CarComplaints.com Notes: Although the 2003 model year is the "worst" model year for the 4Runner, it's not really bad at all -- mainly it's just that the other 4Runner model years are even better. Howver the 2003 model year has no major problems & no unexpected problems for a 17-year old vehicle. We award the 2003 4Runner our Seal of Awesome, since overall versus other comparable models of the same age, it's very reliable.
Initially the 4th generation (2003 - 2009) 4Runner didn't earn our top "Seal of Awesome" rating because it received poor crash test ratings for rear impacts. However it's proven to have one of the lowest driver death rates out of all vehicles (not just SUVs), so we've bumped it back up to our top award.
1.8
hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
91,350 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
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 purchased this 4runner in March, 2015. I began to notice a vibration in the steering wheel at 63mph. I thought it was brakes, I had brakes and rotors surfaced on 3/12/15. Still vibrating! so I figured it was a simple balancing issue, I took it on the same day to have it balanced. It started vibrating and shaking worse! I had the same mechanic re-balance and rotate the wheels/tires. It road the same. They turned me to the Toyota dealership because they have the road enforce balancer. I took it to Toyota to have them test drive first, they claimed it was indeed out of balance. Toyota balanced. I drove it and it was shaking like a leaf at 32-70mph. I had Toyota re-balance again! I drove it again and it remained worse. They informed me that they didn't know what else to do. I left thinking that it was my wheels and or my tires because in my mind Toyota knows best! I went to where the tires were bought, tires are 3 months new. They informed me that this same 4runner had been brought in by the previous owner with the exact same issue. They pulled the wheels off and pulled me aside to show me how excessive the balancing weights were on each rim and some all the way around rim (Toyota's doing). They balanced using the haweka, it drove better but still vibrating at 32-70mph. They re-balanced again, still same issue. They used a different set of wheels and balanced again, same issue. They installed my original wheels back on and re-balanced again, same issue! they checked hubs, bearings, alignment, brakes, rotors, boots, axle and everything checks out. I have invested nearly 4 days and $300 in locating the issue. I have done research and so many Toyota 4runner owners are complaining about the same issue. I am clueless and don't know what else to do. I am running out of patience and money! please help!
2003 Toyota 4 runner. Consumer writes in regards to vehicle tires problem. The consumer stated a few days after purchasing the vehicle, she experienced two incidents, where she almost lost control of the vehicle while driving in the rain. The consumer was informed the tires, were severely worn after only 20,000 miles.
- Van Nuys, CA, USA
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- Thomasville, NC, USA