Frame And Members problems of the 2001 Toyota 4Runner

The contact owns a 2001 Toyota 4runner. The contact stated that during an inspection she was notified that the right side of the frame completely corroded. The vehicle was taken to a dealer. The technician confirmed the failure and stated that the vehicle could not be repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the defect. The approximate failure mileage was 161,213.

The rear axel housing on our 2001 sr5 Toyota 4-runner is rusted out pretty bad. The entire first layer of thin metal has completely flaked off. It has not began to leak yet, but it is a matter of time until it does. Toyota indicated that there has not been a recall issued on this part, which I think there should be since it is such a common occurance with 1999 - 2002 Toyota 4 runners. The entire vehicle is in great shape, and runs great - we couldn't be happier with its performance. But the rotting rear axel not only is surprising, but has me quite concerned that we will end up with a pretty expensive repair without Toyota taking resposibility for an obviously defective rear axel housing. If anyone simply does and internet search regarding this problem - you will see that are literally thousands of Toyota trucks that are experiencing this problem with the rear axel housing.

When on a long highway trip on the weekend of June 7, 2008, my husband noticed black spots on the rear window of our 2001 Toyota 4runner (121,000 miles). He cleaned it off to see if it returned as we resumed our journey. When we next stopped several hundred miles later, the black spots were on the entire rear of the vehicle. My husband checked beneath the rear of the vehicle and saw transmission fluid dripping out of the differential. We then took the vehicle to a mechanic who reported that the rear axle housing was completely corroded to the point of failure, and that it was beyond repair, and that he hadn't ever seen this on a car of this age and mileage. He informed us that Toyota has recently recalled tacoma vehicles from the same year for similar corrosion problems. We contacted Toyota and they said there was nothing they could do for us. We are left with a vehicle that is beyond repair that we are unable to sell, and we have maintained it in accordance with the manufacturer's guidelines. Please help. The consumer was informed the entire rear axle including the axle, differential, brakes, and exhaust system were corroded beyond repair. Updated 08/27/08.