Three problems related to check engine light on have been reported for the 2004 Toyota 4Runner. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2004 Toyota 4Runner based on all problems reported for the 2004 4Runner.
I've put a down payment of 1200 at premier auto sales . In victoria TX I left feel positive about the vehicle . The sales man told me as soon as they get a mechanic to look at it . It didn't have an inspection either . So I took it to p&h all they did was right in a paper an sent it back with me to the car lot after I picked it up from it being dead the battery terninals where horrible the check engine light came on the oil light after a brand knew oil change kept smoking so took it back so they could look at it to find out they just cleared the codes . Picked it out he following Monday well the vehicle smelt like it was burning had to use my emergency brake to stop . Called them and the sales lady in the front said it wasn't their problem still within the 30 day period so took it to the brake place down the road from them my brakes were so back they had to change everything he said I could have caused a wreck because of them being so wore down . I called to make arrangement with them and they were just being ugly about the situation over all . I've tried to be nice and do the right think this was unsafe for me as well as my children .
My 4runner check engine light came on and the vsc trak off lights came on with it. The trouble code indicated #6 cylinder misfire. After checking all the sensors it became obvious that there was a slight loss of coolant. Checked the engine and found that the head gasket for #6 had failed. Looking on line I see that there are hundreds of complaints about similar problems around the 120k miles mark. Isn't Toyota required to report these to NHTSA and should there be a recall on this? this problem seems very similar to an earlier Toyota issue that resulted in a recall. A head gasket should not fail during normal use of a vehicle especially one that is used very lightly and not off road.
While driving, the cel (check engine light) came on and the vsc trac and vsc off lights came on as well. Apparently Toyota disables vsc when the cel is triggered. In my case, the 2 times it has occurred has been due to emissions related failures (1st time the cat failed, 2nd time one of the O2 sensors failed). In the 1st case, I immediately took the vehicle to the dealership as I was approaching the end of the emissions warranty. They made the repairs and cleared all the codes so wasn't aware that the vsc system was actually disabled. The 2nd time (O2 failure) I replaced the failed O2 sensor, the cel has cleared, however the vsc lights are still on and vsc is disabled. I have serious concerns that Toyota disables key safety systems due to emissions related failures especially given the inherent stability problems with SUV's. If I'm on a trip with my family and an O2 sensor fails, or a catalytic converter fails, or the gas cap fails, key safety systems that help keep my family and I safe should not be disabled! I think this deserves an investigation.