Power Train Driveline Problems of Toyota 4Runner - part 1

Rear differential housing has rusted through, leaks fluid, and is irreparable.

See all problems of the 2000 Toyota 4Runner 🔎.

The rear differential housing has rusted through causing its oil to leak out.

See all problems of the 2002 Toyota 4Runner 🔎.

2002 Toyota 4 runner rusted out rear axle housing. Rear axle housing leaks oil due to rust erosion on the rear axle cover.

Rear differential has rusted through. Causing all fluid to drain, which in turn would cause rear end to lock up.

See all problems of the 1998 Toyota 4Runner 🔎.

Rust through on rear axle differential cover to the point of leaking approx 6 oz per week of gear oil. This cover is welded on to the rear axle and there is no possibility of replacing seperately.

See all problems of the 1997 Toyota 4Runner 🔎.

Frame on 1999 Toyota 4runner has rusted through in front of rear axle attachment on driver's and passenger's sides. Rear differential cover has also rusted to point where differential fluid is leaking out. The vehicle is well maintained and washed regularly with no rust anywhere but frame and rear differential. The vehicle is unsafe to drive and must be repaired according to mechanic. Toyota states that they have a voluntary buy-back program on tacoma's of same vintage, but not for the 4runner?.

See all problems of the 1999 Toyota 4Runner 🔎.

1997 Toyota 4runner rear differential rust through. I have just noticed that my 1997 4runner is leaking differential oil and am concerned that rust or foreign debris will get into the differential and cause a catastrophic failure. I have removed the 4runner from operation until the defect is corrected. The rust is on the rear top of the differential. There are very large flakes of rust on the differential and the oil is leaking through some of the rust holes. It appears that the differential was not manufactured with adequate thickness in the metal housing and had inadequate corrosion protection.

2001 Toyota 4runner rear axle housing rot/leak, no signs of abuse.

See all problems of the 2001 Toyota 4Runner 🔎.

After stopping the rear end will 'clunk' when either letting off the brakes, or upon accelerating. This will occur roughly 1/10th of the time regardless or variation in braking pressure or acceleration. I've tried every combination of gentle to hard stops and stops with little change in the frequency of the issue. This only started to occur after 53k miles. The dealer told me the 4runner needed more lube, their fix hasn't stopped the problem. My concern is the drive-shaft is binding, and at some point could fail.

See all problems of the 2006 Toyota 4Runner 🔎.

My 2007 Toyota 4-runner has a serious drive shaft jolt and clunk that occurs whenever coming to a complete stop causing the vehicle to lurch. The first occurrence was at approximately 8000 miles in my first year. Toyota has been informed of this several times and refuses to take action. Approximately 3 weeks ago, the vehicle did this on the freeway at highway speed of approximately 60 mph causing the vehicle to lunge in heavy traffic. Toyota was again notified of this and refused to take action. In viewing discussion boards online for 4th generation Toyota 4-runners (2003-2009), this is a widespread problem.

See all problems of the 2007 Toyota 4Runner 🔎.

Rusted & leaking rear differential housing on 2000 Toyota 4runner.

When bringing vehicle to a stop, there is a very loud clunk that can be physically felt shuddering through the entire vehicle. Many many trips to the dealer resulted in nothing. There is a TSB for the Lexus equivalent of the 4runner with this problem. This means they admit there is a problem, but refuse to acknowledge it on non-Lexus vehicles. Unacceptable. If the driveshaft is impacting that hard every time the vehicle stops, it is a matter of time before excessive wear will cause a safety issue.

See all problems of the 2005 Toyota 4Runner 🔎.

I have a 2007 4runner, limited, v8 with the clunk in the driveshaft that appeared about 5k miles and hasn't let up now at 16k miles. I pull up to a stop sign and it feels like I've been rear ended. Then, when I start out, it feels like the brake release is delayed with another clunk. This happens at every stop. If the brake is not pressed firmly when coming to a stop, the vehicle will lunge forward. I first reported this problem to Toyota at about 8,000 miles and they said that it was a lubrication and maintenance issue, stating that the propeller shaft was supposed to be lubed at every oil change. When I asked them to show me the maintenance plan in the manual, they admitted that this task was not listed in the maintenance plan for this frequency.

2006 4 runner sport edition, v8 with 30,000 miles has clunking sound when stopping or accelerating from stop. Also, wanders from side to side at normal highway speeds.

Own a 2006 Toyota 4runner. Noticed belts hanging under car one morning. Opened hood and there was oil everywhere, the belts were soaked and had deteriorated. Towed to dealership. Told it was a known oil leak defect near crankshaft. Had the entire drive train rebuilt as oil had damaged everything. Covered under warranty. Car also lunges forward while stopped at stop lights, stop signs, etc. Dealership couldn't re-create so not an issue for them.

2000 sport edition 4 runner, all working components and frame are badly rusted. Nothing can be worked on without breakage of parts and bolts. There has been a recall on tacomas and tundras from the east coast where salt is used on the roads. Customers have been given replacement frames or their vehicles have been purchased back from Toyota. Our car is from vermont and new york where I am sure they used road salt and this is why the untreated frames of these vehicles corroded so badly like our 4 runner. I believe Toyota should give the same offer for the 2000 4 runner. My son worked for two years and at 18 years old purchased this vehicle for $9000. 00. We were crushed when we realized the extent of rust damage on the underside of this vehicle. Nothing can be repaired without huge expense, and every thing on the underside of this car needs replaced. Where is Toyota's customer care and satisfaction now?.

My 4runner's rear differential has pinhole leaks due to rust. The rest of the vehicle is in excellent condition and has been very well taken care of including chassis washes at least twice a week in the winter.

I have a 2005 Toyota 4runner and it has a loud clunk in the drivetrain every time I stop. When it clunks it also lunges forward causing a few close calls I have addressed this issue with Toyota and they say it is a normal operating characteristic. The problem occurs in the 03-06 4runners,tacomas and Lexus gx470 Toyota has a t. S. B on the Lexus model only not the Toyota 4runners or tacomas which means at least to me that it is a defect!!! I have contacted the dealership and they say their is no TSB so they cant do anything I contacted Toyota and got no response. If they will fix the Lexus version why not the Toyota version???.

My 2000 Toyota 4runner has a rear differential rust through issue releasing gear oil onto the highway and potentially causing my rear end to seize possibly causing a crash.

The rear differential is rusting through to the point of leaking oil. I suspect the differential is corroded to the point where is mechanically unsound and could cause a catastrophic failure if hit by a rigid obstacle in the roadway.

My 2008 Toyota 4runner has a clunking sound as I am about to take off from a complete stop. I can tell when it will happen because when I am almost stopped, with my foot on the brake, my car feels like it surges forward. I have to push on the brake pretty hard to keep it from doing this. Then when I take my foot off the brake to proceed, there is a "clunk" from the back end. I took it to my totally dealership today because it is still under warranty (I've had it for a month and it has done it ever since I purchased it). The dealership called the Toyota technical assistance system. The answer they got. . . The condition is a normal operating condition and that no repair attempt should be made. They said it was the driveshaft slip yolk extending and retracting and is normal operating condition of the vehicle. Here is my case number - 091880146, repair order number - 13509, case date - 7/7/09, tas hotline number 1-800-233-3718.

See all problems of the 2008 Toyota 4Runner 🔎.

No crash or injury,but 1997 Toyota 4runner differential is completely rusted through and leaks oil through numerous pinholes. It can't be patched and replacement is in the $1500 range. I can't take the vehicle on trips. I have found many instances of people complaining about this on the web - it seems to be a common problem.

My 2001 4 runner with only 125,000miles has a rusted out rear differential. This was shocking to me because my truck is in otherwise excellent condition and has absolutely no rust on the body. I took it to Toyota who said they can replace it for $2200 plus tax. I took it to my husband's mechanic to repair/patch it if possible. He said he has seen many vehicles with more miles than mine in much worse condition that have no rusted out rear differentials. He found it very unusual. He said the metal housing is very thin (from the factory that way) which is the root of the problem. The mechanic welded a patch over the hole; however this is not a good permanent fix for the problem. It also makes my 4 runner have next to nothing for trade in value for a truck that otherwise would have a nice trade in value. This makes it a double insult. . Read more...

Rear differential housing rusted through. This caused loss of lubrication oil, required the replacement of the entire differential housing. Thin metal and lack of rust prevention are the cause.

2000 Toyota 4runner - sr5 4wd - manual transmission: rear differential housing rust-out with pinhole leaks causing gear oil to leak.

The contact owns a 2006 Toyota 4runner. The contact stated that after stopping and re accelerating the vehicles drive train makes a "clunking" noise. The vehicle has been taken to the Toyota dealer four times and the drive train has been lubricated four times. The failure noise gets less noticeable for a while and then returns after the lubrications. The noise is getting progressively worse. A Toyota technician stated that they are aware of the failure but they can offer no remedy. The failure mileage was approximately 25,000. Rd the current mileage 30,000. Rd.

Several times a day when I come to a stop in my 2005 4runner I hear a clunk and it feels like someone has just rear ended me. This has happened since I bought the vehicle and is getting worse. Lexus has a TSB for this exact same complaint yet Toyota products do not. Why is that? TSB#dl002-07.

2003 Toyota 4runner was stuck in 4-lo, vehicle unable to travel at safe highway speeds. Part that needs replaced is transfer case actuator.

See all problems of the 2003 Toyota 4Runner 🔎.

I own a 2006 Toyota 4-runner after about 40,000 miles we started experiencing a clunking sound and the vehicle would lurch forward while taking your foot off the brake while at a complete stop. I addressed this with my local Toyota dealer and at the time they didn?t know what it was. This problem persisted from a once and awhile issue to doing it every time. I spoke with another person who had a v8 and the same problem, Toyota fixed his vehicle by installing a new Lexus driveline. Once I told the service center about them fixing a vehicle with the same problem they explained they have been having issues with the driveline and the yoke on these vehicles. Their fix was to lube the driveline zerk fitting. This worked for a few weeks, but the problem persisted. We are worried that the car will eventually lurch forward and either hit another vehicle or pedestrian. Since my vehicle is a v6 they can?t swap the driveline like they did with the v8. I don?t want to be liable for a hitting someone with a vehicle that is not performing correctly. My vehicle drive train is still under warranty, but I can?t get anyone to say they will honor this issue after I pass my warranty period. I believe this is a serious safety defect and should be looked into as soon as possible.

Every time I stop and start driving I get a clunking sound from the vehicle. It almost feels like im being rear ended. This happens pretty much every single time I stop and take off from traffic lights or stop signs.

2008 Toyota 4runner clunk felt and heard when coming to a stop and when releasing the brakes to go. After researching it is obvious that there is a design flaw with the driveshaft slip joint in the Toyota. The Lexus gx470 is identical yet Lexus customers can have this problem fixed and there is a TSB issued for the Lexus (l-sb-0116-08).

Driveshaft clunks after coming to a stop also on acceleration from a stop.

Rear differential fluid leak due to excessive rusting of housing in gear carrier area.

At about 32,000 miles my truck started to feel as if it had been rear ended when I would stop at a stop light. At first it was very light, but it has since gotten worse. I took it in to the Toyota dealer and was told that they lubed the drive shaft. The drive shaft is sealed, so I asked how that could possibly help and he had no answer other than to say just see if it fixes the problem. The problem is still there and getting worse. My concern is that it will actually lurch forward and bump the person in front of me if I am caught off guard and loose my footing on the brake.

When driving in stop and go type traffic the transmission or drive line make a horrible clunk and will lurch the vehicle. Also the plastic around the gear shift area becomes very hot ~50c in an a/c cabin.