Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | |||
| 02/14/2013 | 212831 | ||
| Vehicle has been swaying and then recently the steering got bad so i took it to a toyota dealership where they told me that the frame was completely rusted through was told it was not safe to drive. | |||
| 09/04/2012 | |||
| I took my 1997 4runner in for routine maintenance and the mechanic discovered that my frame has completely rusted out and that my car is extremely unsafe to drive. i got the opinion of two other auto body shops and they all agreed that the car is unsafe and is beyond being repaired. toyota offered a buy back program for their tacoma's for the same reason however they will not buy back the 4 runners. i've found so many people having the same rust issue with the frames on their 4runners. i think toyota should step up and do the right thing. | |||
| 07/08/2012 | 180000 | ||
| Wife was driving vehicle on state route, heard loud noise and vehicle started shimmying side to side. she slowed down and limped vehicle home. today raised vehicle on my lift at work and found frame rusted through where rear suspension arm mounting brackets are welded to frame. glad no accident had occurred, as my wife, children and new sister-in-law were all passengers! otherwise love the vehicle, was intending on replacement with a sequoia, but now i am unsure if that is a good move. i have seen many tacomas come in that had frame rust in the same exact location. wish toyota would cover this problem in the 4runners, as we are just as loyal as the tacoma owners. seems like a coincidence that there are many people are complaining about frame rust on the internet forums about the 4runners too. i sure hope toyota can keep me as a loyal customer and that i can continue to promote them to my customers as i very often do. i was really seriously considering spending the $3900+ tax + my installation time, but it seems toyota has discontinued my frame. i even double-checked with corporate toyota. what to do now?.......never thought it would come to this...just some help even... | |||
| 04/24/2012 | 171000 | ||
| This 1997 toyota 4runner has premature structural frame failure. the frame is rotting from the inside out. the frame rot is located in the rear on the drivers side where the rear suspension bracket is welded to the frame. this is an epidemic among older toyota trucks and suv's. toyota has already recalled the tacoma's of this model year due to the frames rotting. i have read countless numbers of complaints on the internet from other 4runner owners. it is time to push toyota to help all of the owners of these toyota's out. | |||
| 01/10/2012 | |||
| Rusted frame..... unsafe safe to drive | |||
| 12/27/2011 | 177607 | ||
| The frame is rusting through on several places, but one particular location is the worst. this location is the weld joint between a solid steel bracket of the same size, thickness and material as the main frame. this bracket holds the sway-type bar, which attaches back to the rear axle. the weld joint between the bracket and the main frame has almost completely rusted through and is almost completely seperated from the main frame. the joint is about 8 inches long. over about 6 inches of the weld joint, the area is rusted away and there is a 3/8-inch gap between parts. the remaining 2 inches are holding temperarily, but it is unsafe. this rusted through and failed frame has caused the 1997 toyota 4-runner to be unsafe, undriveable and un-fixable. it is unsafe because if the frame joint rusts more and completely breaks, the vehicle will be uncontrollable. | |||
| 11/09/2011 | |||
| I was making a right hand turn into a parking spot. at the moment right before you straighten the vehicle wheel to park, the car suddenly revved up for about 1 to 2 seconds causing the vehicle to accelerate forward. the vehicle went over the curve and hit the building in front of the parking spot. | |||
| 04/04/2011 | 141395 | ||
| I am reporting a frame defect on my vehicle. i have a 1997 toyota 4runner, and while on my way home, on the date stated, i hit a pothole in the road, and, immediately started hearing a noise at the driver side of my vehicle. i took the vehicle to our local dealership, and upon inspection, the diagnosis, was that the frame had broken, and was rubbing on my gas tank, which made the vehicle unsafe to drive any further. i have done research and have found many other complaints,similar to mine, yet, the manufacturer is unwilling to do anything to solve the issue, or offer any assistance to replace the defective part. i guess as long as nobody has been killed, or ,seriously injured, the problem isn't big enough yet!!! | |||