Wiring Problems of Toyota 4Runner

Rodent chewed main engine wiring harness.

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Tl the contact owns a 2007 Toyota 4runner. When the rear defroster was activated, the rear window fractured. The vehicle was taken to hamer Toyota (11041 sepulveda blvd, mission hills, CA 91345, 818-365-9621) where burnt wires were found. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 216,800.

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The wiring inside of the engine was chewed through by rodents. I drive the vehicle every day and it was serviced two days before. After performing some research, I found out that Toyota and other companies use soy based products to make wiring. This apparently attracts rodents as it is basically food for them. The vehicle was parked in front of my home in a marked parking spot. I have parked other (older) vehicles in front of my home for approximately 10 years without this problem. I have only owned my Toyota for one year and the wiring was destroyed by rodents to the tune of needing a new wiring harness.

Rodents chewed up wiring harness for fuel injector. Vehicle parked in encoded garage.

The contact owns a 2016 Toyota 4runner. The contact stated that the wiring was soy based and was not structurally sound. At 12,000 and 30,000 miles, the wires were prematurely damaged by rodents. The manufacturer provided no solution other than suggesting that the contact replace the wires twice. The dealer (durango Toyota, 1200 carbon jct, durango, CO 81301, (970) 385-4822) inspected the vehicle. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The VIN and failure mileage were not available.

My car was parked overnight and the next day when I got in to run errands and my check engine light was flashing and my trac off light was on. When I put the vehicle in drive it was very sluggish, I called the dealer and they sent a tow truck. The truck stayed overnight so they could diagnose but she was pretty sure that it was rodents chewing on the wires because it was a common problem. My husband and I did some checking while it was in service and found out that they use a soy base on the wiring and that rodents love it and it's pretty common problem. The cost to fix was $535 and was not covered under the warranty. We have been living in the same place since 2000 and have had several vehicles thru out that time and have never had an issue before with rodents.

See all problems of the 2017 Toyota 4Runner 🔎.

1/21/17 approx noon I was driving when I began smelling burning wires. I looked around, the back-hatch and cargo area was filling with smoke. I pulled over and opened the back-hatch door and the two right passenger doors. I began opening the hood when a loud explosion occurred. It sounded like the impact of a traffic accident. I ran to the back of the vehicle. The back-hatch window had exploded. Broken glass was everywhere in the street and inside the vehicle. If anyone had been inside the vehicle or standing behind it when this occurred the would have been seriously injured. 1/23/17 I was contacted by south coast Toyota. Toyota's technician observed burned wiring and electrical motor in the rear hatch door electrical system. Approximately 1900 for repairs to replace eco, motor and glass. I asked for and received the contact info for Toyota corporate office.

See all problems of the 2006 Toyota 4Runner 🔎.

Toyota knowingly uses a soy based wire coating that attracts rodents. Something chewed through the wiring harness making my vehicle shake uncontrollably and act very strange. This is a huge safety concern because what if the damage was only partial and then through normal use like highway driving the wire fully comes apart disrupting any and all safety features.

Bought a used 2016 4runner. Had it 3 weeks and a rodent chewed the wires on the main wiring harness. Toyota (that I have 2 warranties through) does not cover rodent damage even though the material that they use attracts rodents apparently from my research. I have $3500-$5500 in damage and my car has been at the dealership waiting for repair for 3 weeks now. The insurance company is fighting them on the repair and I am stuck without the vehicle. I do not have that kind of money to repair it myself. Toyota should be responsible for repairing and replacing the wires that they used since it is encouraging the damage! the vehicle was sitting in my carport. I live in the nicer part of a large town.

The contact owns a 2007 Toyota 4runner. The contact stated that the wiring harness had to be replaced due to rodents eating the insulation on the wires. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the insulation on the wires were made of rice hulls and attracted rodents. The wires needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 50,000. The VIN was not available.

Toyota uses engine wiring that has a soy based coating. This encourages rodents to chew on them. We were camped (parked) and when we tried to drive the car it shuddered and the check engine light was on along with several other indicators. The car was running on five cylinders. We managed to get it to a Toyota dealer who told us of bite marks and droppings. In researching this on line we found reports of this happening in Toyotas and hondas. We could have been stranded in the desert in 110 degree heat if the damage was enough to disable the engine completely.

Squirrels keep eating my electrical wiring and the wiring harness. They access the engine bay through the openings in the wheel wells after jumping on top of the tires. The results have disabled my abs, 4wd, limited slip, etc. I've tried rodent repellent, fox urine, and parking in the garage. Nothing helps. Toyota needs to stop using soy based wiring, and they need to close the holes in the wheel wells.

See all problems of the 2012 Toyota 4Runner 🔎.

The day after we purchased this 4runner in October 2015 the 4 wheel drive stopped working and when we took it back to the dealer they said that rodents had chewed through the wire housing connected to the drive train. Initially they were not going to warranty the issue but after further aggressive discussion by me it was covered. Apparently Toyota uses a soy based spray or coating on the wiring that attracts rodents. The vehicle was operable but the 4wd warning light was flashing and 4wd did not engage. We have also heard from a neighbor with a 2015 4runner that a similar situation happened to them but it affected their whole electrical system and that the vehicle was not operable and had to be towed to the dealer.

Yesterday morning when starting my 2014 4runner the trac off light stayed illuminated along with the check engine light. I took the vehicle to the dealership and it was discovered that the vehicle was damaged by rodents (chewing, droppings). An electrical wire had been completely chewed through. I turned the damage into my insurance company but am out a days work, $50 deductible, $100 deposit for rental vehicle and $5. 10 tax daily on the rental. I believe this is all due to the soy being added to the vehicle electrical wiring (and anything else that is soy based) literally ringing the dinner bell for vermin.

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The wiring in this car is eaten up by rodents and have heard the coatings are made of edible food for them. 4 injectors and numerous others . . Unbelievable.

See all problems of the 2011 Toyota 4Runner 🔎.

Toyota uses new green (environment friendly) wiring that is tasty to rodents and other pest- they are aware that it can attract animals to eat the wiring and electrical systems on their vehicles and refuse to cover the damages incurred on the warranty - they refer the customers to seek monetary aide from their insurance company - in my case it was $3000. 00 in damages to my vehicle for a rat eating the wires /electrical system. My insurance paid for it - but how can I be assured it will not occur again. ?? Toyota needs to be responsible.

They spray the wiring with a chemical that prohibits corrosion that smells like peanut butter. Rodents are attracted to that smell and chew on the wiring. This is a safety issue.

See all problems of the 2013 Toyota 4Runner 🔎.

Toyota case #1409022048 this is part of a message sent totoyota. My daughter experienced a burning smell inside her car on her way home from work. Within 15 minutes of noting the smell, her rear window exploded forcing her to pull over and call us for assistance. When we arrived we started the car and did not experience any of the burning smell she noted so we drove the car directly to Toyota of huntington beach for service. The service writer discovered that the rear defroster wiring had shorted out which was believed to have overheated the rear window causing the explosion. We authorized repairs accordingly and confirmed we wanted to be certain the electrical system was in good order. We subsequently were informed by the service writer that the defroster system and window had been repaired and checked out to be functional, with the system automatically turning off within 15 minutes; however, it was left to our option to leave the system disconnected. On questioning why, the writer advised that he, nor the service manager and the head mechanic had any experience with this sort of malfunction though it was their recommendation to leave it disconnected. We agreed in the interest of safety. We have since discovered on various web based blogs that other customers have experienced precisely the same problem. Links were submitted to Toyota. As discussed with your corporate representative, the cost of the repairs were an unwelcome surprise, however, the overwhelming concern is wondering if we have placed our daughter in a car, that may have inherent design problems rendering it unsafe for her travels to work, school, and vacations.

While a new 2014 travel trailer was attached to the 2013 Toyota 4runner the wiring directly behind the 7pin female receptacle caught on fire. The vehicle had been running with the trailer hooked up for approximately 15-20min after all lights were tested on the trailer. The vehicle was turned off and a fire extinguisher used to put out the electrical fire, and the battery disconnected to prevent any power. Toyota roadside service was contacted and local tow company came and pulled the fuse from the vehicle for the towing. The rest of the vehicle operated as normal and no signs of any damage or blown fuses. The vehicle was then driven to the dealer the following day as it was deemed safe to drive directly to the shop. Toyota dealer was notified and stated that the trailer most likely caused the electrical short and stated does not appear to be warranty work as it backfed into the receptacle. I explained the situation and was informed a Toyota field representative and servicemanager would contact me to inspect the trailer wiring. I have not been contacted since. I had an independent RV company test the trailer on 1/28/2014 and confirmed the trailer electrical system and 7pin harness are fully operational and in working order. The trailer was purchased new 1 week ago. There is no damage to the trailer or any of its electrical components. The trailer was hooked up to another truck after the incident and towed with no issues. There is a brake controller attached to the 4runner with a 1 piece harness. This plugs into the factory trailer braking system under the dash and then has a factory plug for the controller. All was still operational at the time of the incident and no damage to the unit. I am currently attempting to resolve the issue with thetoyota dealer. The vehicle damage requires complete replacement of the wiring harness.

My fuse for my windows blew, then we found out that my wiring harness in the backseat had burned up. Further inspection revealed that the main wiring harness was also fried. Three different mechanics determined that the cause was a malfunction of the airbag wiring. There was no sign of wear and tear or outside influence. The airbags created the problem, are now compromised and are completely unsafe. I can no longer drive the car and even if repaired, the airbags are now compromised forever rendering the car useless. Toyota denies any responsibility. They claim that the car is too old to be their problem. This is a major safety issue that needs attention so that nobody else has the same experience or worse, is killed due to airbags deploying at will.

See all problems of the 2001 Toyota 4Runner 🔎.

After noticing ongoing problems with my fuel gauge on a 2006 4runner with less than 60k miles, we brought the car into the Toyota dealer. When the Toyota mechanic pulled the fuel pump assembly out of the gas tank, he discovered a burned and melted wiring harness that sits directly inside the tank. This is a significant safety concern that should be addressed as it deals with an unregulated amount of heat and electricity in close proximity to the gas tank. The mechanic wrote down on my statement that he, "found fuel pump wiring has heat damage from [electrical] arcing. " I have taken pictures and will send them if requested. Thank you.

Our 2006 Toyota 4runner with a v8 engine has lost accelerator response on two occasions in the first year we have owned it. The check engine, vsc and trac lights all came on and the vehicle would not respond to accelerator inputs. The first occurrence was July 2006 when the vehicle had approximately 3800 miles on it. The throttle control module was changed and the problem seemed to be fixed until it happened again in February 2007 when the vehicle had approximately 9800 miles. The vehicle was in the shop from February until August 2007. Toyota replaced the throttle control module again, then the accelerator pedal and the engine control computer, all of which did not fix the vehicle. They finally replaced the entire wire harness in August 2007 which has the vehicle working again. We have asked Toyota to re-purchase the vehicle from us because we are concerned about the safety and reliability of this vehicle. If this loss of power were to happen again while on the highway it could cause a serious accident! Toyota has refused to re-purchase or replace the vehicle. Please look into this problem so that other Toyota 4 runner owners and future owners are aware of this potential safety problem with these vehicles.

After the vehicle was parked for over 4 hours the electrical wiring inside the driver's door caught on fire. This failure also caused the electric window to roll down into the door. The consumer managed to put the fir out. The dealership was notified, but the problem was not resolved.

See all problems of the 1999 Toyota 4Runner 🔎.

1999 Toyota 4runner SUV parked in a parking lot for a few hours locked with windows closed. Electrical event opened driver window and caused spontaneous fire which started inside panel of driver's door.

Wiring within the vehicle attracks mice, which have been creating problems with components.

See all problems of the 1997 Toyota 4Runner 🔎.