Power Train Problems of Toyota 4Runner - part 1

2004 Toyota 4runner sr5 - frame rust: currently not drivable due to complete breakage from the rust. Driving 2 hours home on the highway I almost lost control, pressing/releasing the brake and/or gas pulls the steering side to side and sways the truck (fish tail) due to damage from the frame rust/breaking. There is no control of the rear end. Truck was in great condition prior to the frame snapping. Vehicle has been inspected by multiple mechanics (including firestone, welding/fabricating auto repair shops and small owned mechanic shops), possibly won’t be able to weld due to the amount of rust. Firestone won’t perform any service if the vehicle needs to go in the air (tires, oil. . Etc) due to frame rust. This has been a huge problem with Toyota, they addressed other models around the same year but excluded the 4runner for unknown reasons. The dealership will not address the issue unless instructed by corporate. This problem jeopardized my safety and the safety of others around while I was driving at highway speeds, there was no warning when it occurred. Vehicle is available for inspection any time, as it currently is not going anywhere without a tow.

See all problems of the 2004 Toyota 4Runner 🔎.

- the undercarriage and frame have had premature rusting for years. The car is otherwise in excellent condition due to my care of it over the last 20 years. 5 years ago, a service person at my local Toyota dealership said, "I'm really disappointed in Toyota, I've never seen rust like this. " I have now recently been told by a local service shop that it's time to get a new car. The lines are all corroded for the power steering, etc, and he was unable to even "touch them," and said that the rust issue is no longer safe, and we shouldn't drive far from home. - we are now unable to drive the car much, as we live in the country and have far communities. With a [xxx] , we are unwilling to drive the car over 45 mph, or more than 10 miles for fear of an accident after reading about the manufacturing defect in this model of the 4-runner. - it has not been inspected by the above stated people. - no warnings, I would not have know the vehicle had such severe premature rusting issues if it weren't for a service person telling me such. -my vehicle has under 140k miles on it, and I've taken exceptional care of it over the past 20 years. I could have sold it for 10k given its condition, and low mileage, but it is now likely worth nothing given the manufacturing defect which caused premature rusting. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

See all problems of the 2005 Toyota 4Runner 🔎.

While my father was exiting his 2018 Toyota 4runner sr5, the vehicle unexpectedly started reversing fairly quickly, despite no foot being on the brake. He was dragged by the vehicle while attempting to stop it outside the car, and it continued moving backwards then down a hill before crashing into a fence, causing significant damage to both the car and the fence. This vehicle should not have rolled back at this speed, and it appears to be related to a potential design flaw in the vehicle’s brake-shift interlock system or automatic reverse functionality. This incident is concerning, and after reviewing discussions in various forums, it seems that similar issues may not be isolated to this particular vehicle and could point to a larger defect in Toyota vehicles. I am very disappointed that there are no built-in safety features that could have prevented this incident. It is extremely concerning that the vehicle shifted into reverse while the driver was in the process of exiting. A vehicle should not be able to reserve this quickly or move into reverse unintentionally without the driver’s control. This poses a serious safety risk to drivers and bystandards, and I strongly urge the NHTSA to investigate this issue and determine whether a defect or design flaw contributed to the incident. Implementing proper safeguards could prevent similar accidents in the future.

See all problems of the 2018 Toyota 4Runner 🔎.

Front skid plate rusted and corroded. Fame rusted and corroded. Suspension parts rusted and corroded. Hole in fame. Called Toyota of America in texas told agent what the problem was. He told me no reports at this time on this make. Also told me no solutions for this at this time. Toyota had this problem with their tacomas they settle lawsuits and made free repairs. 12.

See all problems of the 2007 Toyota 4Runner 🔎.

Front struts are leaking which are causing the vehicle to drive inconsistently. The struts should not have to be replaced this soon when the vehicle is being used on normal condition roads. After researching, it appears this is a manufacturer, Toyota, issue, that is known, and Toyota should be issuing a recall for replacement due to the number of incidences that are known on the 4-runner.

See all problems of the 2017 Toyota 4Runner 🔎.

The front differential need to be replaced. The dealership where we purchased the vehicle replaced the differential. When we got the vehicle back we still had the same problem. The car was making a groaning sound while turning to the right above 35 mph. And the whole car would shake and my wife said it felt like the car was going to fall apart. The vehicle also needed new sway bar bushings my guess is that is because the shaking caused by the bad differential. A car shaking that bad and the axle loose inside the differential seems like a huge safety issue. Also I found a TSB online for this exact issue. I found that our vehicles VIN was part of the TSB. I sent that information to the technician that has been working with us and he was unaware of the TSB. And was upset that he replaced the front differential and was not made aware of the TSB from Toyota. For some reason he couldn’t see it I believe he said it was because the dealership is in the process of changing there computer systems. But from my understanding the TSB is just to put a damper in the differential so you can no longer hear the noise coming from the differential. This in my opinion is not fixing the problem with the differential the axle will still be loose inside the differential causing the vehicle to shake and probably wear out suspension components and tires. We also had 3 different sets of tires installed on our vehicle because of the issue with the differential. When we would take the car to the dealership they said that everything looked good and would tell us that if the car was shaking we should take it back to les schwab and have them balance the wheels and it never seemed to fix the problem. In my opinion this poses safety issues if the axle fails while driving. Especially in our situation because we live in the mountains where we have many roads that don’t have guardrails and because a lot of the roads were we live are in canyons that fallow rivers and creeks.

See all problems of the 2023 Toyota 4Runner 🔎.

Transmission went out at 84000 miles. Accelerated into lane then nothing wouldn’t go into traffic.

See all problems of the 2019 Toyota 4Runner 🔎.

As the vehicle was traveling on a highway at 35 mph the vehicle shut off electronically three times and powered itself back on after 15 seconds or so of continuous cruising on the highway. Unable to accelerate or control the vehicle while the electronic component shut off in the vehicle. Three days later, a series of warning lights and check engine lights turned on, which has occurred 6 other times, and has been brought to local Toyota dealer multiple times (over six times) and no fix has been conducted to repair the vehicle other than resetting the vehicles ecu. When all of the warning lights turn on, the vehicle loses 2nd gear and juts itself forward and becomes extremely difficult to control to the point where I have almost gotten into life threatening accidents over 4 times. Toyota has acknowledged that they do not know what is wrong with the vehicle and is unsure how to fix it. This is a safety concern that is not getting enough attention and needs to be rectified before someone or myself ends up killing ourselves.

See all problems of the 2021 Toyota 4Runner 🔎.

The hole underneath frame is rusted into and there is a bunch of wielding done to it and it's very unsafe to drive and the car lot guy keeps saying he wants it back on the road.

See all problems of the 2000 Toyota 4Runner 🔎.

Vehicle begins to shake when speed reaches 60 to 70 mph (issue has been happening since the vehicle left the lot). Shaking can be felt in the steering wheel, gas/brake pedals and front seats. Vehicle has been taken to a Toyota dealership three different times and after three realignments and tire rebalancing, the issue still persists. Several 4runner owner forums are experiencing the same issue in this make, model and year; and suspect the issue might be stemming from a malfunctioning or broken needle bearing.

Groaning/grinding from end differential? bushing? needle bearing? especially in cold low temperatures.

See all problems of the 2022 Toyota 4Runner 🔎.

The actuator in the transfer case went bad in such a way as to not allow the vehicle either move (under its own power) or to be in a parked state; though the shifter and indicator lights indicated park and although you could turn off the vehicle and also remove the key, the vehicle was actually in a nuetral state that allowed the vehicle to freely roll. I put something behind the tire thank goodness I noticed! anyway, Toyota wants more than the vehicle is worth to fix it so my mechanic replaced the transfer case with a used one. I've heard of others having this problem and it seems like it could be a safety-related concern. And an expensive concern, as well.

See all problems of the 2008 Toyota 4Runner 🔎.

This vehicle transmission is demonstrating transmission shuddering problems, we have returned this car three time for the same repair. The highly reputable transmission has cited direct purchases of this part from Toyota has constantly have quality issues with the torque converter, this problem was inspected and confirmed by dealer and independent service center. They both concluded the same diagnose, there were no warning messages. We fear travelling on interstate roads is hazardous.

See all problems of the 2016 Toyota 4Runner 🔎.

Yes vehicle is available for inspection upon request. Steering wheel/steering column/wheels tires/suspension/differential/drive shaft/: steering wheel shimmies, shakes, vibrates, wobbles and usually occurs at 55-68 mph typically closer to the 62-64 mph range and "pulls"/steers very hard to the right during this time. No warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure. This could possibly cause me or another driver to lose control of the vehicle and cause an accident that might hurt me or someone else. The vehicle has been inspected by the Toyota dealership more than 6 times in 6 months/6k miles. The problem has been confirmed by the dealer. Wheels and tires have been balanced and road force balanced several times. Alignment has been performed several times to varying degrees of castering and adjusting wheels all within manufactures specs. Correct tire pressure is used. Wheels and tires were swapped with another set of wheels and tires from the same year, make, model, and tread depth and it did not fix the issue. No one can fix the shake and wobble in the steering wheel. I purchased this certified pre-owned vehicle with 11k miles on it and now has just over 20k miles. This has been a problem since approx. 12. 5k miles. I took it to the dealership service dept for the first time around 14k miles. The dealership service department has opened 2 tech cases on this and I am set to meet with a Toyota field rep this week. My hope is that they can determine what defect is causing this to happen. There are numerous reports of this happening (just google "Toyota 4 runner shimmy in the steering wheel") and no one can fix it. Is it going to take someone getting hurt or dying for this issue to be resolved?.

Complete corrosion of entire frame causing unavoidable damage to framework.

See all problems of the 2003 Toyota 4Runner 🔎.

The frame of the car has been rusting at a significant rate in the last 4 years. Mechanic identified major rust issues that would make the vehicle not safe in case of an accident.

The frame is rusted thru in many places that hold the rearend in the frame and along the side rails of this 4 runner Toyota 2000, the suspionsion arm rusted and broke free from the frame.

The front differential in our 2018 Toyota 4runner failed. This caused damage to one of the front axels of the vehicle. The failure can cause difficulties in turning the vehicle. The failure can lead to catastrophic failure of the axels, leading to the wheels to lock up. The problem is reoccurring in model years 2016-2019. Toyota is aware of the problem and has issued bulletins (see Toyota technical service bulletin t-tci-5185 rev. 1, dated 4/5/2019). Yet, Toyota refuses to offer a cost free repair of the failure/damage. The failure was inspected and confirmed by an authorized Toyota dealership on 2/9/2022. The failure had no warning signs/indicators. The failure began approximately 30-45 ago with a faint grinding sound coming from the drivetrain while driving.

My Toyota 4 runner entire frame and connecting components is completely rusted out and crumbling. The car isn?t safe to drive at all. Toyota is aware of this as its common and no recall is in place. When driving, one tire is completely barely hanging on as the frame is failing all over. The car wobbles and swerves and feels as if it will come apart at any time. This frame was never treated properly when installed. If you went over 50 the car could fall apart and would be extremely dangerous.

See all problems of the 2006 Toyota 4Runner 🔎.

Frame is completely rotted out rusted, gas tank straps are rotted/rusted. Rear sway bars are rotted off the frame. This vehicle has the same frame issue as the tacoma and sequoia frames that are on recall.

Vehicle displayed a check engine light due to a non sealing gas cap. This condition also disables the stability control system. Vehicle lost control on wet conditions and was unable to recover due to all traction and stabilization systems being turned off due to a check engine light (faulty gas cap). I have owned the vehicle for 6 years and have put over 80,000 miles on it without incident. Vehicle was in motion traveling the speed limit on a rainy road.

Brakes are not functioning properly, the pedal goes way down to the floor before engaging any brakes. At idle the brakes seem to function fine, after driving at about 10mph the brakes go back to not working again. Dealership says the brakes are "normal" and I was told to drive it home even though it was still having the issue. Transmission is not shifting properly either, it gets stuck at 4000-5000 rpm sometimes and then shifts into the next gear. The braking issue occurred even worse going down a hill at 55mph right before it went in for service.

See all problems of the 2020 Toyota 4Runner 🔎.

Excessive frame rust and underbody rust. Most weld points and frame assembly is degrading from rust. Transmission coolant lines have cracked and leaked.

I came home from work and reversed my 4runner into my garage as I normally do. The next morning, my 4runner starts and the engine sounds normal but it won't move when I shift the gear from park to drive. I stepped on the gas while leaving the gear in drive, the rpm moves but the 4runner stayed in the same spot.

See all problems of the 2015 Toyota 4Runner 🔎.

Vehicle has very excessive frame rust. Holes throughout entire frame making the vehicle unsafe to drive. Rusting from the inside out due to negligence on Toyotas part. This vehicle has the same exact frame that was recalled on the tacomas, tundras and sequoias. Please tell me why the 4runner was left out?.

This brand new 4runner makes loud groaning sound from the first day until now, every time when transferring from reverse to drive or drive to reverse on a hill road, no matter an alley or a parking way. People who heard of it said it should be a transmission problem and it's bad. Because it sounds like something inside is being broken and not sure when it's totally dead suddenly and the vehicle would lose control. I don't know car. I didn't let any mechanic touch it yet because I'm looking for a third party legally to check it and their report would be also accepted by Toyota. So I don't have any report about the problem now and I don't know what I should do either. But I really want to know how bad it is and if it's safe to drive. I've been told by a Toyota mechanic that another customer who purchased 4runner too from the same dealership shop complained about this sound too. So I report it here. Hope you can help! I have over dozen records of the sound, I'd like to sent them by email or mail to you. Thank you!.

When the check engine light is illuminated, the traction control and anti lock brake features are automatically disabled.

See all problems of the 2002 Toyota 4Runner 🔎.

Excessive frame rust. Replaced complete rear end in 2013. Told by hyannis Toyota that it was unsafe to drive because of excessive rust. The rear end is now rusted out again in 2019 and needs replacing. In April 2019 could not have suspension replaced until frame welding was completed. Additional work of cutting out rear upper trailing arm brackets and weld in place and fabricate fuel tank strap mount and weld in place. Complete frame and underside of this vehicle is completely rusted out. We had this work down because the gas tank was falling out and we could not drive this vehicle.

My husband parked the car on a hill in front of a gas station and I stayed in the car sitting on the passenger seat and it just rolled down the hill, caused an accident to a parked car getting gas, I jumped out of the car as it rolled towards a gas pump , slammed on to pump guard. Thankfully no one was hurt but me when I jumped out of the car. Police report filed.

2005 Toyota 4runner sr5 was taken into a certified Toyota mechanic for inspection and the mechanic showed me the undercarriage of the vehicle, namely the frame and other associated parts. He warned that it would be difficult to perform maintenance on the vehicle if the frame is rotted through. The vehicle was put on a lift for inspection.

Rumble when over 20 mph and turning slightly right on any surface.

Vehicle was maintained at a Toyota dealership for over a decade before being informed that vehicle is unsafe to drive due to holes forming throughout the entire frame assembly from corrosion. Further research showes the frame of this vehicle resembles that of the Toyota tacoma and tundra models which where recalled due to early and unsafe corrosion leading to components to detach from frame while vehicle is in motion which can lead to serious life hazard. Frame and vehicle were also manufactured in ohio dana company which is the supplier of the recalled frames used in the Toyota tundras and tacoma�s.

Tl the contact owns a 2013 Toyota 4runner. While driving 30 mph, the check engine and track off 4 low indicators appeared. While driving approximately 30 mph, the transmission erroneously switched into the neutral position and the vehicle would no longer accelerate. Also, while operating the vehicle, the instrument panel would not indicate that the transmission was in the neutral or drive positions. The vehicle was taken to graham auto mall (1515 west 4th st, mansfield, OH) where it was diagnosed that the neutral safety switch was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 96,837.

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When driving, the car was making a thumping noise which went away when the brakes were applied. Toyota dealer said it was a bent rear axle and would cost $2300 to replace. The vechicle is in excellent condition with 108,000 miles. Have never hit a big pothole or run over a curb. I believe it is a defect that came with the car and showed up after driving for 10 years. There are a lot of bent axles reported over the internet on Toyota trucks and suvsl more than any other vechiclel I have owned many many cars and suvs and never had a bent rear axle beforel dealer said I would get reimbursed if Toyota issued a recall. Very unhappy with this!.

Parts of the vehicles exterior and including frame and subframe components are excessively rusted. Parts are of the suspension and other hard parts are having to be replaced due to corrosion.