Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - FOUNDATION COMPONENTS | |||||
| BR00700 | 12/01/2000 | 616094 | Subject regarding new front brake pad kits to reduce the possibility of front brake vibration. *tt | 02/09/2001 | |
| 390 | 12/06/2000 | 616075 | Front brake vibration. *tt | 02/08/2001 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - ANTILOCK | |||
| 05/12/2004 | 39000 | 1 | 12/30/1998 |
| While pulling our 1999 4-runner with 39,000 miles into a parking stall, the brake peddle went all the way to the floor without stopping, resulting in a minor accident with no injuries. a service technician (not from toyota) examined the vehicle and nothing unusual was observed. however, during a road test, the peddle went all the way down again when he attempted to stop. he pumped the brakes and they caught and stopped the vehicle. a toyota dealer has not been able to duplicate the problem. a field service representative from toyota examined the vehicle today after which, we were called to pick up the vehicle. other than a visual inspection and road test, toyota hasn't done anything. i don't believe that i should drive this vehicle on the road but that's exactly what toyota is telling me to do.*ak | |||
| 12/31/2002 | 59000 | 07/31/1999 | |
| As i was driving down a 4 lane highway, the steering wheel suddenly jerked out of my hands to the right. i was unable to turn the steering wheel back to the left to correct. the roads were wet from an earlier rain; there was no standing water, no pot holes, or other visible defects in the road. i was in the left lane, traveling about 60mph. the car spun out of control - doing 2 complete spins on the highway, then into the ditch on the right; hitting trees, flipping, hitting more trees, and finally coming to a halt straddling the ditch perpendicular to the highway. since there was no visible defects in the road that would have caused the steering to act like that, i'd like to know if there is any mechanical problem which would have caused the steering wheel to jerk so hard to the right and keep me from being able to correct it. i've been told that perhaps the front right brake locked up, the tie rod broke, or some kind of steering defect. please let me know what i should look for. | |||
| 25000 | 5 | 07/27/1999 | |
| On several occasions while driving in snowy conditions, the brakes failed to stop the vehicle. each failure occured after the vehicle had been driven several miles. when brakes are applied there is a grinding noise. dealership suggested that the metallic brakes may be worn too smooth, but could not pinpoint problem. *tt *jb | |||
| The truck is equipped with abs brakes that when being driven in snowy conditions, the brake system performs erratic. the owner states that he would hear some sort of humming sound but the truck continues forward. the toyota dealership did evaluate the brakes but no cause of performance was acknowledged. please describe details ts | |||
| 05/15/2002 | |||
| Front wheels would lock up when brakes are applied in a sudden stop on wet condition road. appointment has been made for the dealer. feel free to provide any further information.*ak | |||
| 06/25/2002 | 1 | 05/01/2099 | |
| While driving at highway speeds it became necessary to take evasive maneuvers. when i slammed on the brakes i did not feel the abs engage. i lost control of the vehicle and hit a guardrail. when this occurred the vehicle rolled front over back and the airbags never deployed. this concerned me. how can a vehicle roll over and the airbags never deploy?*ak | |||
| 04/01/1999 | |||
| Brakes vibrate badly but only once in a while. after coming to a complete stop the rear axle or rear end clunks badly when releasing the brakes, tire have cupped prematurely even though balanced and aligned, gas gauge works most of the time but sometimes is incorrect by as much as 50%. abs kicks in even when on dry pavement. *ak( dot number: w@hh tire size: p225/75r15 ) | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - FOUNDATION COMPONENTS | |||
| 1 | 06/01/2099 | ||
| Tires: the tires did not physically fail, however after only 10,000 miles, they were practically bald - all 4. i requested that the dealer replace the tires which they refused to do althought they acknowledged that the tires were dangerously worn. the service technician informed me off the record that they knew this to be a problem with the vehicle - that the tires which came stock from the factory were in fact too small to bear the weight of the vehicle. in light of the safety issues regarding bridgestone?firestone at that time, i elected to replace all 4 tires at my cost. tail lights: the taillights began failing very shortly after i purchased the vehicle. whenever i took it into the dealer, they informed me that it was just a burned out lamp which was not covered by my warranty. this has continued to occur and now i don't even bother with the dealer. i have noted numerous 4runners on the road with the same problem which is what prompted me to check your web site. at one point the service manager at the dealership mentioned his suprise that the warning indicator light did not come on when the lamp went out. apparently there is an indicator light that should alert the driver to a blown bulb...i've never seen one and mine has gone out 3 times. now it is habit for me to check my tail lights whenever i drive at night. brakes: on various occasions, i have experienced a severe shuddering of the car and a loud clanking noise when going from high speed to lower speed (not sudden braking) as in exiting the highway . one time, the car was shuddering so violently that it jerked into another lane. the dealer basically told me i was imagining things. this shuddering has occurred on 3 separate occasions and each time i returned the car to the dealer and was told there was no problem. one time, they agreed to manually check all 4 brakes - at my cost and declared that there was nothing wrong. i hesitate to drive in slippery conditions. ts | |||
| 2 | 08/27/1999 | ||
| The entire vehicle experiences severe shaking/vibration when braking. the problem is particularly pronounced when braking at highway speeds. *yd | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - FOUNDATION COMPONENTS - DISC | |||
| 06/20/2000 | 08/01/1999 | ||
| Dealer failed to replace defective front disc brake parts due to lack of parts availability from toyota. vehicle continues to shake when the brakes are applied downhill. *ak | |||
| Premature ware of brake pads and rotors. dealer has replaced the pads and the rotors.*ak | |||
| 04/01/1999 | |||
| Brakes vibrate badly but only once in a while. after coming to a complete stop the rear axle or rear end clunks badly when releasing the brakes, tire have cupped prematurely even though balanced and aligned, gas gauge works most of the time but sometimes is incorrect by as much as 50%. abs kicks in even when on dry pavement. *ak( dot number: w@hh tire size: p225/75r15 ) | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - FOUNDATION COMPONENTS - DISC - PADS | |||
| 02/20/2004 | 97000 | 2 | 02/20/2004 |
| Consumer complained about vehicle vibrating when applying the brakes. consumer replaced the front pads and both front rotors. within two weeks the problem recurred. dealer was contacted. *ak | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - FOUNDATION COMPONENTS - DISC - ROTOR | |||
| 02/20/2004 | 97000 | 2 | 02/20/2004 |
| Consumer complained about vehicle vibrating when applying the brakes. consumer replaced the front pads and both front rotors. within two weeks the problem recurred. dealer was contacted. *ak | |||
| 05/10/2004 | 50000 | 2 | |
| Experiencing severe vibration when braking at speeds over 50 mph. steering wheel vibrates and control is difficult. identified as warped rotor. toyota dealer wants to charge to replace front caliper/rotor with larger design. claims that its common to have it fail shortly after warrantee coverage. (failed at 50000, coverage to 36000) purchased vehicle with 17000 miles and rotors/pads look good.*ak | |||
| 10/17/2002 | 42000 | 1 | 07/17/1999 |
| While driving 45 mph had extended stopping and brakes vibrated when applied. *mr front brake rotors were warped and had to be replaced. consumer feels this happened prematurely. *tt | |||
| 03/19/2000 | 20 | 04/01/1999 | |
| This is an intermittent problem that during braking at various speeds on varying roads surfaces and hills the front end of the vehicle shakes to the point it feels as if the driver may lose control. august 1999 took to auburn toyota and they stated front rotors were extremely warped and were replaced. the problem continued first being noticed the next day. again in november 1999 the vehicle was taken to service, this time they could find nothing wrong. again this problem is intermittent--you could literally brake feel the vibration, let off, apply the brakes again and feel no vibration. other times it may be a little more persistent. most of the time the brake system seems to function normally, but at times the frontend vibrates something fierce. that also varies. sometimes it is a slight vibration, and other times it vibrates up through the steering wheel quite severely. the simple answer from toyota is it must be the rotors or we couldn't duplicate the problem. my concern is that we arrive at a more understandable explanation and hopefully a solution. can abs create a vibration if the system is not pulsating like it should? *ak | |||