Four problems related to engine have been reported for the 1998 Toyota 4Runner. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
I was driving on hwy. 45 about 65 mph. My sister and nephew were in the vehicle with me. All of a sudden, we heard a loud pop. I felt the power go out of the vehicle and proceeded to pull over to the shoulder of the freeway - almost hitting another vehicle. My nephew said it sounded like we got a flat tire. Then we noticed smoke coming out from under the hood of the vehicle. When we go tout, we noticed oil on the ground -under the vehicle. We lifted the hood - and noticed a hole in the engine block. The vehicle had to be towed to a gas station, and then picked up the next day by the repair shop. The vehicle is under warranty with gap insurance. The repair shop is telling me the warranty does not cover it, and that it is not a manufacture malfunction. I also had just within less than a month ago, had to have the starter replaced, prior to this happening.
With 50 000 miles, connecting rod broke while during normal use, shot out the engine block, fluid spilled, engine seized and catastrophic damage to engine block; new engine required.
We were on vacation driving from atlanta, GA to damariscotta, me. On the morning of Saturday August 7, we began our second day of travel just outside of harrisburg, PA. We were entering the interstate when we heard a loud pop and the car began to shake badly. We immediately took the car, a 1998 Toyota 4runner with fewer than 60,000 miles on it, to harrisburg Toyota. The dealer eventually told us we had a broken rod and need a short block replacement, for which we were charged $5500, including $3900 in parts.
While accelerating 55 mph engine seized up, losing complete power. Owner drifted truck over to the side of the road. Dealership stated that engine threw a rod. Please describe details.