Toyota 4runner Reliability by Year
Best & Worst Years, Problems & Recalls — NHTSA Data

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See attached document for complaint.

Last October we purchased a new 4 Runner (vin [XXX] ) and to date we have a little over 200 miles on it. The primary issue surrounding the lack of usage is that the running boards “platform" does not extend far enough out from the body. My wife has an extremely hard time both entering and exiting the vehicle, as the surface area is too narrow at 2 3/4". Even placing your foot parallel with the board is a challenge. On exiting there is a safety hazard as one's heel slips off of the rounded edge. The boards are six inches wide with three inches under the rocker panels. Not certain why this was designed this way as there is zero adjustment on the brackets. This is a potential slip and fall issue. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

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)

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!!!!

Camera system, rear, from, 360 degree all are distorted and makes hard to see yellow and white painted lines, pedestrians, and other obstacles while parking. System is defective and do not work as it should.

The contact owns a 2024 Toyota 4Runner. The contact stated while driving at 25 MPH, the rear passenger-side seat belt strap detached. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was determined that the failure occurred due to an outside interference from the misuse of a child safety seat. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 2,038.

On [XXX] I was driving my '24 4Runner Limited with factory installed Yokohama Geolander G96 245 60 20 tires and had the driver side rear tire inner sidewall blow out. There was nothing in the road that could've hit the rear tire after missing the front tire. I called Yokohama IAW their warranty procedure. They said I'd have to take it to the dealership for inspection to see if it was defective. Called my dealership and got an appt, drove 50 miles to the dealer only to have the service rep spend MAYBE 20 seconds looking at the tire to say "it was hit by something" even though there is zero evidence of a puncture - Picture included. He didn't even dismount it to inspect the inner sidewall. He pointed at some marks on the wheel (NOT THE TIRE) saying something hit it there - ALL 5 wheels on the vehicle have the exact same CASTING MARKS - Pictures included. In fact, he spent more time questioning me about not having the dealer's "wheel/tire package" and then getting a quote to sell me a $428 tire instead of properly inspecting my tire. He even allowed my Limited rim to fall over on it's face! There are numerous pages of evidence showing that Yokohoma has an extended history of problems with this specific line of tires, as well as some of their other lines. "Since 2010, there have been 3 major tire recalls by Yokohama. Two of these are related to “inadequate markings”. The other recall involved a problem with the geometry of the tire itself. These tires had “irregular geometry” that made it more likely that the sidewall would give and blow out while the car was in motion. By “irregular geometry” Yokohama was referring to the fact that the interior of the tire’s sidewalls was not of uniform thickness. I read one article to the service rep and he immediately blew it off as "totally different circumstance", again repeating that mine was hit by something. This service rep was more interested in selling a tire than trying to find out what happened with mine. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

When modifying the "Beep" volume which is tied to the audio beep when locking or unlocking the car, the car will then turn off the wireless ability read the key fob when using it to lock or unlock the car. The proximity feature will still function and you are still able to start the car. But you will lose functionality with all key fob buttons; lock, unlock, and panic will not be functional. This is listed in detail in the this 4Runner forums group. [XXX] This has been a known issue since 2022 and is still an issue. Toyota does not acknowledge this is a recall or an official issue. Every time an owner makes this change they are required to bring the vehicle to the dealership for them to re-enable the wireless key fob. This is an issue and must be resolved. I have access to modify my vehicles info on my own as my brother is a Toyota Tech and has the ability to do so. Please look at the forum link, there is greater detail of this issue occurring and 100s of accounts of owners reporting the issue. Please look at the forum link INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Vehicle less than 1 month old and less than 500 miles had a total transmission failure causing a unsafe driving situation while driving , no warning of impending failure resulting loud banging noise and vibration , sudden loss of speed while driving and dashboard lighting up with different warnings. Very stressful situation trying to exit traffic safely.

The Toyota 4Runner (5th and 6th Generations) lacks a dedicated 'Approach Lighting' function, creating a critical personal safety and trip-and-fall hazard during nighttime entry. Users are forced to navigate the vehicle's perimeter in total darkness, increasing the risk of injury from unseen obstacles or security threats. I am requesting an investigation into this lighting logic omission and a remedy via a software update to the Lighting Control Module to ensure owner safety for all generations of the 4Runner platform.

At approximately 520 miles, while performing a low speed left hand turn, the vehicle experienced a sudden mechanical "thunk" in the drivetrain followed by an immediate loss of motive power (Limp Mode) in my new 2026 Toyota 4Runner TRD Pro. The engine revved significantly, but the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended, creating a hazardous situation in the intersection of oncoming traffic. A diagnostic health check at an authorized dealer confirmed stored DTC fault codes P281671 and P08BA71, indicating that Pressure Control Solenoids Actuators "H" and "L" were in a "stuck" state. The vehicle's Freeze Frame Data recorded a catastrophic internal transmission slip, showing an engine speed of 1767 RPM while the vehicle was moving at only 4 MPH in 2nd gear. There are no previous warning signs or symptoms of this problem before the transmission failure. It was sudden and unexpected. The manufacturer’s technical service protocols (such as T-SB-0094-24/T-SB-0076-24) for these specific solenoid codes on this specific 8-speed hybrid transmission (L580F) – which is equipped on my vehicle – identify this as an internal mechanical actuator failure requiring full transmission, torque converter, and hybrid module replacement. However, the manufacturer has denied the repair because the vehicle’s specific VIN is not yet listed on a service bulletin and that they could not reproduce it in a short test drive. The manufacturer’s official recommendation is to continue operating the vehicle with a documented and non-repaired powertrain defect until a second failure occurs in traffic. I am reporting this as a significant safety risk, as a recurring loss of motive power during critical driving maneuvers puts myself and other motorists in danger. The vehicle and its stored diagnostic data are available for inspection.

With the slanted windshield and location of the rearview mirror creates a blind spot when looking to the upper right. Both my husband and I have trouble seeing.

The car has the iforce max powertrain. At low speeds or in stop and go traffic, when the car has come to a stop, the car will lurch forward, which could potentially cause an accident. I took car to dealership and they said this is normal operation of the hybrid system and there is no fix. This is a huge safety issue if the car pushes itself forward and potentially causing an accident. The transmission system is very unrefined.

For the 2nd time in 5 weeks, the main wiring harness and knock sensor have been eaten and destroyed by rodents. This has caused thousands of dollars worth of damage, and it's due to the soy based wiring used in the wiring harness. I cannot keep this vehicle outside for any period of time without the threat of the harnesses getting chewed.

I was driving on the highway with no one around me. Temperature was around 60 degrees at 7:15am. My sunroof glass shattered as if it was a gunshot and the glass was pointed outward. It terrified my special needs child and myself and took a while for her to calm down. I drove it home later and opened up the sunroof to shattered glass everywhere. I have looked online and it is a known defect. I have a dash cam as well.

2017 Toyota 4 runner SR5 While driving on the highway the vehicle stopped apparently the fuel pump stopped working and could not get going anymore. I had a mechanic come to the house with a PC and test it. He told me that’s a change that will need to take place in a garage. Luckily I was able to stop on the side and paid someone to bring car home

Throttle has a lag when depressing gas pedal (occasionally a dead petal symptom) research indicates a TSB T-SB-0166-10 exist that relates to this issue. Lack of Toyota dealer assistance with this issue when contacted (Toyota of Round Rock Texas 78664) This issues is a safety concern when operating vehicle due to lack of throttle response when accelerating into traffic. When issue occurs, vehicle "stalls" and creates a dangerous situation that eventually will result is an accident.

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.

I have owned my vehicle since 2017 and since then I have had to change the locks over 10 times. this has been ongoing since purchasing my car. Some were originally covered with the warranty but since it expired, i have paid dealerships out of pocket. I have a lock give out almost yearly. Right now my car has 3 of the 4 door locks not working and the 4th just started acting up as well. I have checked for recalls because it doesn't make sense that they would go out yearly and the dealerships have even told me there should be recalls because my year 4runner always has lock issues. my safety concern is my locks either have to stay unlocked or i risk locking my car completely and it not opening because the key will not unlock it. I have tried contacting Toyota and they have stated they cannot help so I am wanting to reach out to see if there is anything that can be done or if you can point me in the right direction on who i can reach out to . thank you

Car Theft Brentwood