general problems of the 2017 Toyota 4Runner

Failed brake master cylinder, this is still a rather new vehicle and the mechanics said this is unlikely in a new low mileage vehicle. I did research and this has only happened a few times, seems like a safety recall should be put in place.

While driving at full speed on the freeway, another vehicle stopped suddenly in front of me. My brake pedal was soft and went down almost to the floor. Rapid pulsing of brakes, as would be expected with the abs (antilock brake system), did not occur. I pulled around to the shoulder and barely managed to stop in time to avoid a collision, which was quite a frightening experience. I have had a few similar incidents since then, and have noticed that the brake pedal is a bit soft until pumping the pedal a few times. A local dealer diagnosed the problem and said the "abs actuator assembly" has failed and needs to be replaced. The part itself costs >$2900, making this with labor a ~$3800 repair. (please see attached) 1. This part is not subject to normal wear and tear. 2. Although beyond the 3/36 warranty, this vehicle is relatively new (2019) with only ~55k miles on it. This part should not fail after so relatively few miles. 3. Failure of this abs part causes the entire brake system to fail, since the abs is tied in to the brake system. 4. Failure of this part represents a severe hazard, risk, and safety concern, with significant potential to cause injury or death of driver/passengers/pedestrians, or persons in other vehicles. 5. The cost to repair this is not trivial and represents a major expense. I feel that in light of the above, Toyota should accept responsibility for failure of this part. Thank you, [xxx] san diego information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

In motion, from street turning into store parking lot, brakes faded completely to the floor. Lifted off and applied pedal to stop. No leaks, plenty of fluid. I will check with another dealer. There are quite a few cases of this on the t4r forums. Dealers can not duplicate. This is very dangerous to not have an answer for. Opinions are electrical antilock issues. ? (there is no air in lines, no leaks and no codes).

Vehicle bought new 8/2017. Has approx. 7,000mles. This is the 3rd or 4th similar incident but the most severe. Driving on I-95, approx. 60 mpr, today, when I applied the brakes they seemed to lock and although my first thought was that the car also accelerated it may have been only my expectation of slowing down and that wasn't happening. The brake pedal only seemed to compress about 2-3". Luckily I was able to pull over and the car did stop. I continued on without incident but like I said this was the 3rd or 4th time and the most severe.

When you apply the brakes with full force while driving; the brakes lock up for a short period of time on one side of the vehicle, causing the vehicle to swerve uncontrollably. This is extremely dangerous vehicle when the brakes are applied with hard force at speeds at around 35 mph or higher. Luckily I am a very experienced driver and car handler and was able to react quick enough to control the vehicle one time when I had to apply the brakes hard at highway speeds when a car swerved in front of me suddenly. I have since done many tests on this vehicle myself and concluded that one wheel on the left side of the vehicle is locking up which is causing the vehicle to quickly and violently swerve. The test I did was to apply the brakes very hard and suddenly while driving on a flat grassy field at 35 mph. The grass in the field had been cut a few days earlier and was at a height of about 4 inches and dry, the air temperature was 82 degrees f. After applying the brakes hard, I would stop the vehicle and go back and look at the path of the vehicle where the brakes were applied. There was clearly a patch of ground the same width as the tire, exposed down to about one inch below surface with no grass, where the one wheel that locked up, skidded and ripped the grass and dirt up. I have done this test multiple times and based on my results have concluded that one wheel on the left side is locking up. I did not that if I repeat the test several times back to back, the problem seems to correct itself at times. But always on the initial test, the lock up occurs. I have had it to two different Toyota dealers and they both told me that the brakes are working as designed. If yes, this is a very dangerous design and I don't feel safe at all, and I also noticed that there are several other complaints about the brakes for this 4runner model years.