Front Suspension Control Arm problems of the 2000 Toyota 4Runner

Traveling on interstate at 65 mph and heard a "pop. " vehicle started swerving badly -- total loss of control. Rear end wagging horrifically nearly hitting cars in other lanes. Managed to get to shoulder but couldnt see what was wrong. Got vehicle off at exit and to garage. Was told frame snapped and rear end control arm no longer attached rear end to frame. Frame rot extensive. Scary as hell. No other rust on vehicle. Thought vehicle would flip!.

Vehicle started handling poorly. I had recently replaced the rear shocks and thought I needed an alignment done. Brought it to my mechanic who pointed out that my rear upper control arm brakcet on the passenger had rotted and broken, causing the squirrely handling. Shortly after, while driving home from work on the highway at ~70mph, I heard a clunk and the tail end of the truck started jumping/swerving. Took back roads home and assessed the problem. Lo and behold my driver's side upper control arm bracket encountered the same fate. Rotted and broken. My vehicle's first owner was in minnesota but since then it has been in texas where there is no salt on the roads. I've done what I can to seal and prevent further rust on the frame after purchase and yet this still happens? my truck is no longer drive-able as it's extremely unsafe to have my rear axle disconnected from the frame. So until I can manage to 1) find someone willing to weld my frame 2) pay for such a service I am without a vehicle. . . I paid $2000 for this car less than a year ago with only 170k miles on it.

The frame where the lower control arm meets is rusting out at an alarming rate. It is going to be unsafe to drive in a few months when the rear lower control arms will be ripped off from the frame rail. There is almost no rust on the body of the truck and it spend most of its life in arizona out of the salt belt. In only 5 years the frame has started to desegregate and it has been cleaned reqularly. I've started undercoating it with petroleum based products and rust converters/ inhibitors and it is still just meting away. The rust hole has grown to over 2 times the size it was 2 months ago. I'm really disappointed that the frames are this bad, I had gm vehicles older and less maintained do better than this.

I want to be clear that I am submitting this on behalf of all 3rd gen 4runners! it has not, yet, happened to me but I am fearful to drive the vehicle until I replace the parts even though they seem fine. At the least a better, safer design could be made so that when it does fail, peoples live aren't put into jeopardy. Hello! I have a question about 1996-2002 Toyota 4runner's and their very common issue of the lower control arm ball joints failing. It doesn't matter if the vehicle is stock or modified, first year or last year run but somehow Toyota only has issued a recall for the 2001 and 2002 model years. Leaving hundreds of thousands of us vulnerable to a severe accident. The failure point is the bail joint and when it fails it severs itself from the vehicle, pulling the axle shaft out and causing the front end to dip to the ground causing a very unsafe driving experience as you could possibly die at any speed. You can find thousands of stories on google, it happens literally everyday with people reporting in many 3rd gen 4runner forums and facebook groups. Google �3rd gen 4runner lbj failure� for instance. Why does Toyota only need to recall 2 years of a 6 year vehicle run? all years are equally affected. Toyota is a name of dependability so this rare act of betraying the customer and putting their lives on the line is just so unlike them. Can you please look into this and help ya out? I have not personally had this happen but I check my lower arms all the time for any play but have heard stories of others with detailed maintenance and it happening to them regardless. It's totally unsafe and a redesign should be thought up, newer generations do not have this failure prone issue and more importantly if they do fail they do not make for a very unsafe environment.

Just recently bought my 4runner from a dealer. Began swaying at highway speeds and producing a faint clicking sound. The swaying was noticeably prevalent when engaging and disengaging the accelerator, driving over small terrain features (railroad tracks, road seams etc. ) switching lanes and coming to complete stops. Upon inspection found the left rear control arm had completely separated from the main frame. This could potentially have caused serious fatalities. This is an issue that needs to be addressed, it appears that 17 years was the magic number.

"takata recall" I noticed a very large rust whole in my frame right next to the transmission cross member, it spans about 5-6in from where the visible whole is. Also where the lower control arm bracket attaches to the frame is rotting away. Both whole on the passenger side.

The contact owns a 2000 Toyota 4runner. While driving approximately 25 mph, the vehicle started to wobble and the contact heard a clunking noise emerging from the rear driver side. The contact had to pull over to the side of the road and noticed a metal bar hanging form the rear driver side of the vehicle. The rear driver side control arm was rusted and detached from the frame. The vehicle was driven to the contact's residence. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 142,491.

Tl the contact owns a 2000 Toyota 4runner. The contact inspected the vehicle and found that the frame was corroded with holes. The contact also found that the rear control arm was corroded. The contact was unsure if the vehicle could be repaired. The dealer and manufacturer were not conctacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was 194,000.

Frame rust to the point the passenger rear control arm is about to fall off bc of the amount of frame rust.

Fatal lower control arm bracket corrosion-.

Travelling straight down the highway at 65 mph. I hear a loud pop and my SUV veers hard to the right crossing the low speed lane and breakdown lane. Fortunately, there were no other vehicles next to me. SUV missed the guard rail, but climbed an embankment and came to rest on the drivers side of the vehicle. Resulting in me forcefully twisting the steering wheel, hitting my head on the windshield and braking the side glass with my head. Afterwards, looking at the vehicle, it was apparent what had caused the accident. Severe rust on the frame, caused the shock mount, and rear control arm to totally separate from the vehicle.

While driving home from work on 01/24/2015 I felt and heard a noise coming from the rear of my vehicle and the vehicle started to swerve and I almost lost control of the vehicle. I came to a stop and checked the vehicle but didn't notice anything wrong. I got back into the vehicle and drove at a slower speed, when I got home I pulled into my garage and checked the under side and noticed that the frame was cracked where the control arm mounts. I looked on line for recalls and although there are a lot of complaints and there are recalls for the 2000 Toyota tacoma which shares the same platform there are no recalls for frame rust on the Toyota 4runner. In addition to the crack on the frame there is considerable rust on the entire frame and I think I'm lucky to be un hurt and alive. Please help me and all the other Toyota 4runner owners. Thanks.

On 08/13/2014 my 16year old son was driving his 2000 Toyota 4runner on the interstate at highway speeds when right side lower control arm bracket build into the frame fell off the frame and cracked. Upon further inspection the frame had rusted from inside out causing the welded bracket to break at the factory weld. It is our understanding that this was a common problem and Toyota was doing a voluntary buy back that expired in 2011. We purchased the vehicle in 2013 and was never made aware of any such issues. It appears to us since there has been no service centers willing to re weld the bracket back in place that we are going to have to junk a great running great body condition car due to this problem that appears to be common. According to multiple service garages that have inspected for repair none of them will due to liability and that there is no good metal left to weld to as the frame is simply rusting into holes. Any advice on fix's or recall's etc would be much help. Toyota dealers advised nothing we could do.

Extreme rust and damage due the aforementioned rust. The rear control arms completely rusted off the frame. I know the vehicle is 15 years old but this much rust is not normal and will cause injury to many people if they do not now it is failing.

I was driving on the highway and the car started rocking violently back and forth. I applied on the brakes gently and the car started to slow down but would not stop shaking, almost causing the vehicle to flip over on its side. As this was happening my head was smashed against the side window multiple times, causing a concussion and cuts to my head and body. I was wearing my seatbelt at the time of the incident. When I came to a stop after nearly being hit by on coming cars I managed to pull the car over to the shoulder, while hitting the guard rail as I came to a stop. After I gathered my thoughts and when it was safe, I got out of the car to see what had happened and the rear control arm became completely severed from from the frame due to excessive amounts of rust on the frame. I looked on the internet for similar issues and found that the Toyota tundra, Toyota sequoia, and various other Toyota vehicles manufactured in the same year that share the same frame as my car had been recalled by Toyota due to excessive rust on the frame that could potentially fail and cause serious injury or death. I called Toyota explain the problem and they stated they could do nothing about it because my particular vehicle was not recalled. Since my car shares the same frame as the other Toyota vehicles that were recalled wit the same frame as mine and it's failure has caused myself physical harm and the potential for others to occur. Furthermore,since the car is now undrivable and unsafe without the frame replacement that it needs from Toyota, I feel that the Toyota 4runner should be included in the same recall because the same threats human life are currently present to others and the defective design is known by Toyota and they refuse to acknowledge it.

2000 Toyota 4runner frame rusted threw at area that holds rear axel in place rear drivers frame rail had rusted through where it mounts the lower control arm. When frame failed vehicle was hard to control and swaying to the point of immediate danger to passengers and other vehicles on highway this vehicle is well maintained and is in excellent condition. Frame failure on this age vehicle should be unacceptable and should be addressed.

Extensive frame rust-through and failure. Left and right rear halves of frame cracked. Rear control arm brackets cracked at welds.

Severe corrosion of the frame and suspension components of my vehicle. Rust has completely perforated and separated structural suspension components (rear passenger side front control arm mount). Vehicle is unsafe to drive until major repairs or complete frame replacement is performed.