general problems of the 2014 Toyota 4Runner

I am reporting what I believe is a design defect involving the secondary air injection (sai) system on my 2014 Toyota 4runner. My vehicle illuminated the check engine light and stored diagnostic trouble code p2440 (secondary air injection system switching valve stuck open). During my inspection, I found that the factory-installed foam air pump filter had completely deteriorated and was missing. The filter appears to have disintegrated over time rather than being removed during maintenance. The filter is intended to prevent contaminants from entering the secondary air injection pump and switching valves. Once it deteriorates, debris can enter the system, potentially contaminating the switching valve and causing the p2440 fault. This failure caused my vehicle to enter reduced-power ("limp") mode, resulting in a significant loss of engine power and acceleration. This created a safety hazard because the vehicle could not accelerate normally while driving, increasing the risk when merging into traffic, crossing intersections, or traveling at highway speeds. Toyota has discontinued the original replacement foam filter, preventing owners from restoring the system with the factory-designed component. Numerous other owners have reported similar failures involving deteriorated or missing foam filters, p2440/p2442 diagnostic codes, and costly secondary air injection system repairs. I respectfully request that NHTSA investigate whether deterioration of this factory foam filter is a design or material defect that allows contamination of the secondary air injection system and can lead to limp mode and reduced engine performance. If confirmed, Toyota should provide an appropriate remedy, such as redesigned components or an extended warranty for affected vehicles. This failure appears to result from deterioration of an original factory component rather than improper maintenance or normal wear and presents a potential safety concern for other Toyota 4runner owners.

My exhaust pipe rusted apart after the muffler causing the hot exhaust to expel upward and melt a rubber grommet on the floor. Then it proceeded to shoot into cargo area, melting the carpet backing and styrofoam pad and insulation under the cargo area carpeting. This happened on an 11 hour road trip with the cargo area full of vacation stuff. I'm concerned about this being a potential fire and carbon monoxide issue.

My gear shift became difficult to shift. As I was driving it, when I physically shifted to the drive position, the display didn't confirm "d", but I could drive. As I was driving, the car shifted to neutral without me shifting, but did not show "n" on the display. My car stopped accelerating and revved higher. This occurred as I was driving on the road around 45 mph. I could not tell on the display that I was not in drive. I pulled over safely luckily. I continued to try to get it to drive to get it to a dealership to look at. They reported it was prndl switch issue. Tech found internal corrosion in transmission range sensor creating a physical resistance in sensor which prevented vehicle from properly indicating gear. Tech replaced transmission range sensor, adjusted sensorwith techstream data list, and performed health check this is not the first they have seen either. This would appear to be a common safety issue to drivers. I also had a difficult time confirming the car was in the park "p" position. I believe this issue could have potentially affected the vehicle's ability to engage in park and stay in park, much like the issue with getting into drive and staying in drive.

Vehicle was in motion on a city street on 12/24/18 when the entire system (engine, electrical etc. ) completely quit. I was near a stop light, so I stopped and restarted the engine and resumed travel. On 12//27/18 I was in motion in a parking lot and the entire system failed again. At this time no systems were operable including lighting and the vehicle did not immediately restart with the ignition key. After approximately 5 minutes the vehicle responded to the ignition key and restarted. I took the vehicle to a Toyota dealership and they did a diagnostics test. No issues were found during the test and they were unable to duplicate the complete system failure. They did and audio system update and I picked the vehicle back up on 12/28/18.