10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 1 / 1
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 1 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 137,381 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.
« Read the previous 20 complaints
Frame rust, rear passenger side of inside frame in front of rear wheel has a hole rusted through the frame, signs of rust over entire frame. My mechanic informed me that this is a safty hazard and could be life threatening.
- Elizabethtown, KY, USA
There is extensive rust on the frame just like the same issue with the Toyota Tacoma that were recalled with frame rust issues. The areas of rust are similar to the Tacoma as well. Some places there are holes where you can fit your hand through. I have had older vehicles that had more mileage that does not have frame rust this bad.
- Windsor, CT, USA
The 3rd generation 4runner frame is falling apart due to rust issues and is making vehicle unsafe to drive. Drivers side trailing arm mount rusted through and was disconnected from vehicle. I had to have the frame patch welded at great expense to myself.
- Plainfield, IL, USA
I bought my 1999 4runner less than a year and a half ago at 150,000 miles on it. My sister was driving it on the highway going 60-70 mph and suddenly the car started swerving left so she immediately got off and went to our mechanic who then told us that my frame is completely cracked, he said that I could not drive my car home and that the frame was too rusted so there was nothing I could do so its totaled. I barely got to 200,000 miles and had it for such a short amount of time. Not to mention the fact that the car could have flipped at any second my mechanic said "one more bump and it would have flipped". I am 19 years old and a nanny so I constantly have kids in my car, we could have been extremely hurt or died!! I called Toyota but they have no recall and cant do anything about it so now I have to buy a new car. Disappointing to say at the least, I was under the impression that Toyota's lasted for an extremely long amount of time.
- Sparks Glencoe, MD, USA
The frame on these vehicles rust excessively, even with continued maintenance and cleaning and rust proofing. Other Toyota trucks have been recalled for such issue (rusting out quickly) but these have not to date. I maintain vehicle carefully so it runs and operates well into high mileage; however, the frame rusting creates an unknown safety concern. Toyota built a vehicle that is desired by its clients, operates for a long life, but apparently provided a frame component that fails or prematurely fails. Toyota should provide some assistance to purchasers (I'm original owner) to address if there is a safety issue and to address it. Options include frame amendement, disposing of vehicle, assisting in how to resolve frame rust, frame/safety diagnosis, etc.. otherwise, it is an unknown. A motor failing is one thing a frame or structure component failing is something else.
- Dublin, OH, USA
Frame is rotted through on the passenger side of the interior of the frame near the rear lower control arm attachment. There has not been an incident, just a very bad condition exists that I will have to repair before driving again. It is an unsafe condition. Why did this part of the frame rot through but not the rest of it, not even close to the amount that this part of the frame is rotted, seems like a design flow to me. I did some research and found that there are a lot of people with the same issue in the exact same place on the frame.
- West Harrison, IN, USA
My mechanic told me that the frame is completely rusted beyond repair. He also suggested not driving it because it is so unsafe.
- East Sandwich, MA, USA
The frame is rusting into on my 4runner. This is a safety hazard for my family.
- Cynthiana , KY, USA
Per mechanic frame is rusted through
- Sugar Grove, OH, USA
Doing routine maintenance and found huge holes in the frame! wow. Time to retire this vehicle, and take Toyota off my shopping list of potential replacements.
- Darien, IL, USA
604I was driving on the highway and out of no where a loud beeping started, along with flashing "loss of traction" icon and then all of the sudden the brakes engaged and a loud grinding sound began which slammed myself and my children forward. It slammed us so hard it brought my speed down from 65 mph to 40 mph, and I was unable to accelerate or control the speed. To avoid hitting another vehicle I had to swerve, and began pushing the brake to try to slow the SUV, while it was still grinding so loud. I practically was standing with both feet in the brakes to stop it. The dealer ship said it was a faulty yaw rate sensor.
- Washington, DC, USA
Upon doing a routine inspection on my truck. The frame on the passangers rear side is corroded to a mechanically unsafe condition. This is where rear anti-say bar attaches and the rear springs. The frame is paper thin in numerous places. Additionally there are more locations on the rear section of the frame on the drivers side that are approaching a simular state. I have washed the truck on a regular basis and used corrosion inhibiting fluid on the frame to prevent this situation from happening. However this frame is undrivable due to safey concerns. I have a 1995 Jeep Grand Cherokee with 200000 miles and the fame is brand new compared to this.
- San Antonio, PR, USA
The fuel sending units on the '99 and '00 4 runner are defective and cause the fuel gauge to not read properly. I have run out of gas several times while the gauge is reading half full. Toyota has a service bulletin on this but no recall. Bulletin EL010-00 and EL010-99. It is a definite safety issue as I have run out of gas on a busy highway.
- Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Glasgow, KY, USA