, its a saftey issue since it might take a while before one can realise what is going on since the outer part of the vehicle frame somwhat seem to be ok.