Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN | |||
| 07/31/2012 | 286000 | 1 | |
| The rear axle seals repeatedly fail on this vehicle, i'm now having to make a fourth costly replacement of both the rear axle seal and contaminated brake shoes. for the fourth time the rear axle seal has failed which leaks brake fluid onto rear brake shoes, resulting in severe reduction of rear braking power. also, as a result the front brakes are placed under undue pressure and warping of front brake rotors occurs which must also be addressed. while i have previously filed complaints over this same issue since 2005 with both toyota and the nhtsb, there has been no recall initiated. the last time my rear axle seals were replaced was less than 20,000 miles ago. this vehicle only sees normal wear and usage. i am not the only complaint as many others have experienced the same issue based on toyota forum discussions and a search of nhtsb complaint filings. toyota customer service center again refused to assist me in any way with todays complaint filing on 7/31/12. *tr | |||
| 07/31/2012 | 286000 | ||
| The rear axle seals repeatedly fail on this vehicle, i'm now having to make a fourth costly replacement of both the rear axle seal and contaminated brake shoes. for the fourth time the rear axle seal has failed which leaks brake fluid onto rear brake shoes, resulting in severe reduction of rear braking power. also, as a result the front brakes are placed under undue pressure and warping of front brake rotors occurs which must also be addressed. while i have previously filed complaints over this same issue since 2005 with both toyota and the nhtsb, there has been no recall initiated. the last time my rear axle seals were replaced was less than 20,000 miles ago. this vehcile only sees normal wear and usage. i am not the only complaint as many others have experienced the same issue based on toyota forum discussions and a search of nhtsb complaint filings. toyota customer service center again refused to assist me in any way with todays complaint filing on 7/31/12. | |||
| 11/22/2011 | 155000 | ||
| My truck was being driven on a long trip. the differential starting making a whining noise that got louder and louder. i stopped at an oil change place at my destination to have them check the fluid. it was almost empty. topped it up and chanced driving it 400 miles back to chicago. i made it ok and had mechanic look at it. the differencial was so rusted that it had holes that allowed it to leak. the mechanic tried to find a used one but they all had the same problem. an internet search turned up countless examples of rusted differentials on toyota trucks spanning many years. there is also extensive rusting on the frame, axle spare tire mount. this is obviously a long term toyota problem. | |||
| 09/14/2011 | 183000 | ||
| Rear axle housing develops premature and detrimental metal scaling and rust, causing differential bell housing to leak gear oil. this problem has been reported on a significant number of 1999 through 2002 4runners in a consistent manner and pattern. toyota motors has failed to acknowledge or research the problem and uses the defense that these vehicles are outside of warranty period. however, a consistent pattern of quality in this particular problem should warrant an investigation by nhtsa as toyota has been shown to hide and distort claims by their loyal customer in order to cover up these types of problems. please see http://www.4runnerforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1948 for one of the many threads related to this topic that demonstrates that the problem is persistent and toyota has failed to recognize it. | |||
| 01/01/1998 | 100000 | ||
| Rear axle housing develops premature and detrimental metal scaling and rust, causing differential bell housing to leak gear oil. this problem has been reported on a significant number of 1999 through 2002 4runners in a consistent manner and pattern. toyota motors has failed to acknowledge or research the problem and uses the defense that these vehicles are outside of warranty period. however, a consistent pattern of quality in this particualr problem should warrant an investigation by nhtsa as toyota has been shown to hide and distort claims by their loyal customer in order to cover up these types of problems. please see http://www.4runnerforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1948 for one of the many threads related to this topic that demonstrates that the problem is persistant and toyota has failed to recognize it. | |||
| 04/09/2010 | 178000 | ||
| 1999 toyota 4runner rear differential housing rusted through | |||
| 10/01/2009 | 168000 | 1 | |
| Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6) i have a 1999 toyota 4runner. back in september 2009 the gas pedal got stuck at full throttle while i was driving it. i applied the brakes - pulled over and turned off the key. it scared me to death. my dad looked at it and found that the throttle cable plastic coating was coming apart and got stuck in the cable shielding. i called toyota and they said it would cost around $300 to replace the defective cable. is this a common problem with 1999 toyota 4runners? since this is definitely a safety issue, why won't toyota fix it at their expense? i contacted turner toyota in montrose colorado and talked to [xxx] in the service department. [xxx] *tr | |||
| 08/05/2008 | 1 | ||
| This is the 4th time in 4 years that my 4runner has had a left rear axle seal problem. the vehicle only has 69,000 miles on it, so this problem arises about every 11- 15k miles. each time the seals and breaks have to be changed. the axle shaft was replaced last time, but i am still having the same problem. there are tons of people with this very expensive recurring problem and its ridiculous that toyota knows about it but don't do anything. *tr | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | |||
| 05/09/2011 | 135000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 1999 toyota 4runner. the contact noticed that his differential housing was leaking fluid. the vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, they did not offer any assistance. the manufacturer was aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the current and failure mileages were 135,000. | |||
| 05/09/2011 | 135000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 1999 toyota 4 runner. the contact noticed that his differential housing was leaking fluid. the vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, they did not offer any assistance. the manufacturer was aware of the failure. the vehicle had not been repaired. the current and failure mileages were 135,000. bw | |||
| 02/19/2010 | 7 | ||
| 1999 toyota 4runner, the left rear wheel axle seal is leaking gear oil all over the left rear wheel and brake. i have had the rear axle seals replaced 5 - 7 times: december 2006, june 2007, december 2007, june 2008, december 2008, and now again it is leaking february 2010. the independent auto repair business where i take my vehicle subscribes to all data | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AXLE ASSEMBLY - AXLE SHAFT - SEAL | |||
| 06/10/2006 | 59000 | 2 | 11/22/1999 |
| Have a 1999 4runner which suffered right rear axle gasket failure at 59000 miles. same 4runner suffered left rear axle gasket failure at 110000 miles. have owned several 4runners (different years) that have never had rear axle problems. has anyone else had same problem. both problems were diagnosed at dealer and were considered safety hazards because grease was leaking onto rear brake pads. would advise other owners of this year to have rear axle seals examined by dealer for same problem. others have had same problem and have posted rear axle seal failures on www.toyota-4runner.org. *jb | |||
| POWER TRAIN - DRIVELINE | |||
| 02/10/2011 | 200000 | ||
| Frame on 1999 toyota 4runner has rusted through in front of rear axle attachment on driver's and passenger's sides. rear differential cover has also rusted to point where differential fluid is leaking out. the vehicle is well maintained and washed regularly with no rust anywhere but frame and rear differential. the vehicle is unsafe to drive and must be repaired according to mechanic. toyota states that they have a voluntary buy-back program on tacoma's of same vintage, but not for the 4runner? | |||
| POWER TRAIN - MANUAL TRANSMISSION | |||
| 05/06/2009 | 78000 | 1 | |
| Several suspension and structural components of my 1999 4runner are showing excessive rust. the worst of which is on the rear axle and differential housing. i've recently had to weld a broken stabilizer bracket. the differential housing has rusted so bad that a hole has formed and gear oil is leaking. *tr | |||