Equipment Problems of Toyota 4Runner - part 2

I own a 2004 Toyota 4runner sport edition that suffers from frame rust issues. Mine isn't as bad as I've seen in person while working at a Toyota dealership as a tech or on the forums but from my experience in assisting in replacing frames at the dealership I know that my frame won't last very long. When I bought it from the original owner it had around 86,xxx miles on it and the typical spot in the from was rusted out. I choose to purchase it because it was the best example I could find, others having worse rust. I quickly discovered a weak spot which became a hole when trying to jack it up to do work along with chunks of rust that came off the rear end of the frame and all over. The weak spot that ended up being a hole seems to be caused by the ac drain location and how it drips right onto the frame which has an opening right by where it drips. I believe the drips went into the frame through the factory hole and lead to the weak spot and hole in my frame. I am not the only one who has experienced this issue. In fact on a Toyota 4runner forum there is threads on people extending the drain to prevent the same thing from happening to theirs or from getting worse. As a former Toyota tech who has seen how bad the frames that came in under recall and 4runner frames were first hand I cant believe that a the 4runner frames weren't included in the recalls. I've seen countless threads/reviews/complaints of severe rust causing accidents from suspension components. Toyota should be held accountable for the rust issues ont he 4runners just like the other vehicles. My 4runner now has 113,xxx on it and it will rust out long before the drivetrain gives out no matter what I try to do. My only option is to fix it using safe t caps when the time comes who makes frame fixes for tacomas, tundras, fj crusier and of course the 4runner. They produce them for these vehicles because the frames rust out pre maturely. The rusty 4runner frames are a safety issue and should be addressed.

See all problems of the 2004 Toyota 4Runner 🔎.

Frame of the vehicle is showing rust corrosion. The frame are the same as the tacomas that were released the same year. The tacomas were granted frame replacement by Toyota but 4runners weren’t. Noticed a lot of other 4th generation 4runners are having the same issues.

See all problems of the 2005 Toyota 4Runner 🔎.

I was driving down the road with no other cars in front or behind me and no impact was made on my sunroof when it just spontaneously exploded. The noise was so loud I jerked my wheel and almost crashed into a ditch. Large chunks of glass and tiny glass slivers were all over myself and my car and my ears were ringing.

See all problems of the 2019 Toyota 4Runner 🔎.

The door lock actuators have failed on both the driver side and passenger side front doors. Unfortunately this is a know issue across this model along with others and can be found in several forums. The problem is that the actuator gets stuck and at one point I was locked inside my car and once I was locked outside my car. If there was an emergency it could put mine and others safety at risk if the lock fails. The vehicle was inspected by Toyota who stated the actuators need to be replaced at $805 a piece and will not fix it themselves even though it is a known problem. This happened within the last month.

See all problems of the 2015 Toyota 4Runner 🔎.

Regarding jack components included with the vehicle. An unknown person, let the air out of one of my tires as an act of vandalism, harassment, or, possibly as a set up for a crime, as is common in California. I attempted to lower my spare tire so that I could put it on and address the tire that has been deflated at another location. The equipment supplied to access the pulley that drops the tire was unusable. The pieces look to be powder coated in a brown color and have combination screw or socket heads on them. There are two of these screws needed to put three pieces together, in order to access , the chain driven pulley to access my spare tire. These screws were apparently powder coated together making it impossible to loosen so that these pieces could be put together to do its function, I have sent come home and, trying to use both the socket set, which does not work, because the powder coating changes the overall size of the screw head. I also tried a screwdriver. These lock screws are unmovable with reasonable and even slightly excessive force. I do need to access my spare tire, even though somebody did come along with an air pump to assist me on that one incident, I need assistance quickly. I do not trust Toyota to resolve my problem in an efficient and non-financially punishing way. This is a dangerous situation. Imagine somebody having a flat tire in the remote area or a dangerous area and needing to leave an area quickly. Toyota should replace all of these parts. I attempted to upload a file, but the form was not permitting me using google chrome on an apple iphone.

See all problems of the 2023 Toyota 4Runner 🔎.

While doing approximately 65 on clear, sunny, and dry conditions heading north bound on I-65 with no traffic my sunroof spontaneously exploded outwards with enough force to shake the whole cabin. Luckily my sunshade was closed so no shards entered the vehicle at that time. The remaining glass was convex, sticking outwards. The dealer’s service advisor told me he had 8 customers with this same issue in the last 2 weeks. Toyota needs to consider the frequency of these events and declare a manufacturing defect and / or issue a safety recall.

See all problems of the 2022 Toyota 4Runner 🔎.

Entire frame of the vehicle is rotten with rust and holes. This vehicle has been inspected by mcdaniel Toyota, marion, OH 43302 and the damage was confirmed. I have been and must continue to drive this vehicle even though the dealership did not recommend it. No evidence of the extent of the rust and damage was not noticed until October 2023 when a strap on the gas tank came loose. Upon further inspection, he noticed the holes and rust all over the frame. Reported to Toyota because other 2004 models were recalled for this issue. They were of no assistance.

Frame of this vehicle completely rusted through. Holes on passenger side right where the front door ends. Hole is approx 12" long. Frame also has a hole in the left front core support. Advised that the vehicle is no longer safe to drive by my Toyota dealer and personal mechanic. . There were no indications of this until a few weeks ago when the gas tank strap had come off and the gas tank was leaning. When inspected, it was found the frame was in disrepair.

Took the vehicle in 3/19/2021 @ 6076 mileage for a steering wheel shake, the dealer has tried numerous times to fix it by trying to balance the tire and rotate the tires, it only masks the problem and the steering wheel shake comes back. The shake can happen at any mph. I finally took it to another shop called discount tire and dynamic 4x4 alignment. Discount tire said there was coupling in the stock tires nitto grappler, so I replaced the tires with michelin defenders this only masked the problem. On 9/25/2023 a local Toyota technician and I took a ride together to see if he could duplicate the problem. At 67 and 68 we were able to duplicate the problem when the steering wheel shook the passenger side of the car shook. The technician and I swapped and I was able to duplicate the problem as well. I was stopped at a red light and took off after the tires were warmed up. When I reached 67 or 68 mph the steering wheel began to shake and he confirm that the vehicle shook too on the passenger side. I have experienced shaking in the steering wheel previously but now its being felt in the vehicle too. Toyota sent out a technician on the last issue and I was told they found something and then I was told there was nothing. Please see notes below as I have documented every occurrence and can provide maintenance documentation too.

See all problems of the 2020 Toyota 4Runner 🔎.

While towing a 16' utility trailer using the 2" ball on a switch ball #42178, the ball separated from the shank. I was driving my 2007 Toyota 4runner traveling on the highway at about 60mph at the time. Fortunately the safety chains did their job and prevented the trailer from completely disconnecting from the vehicle. Upon stopping my vehicle several hundred feet after separation, I found the 2" ball still locked and secured inside of the trailer's coupler, and the shank still securely attached to my vehicle. As a result my rear bumper is now heavily damaged from the trailer contacting it after uncoupling from the vehicle. I'm glad nobody was hurt or killed as a result of this incident. If the safety chains had not done their job, the unattached trailer could have caused serious damage, injury, and/or death. This incident could have also resulted in losing control of my vehicle, which thankfully I did not. This switch ball #42178 was purchased in September of 2022 and this was the first time I've used it. At the time of the incident I had towed the trailer approximately 75 miles. I have a background in selling and installing utility trailers and towing accessories. I'm confident the product was installed and used as directed. I contacted curt manufacturing with the above concerns. At their request I shipped the trailer ball to them for inspection. They have denied any responsibility stating their product did not fail. They have blamed the incident on "user error". I'm happy to share all communication with the NHTSA. I am including pictures of the damage to my bumper which was caused by the trailer after the curt ball became disconnected from it's mating shank. I can share more about my assessment of why this failure occurred upon request.

See all problems of the 2006 Toyota 4Runner 🔎.

Rusted frame and radiator support cross member!.

We were driving down the interstate, no other cars, trucks, etc anywhere near us, and the sunroof of our 2022 Toyota 4runner spontaneously shattered. We were lucky that we had the shade closed on the sunroof when we experienced the gunshot like blast. We opened our sunroof shade and had glass fall down on us. We are so lucky that we had the shade closed and that there were no other cars near us, as this surely would have put lives at risk. We spoke to the Toyota dealership service manager where we bought the car the following day, which is about an hour from our house. He directed us to bring it in. When we arrived at the scheduled date/ timeframe, he informed us that it would take a day or so to do diagnostic tests- but he could not provide us with a car. (he knew that we were driving over an hour to bring it in. ) we obviously could not get home without a car. They directed us to try going to a different dealer. We went to a Toyota dealer on the way home, 1/2 hour from our house. They did not want to deal with the car and said we need to take it back to the dealer we bought it from. He also stated that he'd never heard of this happening and that it must have been a rock, which is similar to what the first dealership said. I've read on-line now that our experience is not unique to us. We are confident that we did not have a chip or crack in our sunroof prior to this happening. This incident definitely puts people at risk.

Frame rot.

See all problems of the 2002 Toyota 4Runner 🔎.

I have had 3 cracks on my windshield in the 8 months of owning this car I was wondering if there is any structural recall to this vehicle.

My 2019 Toyota 4 runner was on and in park in my driveway. When the ignition was turned off the vehicle rolled back out of the driveway while still in park.

The handsfree calling/talking is unusable neither party can hear the other due to it echoing and has very distortion. So I'm unable to use my handsfree talking while driving.

See all problems of the 2014 Toyota 4Runner 🔎.

I have attempted to use the sos button 4 times in different days and in different locations, only connecting once and the rep. Claimed she couldn't hear me that only time I "connected. " the system causes premature battery drain (even while the car is off, it draws power) and doesn't work in its intended way as a safety/rescue tool. This is an expensive feature that fails to work while locked in with an inferior cellular service provider through an exclusive contract between Toyota and at&t.

Frame rotting, brake line connections rotting.

See all problems of the 2011 Toyota 4Runner 🔎.

We recently looked at this vehicle at Toyota of ann arbor car lot. After taking the vehicle to a private professional certified car inspector we were told that that the passenger side frame had a catastrophic crack that ran 7' from front to back and over the forward facing rear leaf spring shackle support making the vehicle unsafe for any driving. They showed us the frame damage and showed us how wire mesh and foam spray had been used in an attempt to hide it. We were scared to drive it back to the dealer (we drove very slow). We informed them of the damage and they were very rude and asked us to leave. My only goal here is to insure that this vehicle is not put on the road were it could result in death or injury.

See all problems of the 2000 Toyota 4Runner 🔎.

4runner windshield makes a loud snapping, metal on glass crunching/tapping sound when temperature drop and is very distracting. The dealership heard it some the first visit and placed limited tape on the edge of the cowl lip facing the engine. Sound got louder and drowned out the radio. On the second visit it had warmed some. Dealership did not inspect the windshield seal or check for loose components under the cowl as suggested.

Frame is rotted from front to back.

See all problems of the 2003 Toyota 4Runner 🔎.

The frame is corroded and rusted to the point that it’s not safe to drive. This was discovered by our service technician when we had the vehicle inspected for a rattling noise in the rear. I reached out to Toyota and was told that no problems are available regarding this issue. I have maintained my 4runner meticulously and timely since I purchased brand new. There is no rust on the body, just the frame.

Poor image quality of backup camera. Very grainy and sometimes dark image makes it difficult to see what’s behind you when backing up. A small child or pet could easily be missed when backing up due to this poor image quality. This is an accident waiting to happen. Prior model years and noticeably better image quality.

1) the failed component is the door locks. Or more precisely, the motor for the electrical operation of the door locks. When failed, the door remains locked even when pulling on the interior handle to open the door or when trying to unlock the door using the interior latch. You are essentially locked inside your car. I believe the door should always unlock when the handle is pulled, and the interior lock lever should always unlock the door as well. Both of these function "normally" when the actuator is not failed. The failure first appeared in late 2018/early 2019. I noticed that when I locked the vehicle using the key fob, I was not hearing the audible "beep. " and when the car was shifted out of park, I was not hearing all the doors lock. I then realized the drivers front door was not locking. I lived with this for a while, long enough for the drivers side rear door to fail, and then the right rear door failed as well. The front right and rear door have never failed. I purchased a Toyota lock assembly for the drivers side front and it functioned perfectly after replacement until this past week. It appears to have failed again. And I was essentially trapped in the drivers seat. I had to give it and electrical command to unlock while pushing on the manual lever in order for the door to unlock. Pulling the open handle did not open the door, and pushing on the manual lock lever did not open the lock. The failed component appears to be a small motor in the lock assy. I replaced this motor in the left and right rear door lock assembly's and that corrected the problem. I am going to replace the motor in the lock assy I removed in 2019 and reinstall it in hopes of correcting the problem. I can send you the Toyota lock assy I will remove, and one of the motors I removed from one of the rear door lock assembly's. 2)the failed door locks trap occupants inside the vehicle. 3)did not visit a dealer or repair center. 4)no inspections have been performed. 5)no.

See all problems of the 2013 Toyota 4Runner 🔎.

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.

My 2006 4runner Toyota frame is rusted and falling into pieces. From the rear especially and underneath. I’m scared if someone rear ends me that the impact could be life threatening due to the frame falling to pieces as I drive and the vehicle sits.

Three of the four locks do not work on a consistent basis. My car got broken into because the locks don't work. I just replaced three of the four locks for around $1,200. 00. Neither the key fob nor the actual key would open the doors on the vehicle. This is an extreme safety issue in case of emergency, and it really makes me mad. It is a well-known defect which is commented on countless vehicle websites. There were no warning messages, the locks just stopped working.

Car theft brentwood.

See all problems of the 2017 Toyota 4Runner 🔎.

Steering wheel out of control while driving. My car lost control and crashed. I contacted Toyota motor north America. Inc. But they said their inspection didn’t find evidence that the incident was the result of a defect in my vehicle.

My 17 year old son was parked and when he turned off the defrost the rear hatchback glass shattered. This scared him a lot as we do not know what happened and thankfully he was parked not driving. This is a safety and potentially dangerous issue. We purchased this used vehicle and had Toyota thoroughly inspect and update and upgrade anything he needed and they never told us this was an issue. We researched it online and it has been an issue. This should have been addressed and recalled. I brought in vehicle so that they can fix it and they are saying they won’t even though it’s their equipment defect.

-the frame is rotted out - if the frame were to break, which my mechanic I saying is very possible, a massive incident could occur - it has been confirmed by an independent service center - it has not been inspected by the manufacturer but is an astonishingly common issue Toyota is very aware of that they continue to ignore. - there were not indicators notifying me of the issue. I wanted to replace my suspension and the mechanic advised not doing so because of the rot.

Nov. 10 trailer light connection on vehicle would not stay connected. I got under car to make connection using tape to keep the flap from coming down and pulling connection loose. Drove to yazoo city to deliver lawn mower and on return the connection had come loose again. Nov. 14 went to jackson Toyota for help. Asked help from my salesman. He sent me to service where I asked 3 service people for help. Finally, after I got extremely upset at the overall lack of knowledge as to where this connection is or how it works, I was sent to ricks pro trucks in gluckstat, ms where I got help. My trailer had recently been rewired so it was not at fault like dealership suggested. I got down to check another vehicle like mine and it had the same impossible connection. I must have lights to legally pull my trailer on the highway. I believe the design and placement of this part on these vehicles is faulty thus making this an on road danger for this particular model vehicle.

The frame of the vehicle was corroding as if it was not sealed effectively. The frame rotted to point where vehicle began swaying on road and during mechanic check the frame bent when vehicle placed on a lift. I am original owner of vehicle and took the vehicle to local Toyota dealership for all scheduled maintenance. The Toyota dealer mechanics never reported signs of corroding frame damage in the vehicle bumper to bumper checks during my scheduled maintenance appointments. I was never informed of any signs of rotting or corroding on the frame.

Frame has rusted through and the boot of the frame that holds the front driver side suspension is 3/4 of the way cracked. Independent body shop rendered car unsafe to drive.

The frame and complete undercarriage is completely prematurely rusted.