I purchased my 2003 Toyota 4Runner Sport brand new and it has NEVER given me an issue mechanically. Judging by the mileage I have put on the vehicle, clearly I have driven it. The body also remains MINT, courtesy of good care and a garage. The only service I have had to do on the SUV is routine maintenance: brakes, oil changes, tires, wipers.

Upon taking my SUV to my local Toyota dealership for an oil change in February 2018, I was informed by one of the head managers who had my SUV on a lift that the "vehicle is unsafe to drive. Frame is rotted out from body and suspension mounts." (I have the service invoice and will upload it along with some pictures if I can ever get the SUV on a lift again.) Needless to say, I was shocked given this was never mentioned to me during past service visits. In fact, it wasn't even mentioned as a possible future risk, which is more disappointing in light of past recalls on other Toyota models -- namely the Tundra and Tacoma -- that also had extensive rot on the frames and suspension. Why wasn't the 4Runner recalled as well,since it was manufactured with the same frame as the Tundra?? Who makes these decisions and who decided to pass on a 4Runner recall?? This is clearly a SAFETY ISSUE.

Nevertheless, I decided to continue driving my SUV because, once again, it has never given me an issue mechanically, it runs like a TOP, and quite frankly I can't well afford to purchase a new vehicle right now. Plus, I guess I didn't want to believe that the rust was so bad that I actually had to refrain from driving the vehicle. I have never had such news before and was not aware that something like this could even HAPPEN to a vehicle. But if the manufacturers were aware, then it should have been their duty and responsibility to do something about it for their customers.

Well, in hindsight, continuing to drive the SUV probably wasn't a great decision. Clearly, I survived what happened given I am typing this letter, so that is a true blessing from above. However, I was almost in a fatal accident on none other than the day of my son's birthday party when I was transferring him and a couple of his friends to an amusement park for a celebration. There was construction on the highway and I began to slow down (thankfully) as we were approaching a sign that read "bump" where the construction team was working to widen and pave the highway. I took the bump at what I thought was a slow enough speed only to have the entire back end of my SUV swerve as if it going in a totally different direction from the front end and then back again and just missing one car and a tractor trailer on either side. The kids even all exclaimed "WHOA!!!"

Long story short, I was very cautious on the drive home, sensing damage given the back end felt out of line with the front, particularly around turns and when switching lanes on the highway. Two days later, as I was driving to my local train station to get to work, I heard something snap as I drove over an uneven road. The back end of my SUV felt even more out of line now. The next day I took the day off from work -- which is not easy to do as a single mom -- and brought the truck to a local Midas dealer because I was fearful to travel the distance to my usual Toyota dealer. The mechanics put my SUV on a "ride on" lift instead of a regular lift after I explained my recent experiences with the vehicle and because they were fearful of causing more damage to it. They looked at me and said "you're lucky you're alive." The frame is SPLIT APART in front of my rear driver-side tire and is hanging on by a thread in at least two other areas of the frame on the OPPOSITE, or passenger side. The corrosion continues all along the entire frame -- and I don't mean simply surface rust. The entire frame is about to break apart and the SUV is completely unusable now. One more bump and I wouldn't have been able to type this letter.

I think it's time for a recall. NOW. This has been years in the making and Toyota has conveniently ignored it. There are LIVES at stake here and many of them are likely children. Everyone knows that most people who own SUVs do so BECAUSE they have children and BECAUSE they feel safer driving a bigger vehicle when they are chaperoning children. Do people have to die before Toyota realizes the severity of this?? I couldn't sell my SUV to anyone with good conscience knowing what I know of it right now. Toyota should take the same approach, own this serious defect, and make good on it. It's like knowing of a bad intersection and not putting up a traffic light to avoid accidents. Let's not wait until somebody dies before putting up the traffic light. FIX THIS NOW.

I'm a Toyota Certified Master Technician and have been working on Toyotas for 40+ years. I bought my 4-Runner new in 2003. It has excessive rust on the frame. In places it has rusted through. It would not pass the frame inspection used for the Tacoma. Also, the rear axle housing is badly rusted. It's not dangerous yet, but will be soon. The 4-Runner should be recalled for these problems and the frames replaced.

Update from Aug 28, 2018: I'm a Toyota Certified Master Technician and have worked on Toyotas for 40+ years. I bought my 4-Runner new in 2003. It has excessive rust on the frame. In places, it has rusted through. It would not pass the frame inspection used for the Tacoma truck. Also, the rear axle housing is badly rusted. It is not dangerous yet, but will be soon. The 4-Runner should be recalled for these problems. The frames should be replaced to fix the problems.

First off I want to say I love this car, it’s very reliable until I found out that my frame is rusted through. The section of the frame where the AC drain hose drips has holes through it from rust and corrosion. This could be a design flaw. My front tow hooks fell off, the whole section is rusted out. I discovered this while changing my oil, and I don’t think the vehicle is safe to drive because the section of the frame is rusted through. Toyota needs to honor the frame replacement recall on the 4Runners because this is a safety concern and it was addressed in the Tacoma and Sequoia. If the 4Runner uses the same chassis, why was it left out of the recall Toyota?

Let me start off by saying I absolutely LOVE my 4Runner but the frame/rust issues it has are just awful. The entire underbody is rusting like crazy and so is the tailgate and bottom of the doors. Yes we live in Ohio but it has always been meticulously maintained and washed and waxed frequently. It only has 136,000 miles on it which is great for a 2003 but I just don't foresee the frame holding up as long as the engine. I sure wish it would be been part of the huge frame recall that Toyota had. It certainly seems that there are plenty of other 4 Runners out there with the same issue. We are going to get it up on a lift soon and I will post pics. It's pretty darn bad. I just don't know what we will end up doing with it. :(

That is one of many pictures, the entire frame is perforated in several spots. It passed inspection Jan 25, 2015 just before we purchased vehicle but failed inspection last month. So far Toyota has refused to state there is a problem. I have asked them to include the 4Runners in the recall of the Tacoma's and Tundra's with the same rusting frame issues. The whole underside of our 4Runner is eaten up with rust to the point that a mechanic was able to punch new holes in frame with his hammer while knocking off rust so he could give me an estimate to repair.

Noticed the right front wheel making awful sound. I had my mechanic to take a look. It is the wheel bearings going out, but then proceeded to tell me that the rust is so bad underneath that all the hose lines will have to be replaced. Brake lines leaking, transmission line leaking. All will have to be replaced. The rust is eating away underneath the car like cancer. No stopping it. The sway bars are rusting into as well. Our Mechanic will let us know how much it will cost to repair the lines...But is it worth spending the money on??? This is our 7th Toyota that we have owned, always taken excellent care of vehicle, AND I HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCE SUCH A RUSTY MESS. LOVE MY 4RUNNER BUT REALLY DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH IT!

Does anyone know if Toyota has a recall on the Toyota 4 runners?

Frame rusted?? Holes in THE FRAME??? How do the engineer's of Toyota sleep at night, knowing massive lawsuits can be filed against them for knowingly causing potential harm to human lives??

Is there a Class Action Lawsuit filed yet?

They replaced frames on Tundra's & Tacoma's..why not replace these POS frames that they slapped under our feet and put on the roads..

even the all mighty Tow Hook on our 4Runner ripped right off-I guess the term "tin can" is true..I can not believe the TSA isn't doing anything.

Well..Full coverage & a fully filled out Will is required to drive these rigs.

2003 Toyota 4Runner has excessive amount of rust and corrosion on the frame and undercarriage. Took the vehicle to a local mechanic to have a rattling sound checked out. Turns out, the heat shield broke loose and was resting on the exhaust assembly. Also, an exhaust pipe hangar was ready to come loose. In addition to this, the mechanic informed me the gas tank supports were also rotted away.

About a week before this, I had taken it to a local Toyota dealership (Prime Toyota) for an accelerator recall. They told me about the pipe hangar but never mentioned anything else except for a $917.75 estimate to replace the exhaust system. Since then, I've been checking if anyone else has had similar problem and yes, especially with the Tacoma. It's been recalled for the same problem. Anyway, I filed a complaint with Toyota Motor Corp. and also a safety complaint with the NHTSA/ODI. I'm thinking about removing the spare before it drops.

Update from Oct 12, 2016: Just wanted to update a previous complaint about excessive corrosion and rust on the frame on my 03' 4-Runner. It's not surprising that it's gotten worse in the last couple of years. So bad, in fact, that the mechanic advised me to avoid driving it at highway speeds. I called the local Toyota dealership where I bought it to see if there were any recalls on it (like the Tacoma and Tundra models) NO! Further research found this problem widespread and dangerous. I filed a complaint with the NHTSA. I've got to add that, aside from this one problem, this SUV has been one of the best vehicles I've owned.