Two problems related to automatic transmission have been reported for the 2003 Toyota 4Runner. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2003 Toyota 4Runner based on all problems reported for the 2003 4Runner.
Gated shifter, on 2003 Toyota 4 runner, allows you to shift the vehicle past neutral (into reverse or even park) while driving, with out depressing the brake pedal. If you push straight up on the shifter it locks it out (against the staggered plastic of the gated shifter). But if you accidentally hit the shifter on an angle, it can slide past neutral and into reverse or even park!.
My wife was driving her 2003 Toyota 4runner limited,v8 when the transmission popped out of gear. She had it in 4d gear for normal driving. She pulled over and put it in 4d gear again and it popped out a second time. The check engine light also appeared. She pulled over again and turned off the air conditioner and she proceeded to drive to her destination without the gear popping out. She called our son to pick up the car to take it to the dealer for service. They found nothing wrong with the vehicle. They said it had to happen while they were testing the car to fix the problem but they couldn't repeat the same thing that happened when my wife was driving it. This situation could be potentially dangerous. Where do we go from here,who do we contact? my wife's work number is 412-875-1481.