general problems of the 1999 Toyota 4Runner - part 1

1999 Toyota 4runner ltd 4x4 frame is rotted /rusted out will need major repairs or new frame apparently this is all 4runners and tacomas built from the mid 90s to mid 2000s both sides of the frame rot on the inside and bottom of the frame so much so they started selling kits to fix this on ebay what a shame I never though Toyota would be such junk sad they wont fix / recall the 3rd gen 4 runner in there current frame recall even tho they have the exact same issue . Safety issues . . . .

Vehicle frame is rotted.

Frame rusted falling apart. So soft I can stick my fingers through it.

The frame on driver side rear axle area has completed rotted from rust, the rear suspension and sway bar broke away from the vehicle. We were almost in a very serious accident as there was loss of control of the rear end and we ended up in a ditch with loss of control. We were driving in a straight line at the time. We could have had a serious roll over accident resulting in serious injury or death. Very scary incident. I did some online research and found a number of other complaints. I would be happy to send photos of this issue if you want to call e-mail me at jburget1263@gmail. Com. The exterior body engine and interior of this vehicle are in good condition and it seems the frame should last the life of the vehicle. Thank you for registering my complaint.

After a less than 10 mile drive the Toyota was parked. After a hour or so it burst into flames. Prior to this the door locks were locking themselves. Two fire departments responded. The 4runner was a complete loss. Also burned part of the roadside. I have found other complaints and photos of others bursting into flames, but have found no recalls. Toyota was absolutely no help. Horrible ordeal and thankful no one was killed. Shame on Toyota.

Went to fix the exhaust on my vehicle and saw multiple spots with excessive rust,especially around the rear shock towers.

The frame on my Toyota 4runner has rusted through and is no longer structurally sound. The frame should be replaced.

Frame has extensive rust inside and out . Suspension and rocker panels are affected also. I was wondering about a frame recall since they have done so with other Toyota frames.

I had just bought a used Toyota 4runnner from a dealership as my first vehicle for college. Before I was about to leave for my freshman year of college I had to get it inspected and came to find out the frame of the SUV was rusting away. Now I am $7000 dollars in the hole and no vehicle to go to school with and now forced to stay home. I did my research and came to find out that this is a common problem with these vehicles and that all of the 1999 Toyota tacoma trucks had recalls for their frame but not the 4runners. Please help because that just isnt right. . .

The ball joint on my 1999 Toyota 4runner broke while I was driving the vehicle. By the grace of god, I stopped at mcdonald's before my long journey onto the freeway, with my 9 month old baby in the car, and that saved us from a very bad crash that may have taken our lives had we been going 60-70 mph. How does a ball joint break in half???.

Takata recall frame is rusted extremely bad almost in safe to drive rear stabilizer bar that goes to frame rusted off really bad plan on contacting Toyota tomorrow to see if qualifies for recall.

1999 Toyota 4runner rear frame rusted driver side.

Low fuel light comes on with around 5-6 gallons of fuel remaining and gas hand goes from full to half after only 70 miles.

There is extensive rust on the frame just like the same issue with the Toyota tacomas that were recalled with frame rust issues. The areas of rust are similar to the tacomas as well. Some places there are holes where you can fit your hand through. I have had older vehicles that had more mileage that does not have frame rust this bad.

Frame rust, rear passenger side of inside frame in front of rear wheel has a hole rusted through the frame, signs of rust over entire frame. My mechanic informed me that this is a safty hazard and could be life threatening.

Frame is rotted through on the passenger side of the interior of the frame near the rear lower control arm attachment. There has not been an incident, just a very bad condition exists that I will have to repair before driving again. It is an unsafe condition. Why did this part of the frame rot through but not the rest of it, not even close to the amount that this part of the frame is rotted, seems like a design flow to me. I did some research and found that there are a lot of people with the same issue in the exact same place on the frame.

The frame is rusting into on my 4runner. This is a safety hazard for my family.

Per mechanic frame is rusted through.

Doing routine maintenance and found huge holes in the frame! wow. Time to retire this vehicle, and take Toyota off my shopping list of potential replacements.

The frame is rusting from the inside out.

The 3rd generation 4runner frame is falling apart due to rust issues and is making vehicle unsafe to drive. Drivers side trailing arm mount rusted through and was disconnected from vehicle. I had to have the frame patch welded at great expense to myself.

I do not know if the stopping problem is the brakes, tires, both, or something else. At one point I got new tires and the stopping problem still occurred. My family has been in 3 accidents with other cars and many more incidents by the car itself. When braking in rain/snow/ice and even slight damp roads the car skids forward. We have to keep extra distance in front of now compared to other cars we drive. Also during acceleration on rwd from a stoplight even during dry conditions sometimes the rear tires spin out/burn out/ have no traction.

I purchased a 1999 Toyota 4 runner. The back of the frame is completely rusted out near drivers side rear shackle none of this was visible when I purchased from dealership, I looked underneath car prior to buying and did not see this till I read a forum discussing the issue and went out to my car to see if mine had it too. The frame is also completely rusted out on the side facing gas tank. I don't have any other choice but to continue to drive it with it being my means to get to work and money is tight with my wife being pregnant. Please step up to the plate Toyota and replace these frames.

604i was driving on the highway and out of no where a loud beeping started, along with flashing "loss of traction" icon and then all of the sudden the brakes engaged and a loud grinding sound began which slammed myself and my children forward. It slammed us so hard it brought my speed down from 65mph to 40mph, and I was unable to accelerate or control the speed. To aboid hitting another vehicle I had to swerve, and began pushing the brake to try to slow the SUV, while it was still grinding so loud. I practically was standing with both feet in the brakes to stop it. The dealer ship said it was a faulty yaw rate sensor.

Purchased my 1999 4runner with excellent body and interior condition, mechanically perfect. Until I noticed there are severe rusted frame! there multiple holes through the frame! very bad prep and coating on frame work. Contacted Toyota dealer to discuss the issues with rusted/corrode frame, came back with the answer as there nothing they can do about it. Very disappointed. Before I purchased the vehicle, I ran carfax as they stated, zero issues including frame/rust. There the same issues for tundra and tacoma Toyota please be honest, fix it ASAP!.

Passenger frame showing signs of rust thru of frame in front of passenger rear wheel about a 3 inch long hole.

My mechanic told me that the frame is completely rusted beyond repair. He also suggested not driving it because it is so unsafe.

Upon doing a routine inspection on my truck. The frame on the passangers rear side is corroded to a mechanically unsafe condition. This is where rear anti-say bar attaches and the rear springs. The frame is paper thin in numerous places. Additionally there are more locations on the rear section of the frame on the drivers side that are approaching a simular state. I have washed the truck on a regular basis and used corrosion inhibiting fluid on the frame to prevent this situation from happening. However this frame is undrivable due to safey concerns. I have a 1995 Jeep grand cherokee with 200000 miles and the fame is brand new compared to this.

Well maintained 99 4runner. . . Original-excellent condition paint and no rust on body panels. Noticed after examining the underside that frame has rusted through in multiple sections. Some sections near rear suspension mounts. If mounts break loose could result in serious accident.

Frame rusted on inside surface and at both rear lower control arm mounts. Drivers side rear lower control arm mount separated from the frame and allowed axle to move and tire to contact inner fender. The passenger side rear lower control arm mount was also severely rusted. The entire center section of both inner frame rails had new plate steel welded in place to repair the original rusted steel. Reinforcements were welded on the inner and outer frame for both rear lower control arm mounts. The vehicle is now safe to drive, but these repairs should not have been necessary on a 14 year old (at the time of incident) vehicle.

The passenger side rear frame section is rusted through. The inside portion of the frame is completely rotted away. I have contacted Toyota in reference to this matter, and they stated that they intend to take no action in this matter.

I have bought Toyotas for 25 + years and always keep them well-maintained. The visible exterior and interior of the vehicle is in very good shape. A few years ago, I took my 4runner in for a muffler repair and was told that I had a real problem with a rusting frame and that there were spots that were actually total perforation/holes. Two years later, my vehicle was in for a fuel guage issue and the shop called to say they could not repair the vehicle because they could not safely raise the car. The rust on the frame was so bad the pads on the hoist slipped thru holes in the frame. I had the vehicle towed again, this time to the dunning Toyota dealer in ann arbor, mi. The service representative agreed to have the Toyota technical rep. Look at the vehicle. It took several months before the rep. Could actually look at the vehicle. Photos were taken of the frame corrosion. I asked if the vehicle was safe for me to drive and was told "probably not". Months later, my vehicle is still at the Toyota dealer. . . . Unsafe to drive.

The frame on these vehicles rust excessively, even with continued maintenance and cleaning and rust proofing. Other Toyota trucks have been recalled for such issue (rusting out quickly) but these have not to date. I maintain vehicle carefully so it runs and operates well into high mileage; however, the frame rusting creates an unknown safety concern. Toyota built a vehicle that is desired by its clients, operates for a long life, but apparently provided a frame component that fails or prematurely fails. Toyota should provide some assistance to purchasers (I'm original owner) to address if there is a safety issue and to address it. Options include frame amendement, disposing of vehicle, assisting in how to resolve frame rust, frame/safety diagnosis, etc. . Otherwise, it is an unknown. A motor failing is one thing a frame or structure component failing is something else.

Frame rotted out prematurely.

Takata recall frame riot and busy rust.