This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
I was driving 65 mph on the interstate when I heard a clanking sound from the rear, the car started to sway terribly and shake and I lost control. I crossed over the highway lanes, rolled a couple of times and ended up in the ditch with the car upside down. A witness driving behind me said the wheel of the car fell off while I was driving. After inspecting the car, we saw the tire's tread had been ripped off, there were gashes in the tire, and the rear left control arm had fallen off. The car had recently received its regularly scheduled alignment and tire rotation, and the tires were in good shape with only 15,000 miles on them. The car had 118,000 miles on it. The car was a total loss. This was a very serious accident. It sounds like the same problem Toyota has been having with other 4runners of this mileage and of other Toyota models which have been recalled due to premature rust and corrosion of the suspension.the is a very unsafe car at that mileage and I'm lucky I survived the accident. It's important that other Toyota 4runner owners know about this problem because it fails without warning.
The frame where the lower control arm meets is rusting out at an alarming rate. It is going to be unsafe to drive in a few months when the rear lower control arms will be ripped off from the frame rail. There is almost no rust on the body of the truck and it spend most of its life in Arizona out of the salt belt. In only 5 years the frame has started to desegregate and it has been cleaned reqularly. I've started undercoating it with petroleum based products and rust converters/ inhibitors and it is still just meting away. The rust hole has grown to over 2 times the size it was 2 months ago. I'm really disappointed that the frames are this bad, I had GM vehicles older and less maintained do better than this.
Driving down the highway in my 2000 4runner, it started to sway back and forth violently, it went into oncoming traffic. Thank god the oncoming traffic was far enough away, I had time to get it back in my lane. If not, I would have been a casualty. I got it home and checked underneath the vehicle and found out the frame was rusted through. The whole frame was rusted, holes everywhere you looked. I just spent $2,000 on new tires and other repairs three months ago. Now the 4runner is useless, I can't believe this was not a serious safety recall. With all the 4runners on the road there is going to be a lot of people killed. You don't know when this is going to fail until it throws you into oncoming traffic and killing everyone in you car and other innocent people in the other cars that you come in contact with. This has to be a safety recall and have Toyota replace these defective frames. This 2000 4runner is in excellent shape, no rust on exterior and runs great. Does not burn or use any oil. Bad defective rusty frame which was a poor design or lack of prep in manufacturing.
- Hagerstown, MD, USA
Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...
Thought shocks were bad, put new ones on gotten better one payed almost a 1,000 dollars for four shocks.the most uncomfortable ride I have ever in counter, you fi'll every bump and anything else in the highways. Surely this is not the way it is supposed to ride, .I will never buy a Toyota of any style for this reason ever again. Unhappy owner
I bought a Toyota year ago, my first ever car payment, counting on Toyota being reliable. Now I have 4runner in drive way with broken rear trailing arm & frame rott I wish dealer which should it to me or Toyota would step in. Wife & 15 month old baby traveling 35-40mph felt right rear drop like tire went side ways... truck wobbled/rocked like boat in water. Likely needs new frame
I want to be clear that I am submitting this on behalf of all 3rd gen 4runners! it has not, yet, happened to me but I am fearful to drive the vehicle until I replace the parts even though they seem fine. At the least a better, safer design could be made so that when it does fail, peoples live aren't put into jeopardy. Hello! I have a question about 1996-2002 Toyota 4runner's and their very common issue of the lower control arm ball joints failing. It doesn't matter if the vehicle is stock or modified, first year or last year run but somehow Toyota only has issued a recall for the 2001 and 2002 model years. Leaving hundreds of thousands of us vulnerable to a severe accident. The failure point is the bail joint and when it fails it severs itself from the vehicle, pulling the axle shaft out and causing the front end to dip to the ground causing a very unsafe driving experience as you could possibly die at any speed. You can find thousands of stories on google, it happens literally everyday with people reporting in many 3rd gen 4runner forums and facebook groups. Google '3rd gen 4runner lbj failure' for instance. Why does Toyota only need to recall 2 years of a 6 year vehicle run" all years are equally affected. Toyota is a name of dependability so this rare act of betraying the customer and putting their lives on the line is just so unlike them. Can you please look into this and help ya out" I have not personally had this happen but I check my lower arms all the time for any play but have heard stories of others with detailed maintenance and it happening to them regardless. It's totally unsafe and a redesign should be thought up, newer generations do not have this failure prone issue and more importantly if they do fail they do not make for a very unsafe environment.
2000 Toyota 4runner frame rot. Rear suspention is seperating from the frame, middle of the frame has a 2 foot section missing, and the front of frame right by the firewall has big rot holes in it. The truck is becoming un safe to drive and hard to control at highway speeds
Just recently bought my 4runner from a dealer. Began swaying at highway speeds and producing a faint clicking sound. The swaying was noticeably prevalent when engaging and disengaging the accelerator, driving over small terrain features (railroad tracks, road seams etc.) switching lanes and coming to complete stops. Upon inspection found the left rear control arm had completely separated from the main frame. This could potentially have caused serious fatalities. This is an issue that needs to be addressed, it appears that 17 years was the magic number.
"takata recall" I noticed a very large rust whole in my frame right next to the transmission cross member, it spans about 5-6in from where the visible whole is. Also where the lower control arm bracket attaches to the frame is rotting away. Both whole on the passenger side.
The contact owns a 2000 Toyota 4runner. While driving approximately 25 mph, the vehicle started to wobble and the contact heard a clunking noise emerging from the rear driver side. The contact had to pull over to the side of the road and noticed a metal bar hanging form the rear driver side of the vehicle. The rear driver side control arm was rusted and detached from the frame. The vehicle was driven to the contact's residence. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 142,491.
I bought the vehicle recently and was taking it to have it safety inspected. Driving down a curvy road, the vehicle became difficult to steer straight. A loud thunking noise was coming from the passenger rear quarter. Upon inspection it became apparent that the passenger side rear lower 4 link frame attachment tower (just forward of the passenger side rear wheel and tire) had detached from the frame. This condition seems to have been caused by severe metal deterioration from the inside out, hiding itself until it perforated the frame. On further inspection the frame was found to be perforated all along the lower inside wall - from the 4 link tower to the middle crossmember attach point. This area of the frame is adjacent to the muffler and is exposed to exaggerated thermal cycling on a daily basis. Some metallurgical reaction to this condition is causing extreme corrosion of the frame rails to the point of failure. This is happening to a lot of 1999 to 2003 4runners in the same exact spot and it's going to get someone seriously hurt or killed. Many people are unaware anything is amiss until they poke around the area of the inside frame rail.
My 2000 4runner only has 123K mils on it and the frame is so rusted it might be unsafe to drive. I tried to get new shocks on it and was told they can't due to the bad rust. The rest of the truck is in perfect condition!
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Northfield, MN, USA