Service Brakes Problems of Toyota 4Runner - part 1

The brakes in the new 2025 4runner howl and squeal extremely loudly. I avoid braking slowly to try to avoid the noise. The TSB was completed last month: TSB-0046-25. It did not work. The noise is back, and worse. I am worried I am going to get into an accident because the brakes are so egregiously bad. Please help make Toyota fix this. It's crazy!!!.

Have had 4runner less than a month and brakes make a horrible load sound when pressing. The noise is worse when reversing. Have gone to Toyota twice and said there is nothing that can be done. That they dont know what materia are the breaks done that are causing this. It is extremely dangerous as excessive noise indicates a problem and they dont fix. Pelase help brand new car cant be doing this.

When operating in reverse and applying the brakes they make a very loud squeal sound. This is a brand new car, purchased a week ago, with less than 700 miles on it. I spoke with the dealership and they are aware of the issue but have no resolution.

Brakes are extremely loud when going in reverse. Carried to the dealership, they said that they are “aware” of the issue but until a recall is done then their hands are tied. This could lead to improper braking.

Brakes on the 4runner are extremely loud when backing up braking. Drivers tend to avoid hitting the brakes properly to avoid the loud noise. Not using the brakes properly due to an abnomal loud noise is a safety hazard.

The contact owns a 2025 Toyota 4runner. The contact stated while reversing at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal sound while the brake pedal was depressed, and the vehicle shuddered. No warning lights were illuminated. The failure had occurred on several occasions. The vehicle was taken to a dealer to be diagnosed; however, the cause of the failure was not yet determined. The dealer made the contact aware that the failure was a known issue. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was taken to another dealer, servco Toyota honolulu (2850 pukoloa st #200, honolulu, hi 96819); to be diagnosed; however, the cause of the failure was not yet determined. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 5.

I've owned a 2025 4runner for 1 month. The brakes are screaming and squalling like a 20 year old car when the car is a cold start everyday especially in reverse. This cant be safe, and Toyota says there is nothing they can do. I hope this doesn't wear out the brake pads faster and cause an accident. We were told by Toyota we cant fix the problem, because it would void the warranty and there is no recall on this issue.

On 5/11/2025, my husband and I were returning home from the grocery store. I was operating the vehicle at the time of the incident. Upon arriving at our residence, I pulled into our driveway, which has a slight downward incline. As in our usual practice, I attempted to stop in front of the garage to unload groceries before entering, as the hatch of our vehicle can come in contact with the garage door when opened inside. While aligning the vehicle with the garage door, I began breaking and turning slightly to the left. However, as I attempted to come to a complete stop in front of the closed garage door, the vehicle unexpectedly accelerated forward. Despite applying the brakes, the vehicle continued moving and crashed through the closed garage door. Due to the steering wheel being slightly turned, the vehicle veered left upon entering the garage, striking the left interior wall and a 32 foot ladder that was leaning against it. The impact with the wall and ladder brought the vehicle to a stop although the engine continued to rev and the vehicle attempted to move forward. My husband instructed me to shut off the engine, which I did immediately. My husband was not injured in the incident. I sustained pain in my left shoulder and upper left back. A medical evaluation indicated that the pain is expected to subside within a few weeks; imaging will be conducted if symptoms persist. I have filed both auto and homeowner's insurance claims regarding the incident. Additionally, I contacted the dealership, which advised me to report the issue to the manufacturers corporate office. They noted that the vehicle is equipped with a fail-safe system designed to prevent simultaneous engagement of the brake and accelerator. This was a very scary incident that I don't want to have happen to someone else.

See all problems of the 2016 Toyota 4Runner 🔎.

2025 Toyota 4runner straight from the factory and it is defective. All four brakes shriek going forward and reverse. Although Toyota admits they are aware of the issue as other vehicles have them too, they say they cannot do anything until there is a recall on that model. We have taken it in twice for service as the noise is getting worse and nothing gets done. They say they cannot find anything wrong with it. Yet, they say they cannot do more than inspect it until a fix is found by Toyota itself. They pass around from one service tech to the next and the service department supervisor is always unavailable to give us a better explanation.

Loud brake squeal, Toyota and dealer not willing to perform any repair. It seems like brakes are not functioning properly, especially when cold.

On [xxx] I was driving on [xxx] and was approaching my exit ramp and applied my brakes to slow down for the exit. My car began shaking and the brakes were vibrating very badly and not slowing down. I was either going to slam into the truck in front of me, or swerve and hit the highway retaining wall, which I ended up avoiding the truck and hitting the wall at 24 mph and my airbag didn't deploy. The vehicle was towed to a collision center and I submitted a case against Toyota that is still under review. No warning lamps, lights or sensors went off and the road was dry and no hazards on the road involved. Simply put, I applied my brakes and they failed which put me in severe risk of a big car crash and if I hadn't swerved and hit the wall it would of caused a larger accident. Toyota case # [xxx] Toyota customer service phone number: 1-800-331-4331 date of incident: [xxx] date of Toyota inspection: 4/10/2025 information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

See all problems of the 2024 Toyota 4Runner 🔎.

I bought this 2025 Toyota 4runner on March 3rd. Less than a week the brakes have been no stop making noise. It's loud and noisy. I'm scared that my brakes or rotors will mess up. We taking it to the dealership but they said they can't do anything unless Toyota places a recall on that certain part or issue. I believe this is a serious is for someone especially for my family and anyone's family as I'm driving on the road. I'm very disappointed as much money as I spent on this new vehicle. I just want to be safe.

The 6gen 2025 4runner brakes squeal very badly, to the point where it has changed my driving habits. I am concerned there is something wrong. There needs to be a TSB or a recall, it's really bad. Apparently a lot of people are also reporting that the brakes squeak really badly especially in reverse. I have found that if I slam on the brakes, the noise does not occur as much. In other words, if I drive and brake normally, the brakes scream. If I slam on the brakes, not as much noise. So now I drive differently in order to avoid the obnoxiously loud noise. Thanks Toyota!!!!.

The brakes are horrible loud. Mostly in reverse but it happens going forward also. The brake noise is so loud that I’ve been noticing my driving is affected in a way that I trying to stop the sound by not applying the brakes when backing up. This could cause an accident. It’s not on purpose it’s subconsciously your reversing hear the loud noise and release the brake. Driving safely is affected.

The contact owns a 2025 Toyota 4runner. The contact stated that while attempting to reverse, the contact heard a scratching sound coming from the brakes. No warning light was illuminated. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed; however, the diagnostic result was unknown. The brake pads were replaced, and the vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and was working on the issue, and opened a case. The case number was not provided. The approximate failure mileage was 1,150.

My brakes and rotors are requiring replacement after less than 10,000. I purchased my vehicle used with less than 15,000 miles. My brakes and rotors have been replaced three times in the last 45,000 miles. The dealership denies any malfunction or error with the breaking system. I have seen multiple complaints online from other 4runner owners with the same issues. My vehicle has less than 60,000 miles and I commute 5 miles a day to work on surface streets. I do not take it off roading. I do not tow. I drive 5 miles to work and 5 miles home. I have been driving for over 30 years and have never had to replace brakes and rotors every nine months. Right after we purchased the vehicle, we brought it in saying the brakes did not feel right. My husband thought they needed to be adjusted. We were told the brakes are hydraulic brakes and do not require adjustment. But the brakes have felt off since we first got them. Toyota service insist that they have inspected the vehicle fully and have found no issues.

See all problems of the 2021 Toyota 4Runner 🔎.

Brake failure. Unable to stop vehicle. Dealer found internal brake failure.

See all problems of the 2022 Toyota 4Runner 🔎.

While attempting to stop vehicle for a traffic light brake pedal suddenly goes almost to the floor. This occurrence is random and unpredictable. No dash lights or messages come on indicating any problem. Brake master cylinder is at the proper level and no signs of leakage. The vehicle has not yet been inspected by any technicians. Vehicle is available for inspection by NHTSA. As a retired police officer and former faa certified airframe & powerplant mechanic I am familiar with hydraulic systems. I believe that this issue if not identified and addressed by the manufacture will cause bodily harm to the operator and possibly other vehicles or pedestrians. There has also been a lot of chatter on Toyota forums about the same problem.

See all problems of the 2018 Toyota 4Runner 🔎.

Brakes abs system failure affect the rear traction not feeding the brakes rear lines could be related to the proportioning sensing valve or other devices and the dealer says that the part it’s discontinued and service center says that the part cost around $2,000 plus labor. It’s very dangerous that someone have this issue on the road.

See all problems of the 2011 Toyota 4Runner 🔎.

Unknown: excessive frame rust. Frame is excessively rusting to the point where the brakes and suspensions is connected to the frame has been compromised. Brake lines rusted to the point of failure, thus almost causing a wreck. Vehicle is now parked due to safety concerns involving the excessive rusting that is happening to the frame and any components that is attached to the frame.

See all problems of the 2004 Toyota 4Runner 🔎.

My vehicle is throwing the abs light and slamming my breaks. I’ve taken it to Toyota, it’s not showing any codes so they can’t diagnosis it to fix the issue. It may go two weeks and drive fine, and then it does it again. Whether I’m going 10mph or 55mph, it will do this. Very scary and very unsafe.

See all problems of the 2019 Toyota 4Runner 🔎.

Vehicle brakes normally initially at stop lights but then the brakes are unable to hold the vehicle stationary. Brake pedal slowly goes to the floor and vehicle creeps forward into traffic. No warning lights. No brake fluid leaks at wheels. Full brake fluid reservoir.

While pulling this vehicle in to my garage about halfway in the brake pedal went to the floor and the vehicle hit a bench on the opposite side of the entrance. After pumping the brakes after waiting about 10 minutes they seemed to work normally. I backed the vehicle out of the garage and saw no fluid under the vehicle. The next morning the vehicle was towed the the dealer collision shop and then taken to the service department at the dealer. This problem; ,after almost 2 months was never solved. . . . Corporate offices checked the data recorder. . . No conclusions. . . . . And implied this problem did not occur. The body is now being repaired yet no brake problem has been ever repaired. ( under warranty. . . . 31,967 miles ). I understand a similar problem occured in new jersey although on the road and the driver had to be removed through the sunroof and the vehicle was totaled.

The contact owns a 2004 Toyota 4runner. The contact stated while driving 55 mph, the abs and the brake warning lights illuminated. Additionally, there was an abnormal humming sound coming from the dash. The contact stated while approaching another vehicle, he depressed the brake pedal, but the vehicle failed to respond, nearly causing a crash into another vehicle. The contact immediately shifted into neutral(n) and veered to the side of the road while continuously depressing the brake pedal, and the vehicle stopped. The contact was able to continue driving. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the abs pump had failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 350,325.

The contact owned a 2023 Toyota 4runner. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 mph, the brakes were depressed but the pedal became stiff and did not slow down as intended and collided with two vehicles. The air bags deployed. The contact sustained shoulder, back, and forearm injuries. Medical attention was needed. The contact stated that the two other vehicles involved needed medical attention. A police report was field. The vehicle collided with another vehicle the vehicle was taken to a wrecking lot. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 9,000.

See all problems of the 2023 Toyota 4Runner 🔎.

Frame rotting, brake line connections rotting.

Driving home today, I felt that the brake was not performing properly. When I would stop at stop signs, slow down for traffic, or stop at red lights, the brake pedal felt spongey and the vehicle would not come to a complete stop. As I would step on the brake pedal, the vehicle would slow down, but continue to roll, while the pedal would continue to go farther and farther down until I could not press it any farther. When I made it home, I parked it in the garage, and even with the vehicle turned off, the brake pedal goes all the way to the floor.

Suddenly had difficult time stopping the vehicle without "pumping" the brakes. Brake pedal went to the floor, and car would not hold stopped. There were no warning lamps during the 400 miles of driving from western NY to michigan for a holiday with family. Had this happened as I was waiting in line on the downhill side of the blue water bridge in michigan, it would have been quite difficult to keep in line, not touching the car in front of us. We felt lucky to have discovered the problem while going to run an errand later. We saw no external leaks to the brake system (no fluid leaking) while trying to investigate what could be happening. The problem was reported to me as a leak in the brake master cylinder which was replaced under warranty at a Toyota dealer in grand blanc mi. It took two weeks to get the vehicle repaired (which presented other challenges to us to deal with, as we were only visiting michigan at the time). The vehicle had 12,600 miles on it at the time that the brakes stopped holding.

Recently I have had issues with the brake pressure. The brakes have been bled multiple times assuring there is not air in the lines. My mechanic could not find an issue with the brakes at all, yet when I come to a complete stop, the car starts to creep forward sometimes unnoticeable and the brake pedal slowly sinks. I have to put my car in park to keep from rolling into vehicles at stop lights and hope and pray that they hold/ work when I am in traffic. I’ve read many many forums with people with the same issues and Toyota cannot find the problem yet these people are being told that it’s “normal”. This is a major safety concern and could cause someone to wreck. I’m shocked that Toyota has not done a recall on this braking system, but something needs to be done about it.

Corrosion of pistons in front brake calipers results in an increase in braking stopping distance. Everytime the front brake pads are replaced the same issue is encountered, defect has taken place three times. In the four piston brake caliper the inside pistons on both the left and right caliper are frozen in place . The brake pads on the outside position have twice as much wear as the inside pads. This is an indication of uneven braking leading to increased stopping distance . Toyota maintains , there is not a problem, yet in forums on the web there are many experiences with owners having the same problem , resulting in costly repair bills. There is no warning of reduced braking efficiency .

See all problems of the 2006 Toyota 4Runner 🔎.

Was going to work on rt 80 east had cruise control on and was getting off exit 45 in new jersey to get bus into manhattan at approx 430 amwhile getting off highway stepped on brakes pedal went to floor tried pumping nothing happened nor did criuise control disengage or collision warning come on a total collapse of system had this car for approx 1 month purchased used at paramus Mercedes Benz took this vehicle to my mechanic for a full inpection everything was good vehicle had approx 22000 miles on it at purchase lost all control and crashed going off roadway and sliding down bridge abuttment car is a total loss rushed to hospital car was hauled off abutment by wrecker company police fire and ambulance showed up had to break sunroof to get me out no one could belive I survived this happened yesterday Feb 3 2023 called Toyota corporate and they issued me a claim number as well as my insurance comp looking on line this problem seemed to happen to quite a few people can you please address this issue before more people get injured or worse its only by the grace of god that I am writing this to you this vehicle is now in storage at powder mill collision thankyou.

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 🔎.

The vsc system in the vehicle becomes disabled due to a firmware 'glitch' identified by Toyota when an emission system issue is detected by the onboard diagnostic system. The vsc system is listed as an 'essential safety feature,' so I'm curious why a recall was never ordered to patch defective firmware that can cause vsc to become disabled due to a completely unrelated emissions issue.

See all problems of the 2003 Toyota 4Runner 🔎.

Upon moving with the flow of traffic at about 30 to 35 mph a car shot from a driveway straight in front of me causing me to hit that driver in the rear quarter panel of the passenger side putting him into a 360 spin not causing my airbags to deploy at that rate of speed in my opinion that is a huge fault of my system from my vehicle at that rate of speed my airbags should have went off to protect me as if I didn't have my seat belt on but thank god I always wear my seatbelt.

See all problems of the 2005 Toyota 4Runner 🔎.

On numerous occasions, while driving in a straight line with our adaptive cruise control on, our 2022 Toyota 4runner will automatically actuate the vehicle's brakes when approaching a slower or stationary vehicle that is either to the left or right, but not directly in front of our vehicle. This sudden speed reduction has almost caused any following vehicles to almost collide with the back of our 4runner. It has happened to us at speeds between 30 mph and 65 mph. When it happens, one has to quickly tap the brakes to deactivate the adaptive cruise control then get on the accelerator pedal to avoid a collision with any following vehicle. We have taken our 4runner into two separate Toyota dealerships on three separate occasions to have this problem diagnosed and repaired. The first dealership told us repeatedly that there is no issue. The second dealership pulled data from our vehicle and made an adjustment to the 4runner's forward camera system. Unfortunately, the day after this adjustment was made our 4runner irrationally applied the brakes when we were driving 35 mph on a straight road with no other vehicle in front of us. The problem is not fixed. We are now waiting for a response from Toyota corporate.