CarComplaints.com Notes: Although it has a stellar record in terms of vehicle problems, 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.
I bought my 4Runner with about 115,000 miles on it. It ran great, but then after putting about 5,000 more miles on it, I noticed that the brakes went down almost all the way to the floor before stopping the car. I took it in to get looked at, and they just replaced the brake pads. This didn't fix the problem. Took it to another place, they said it might be a master cylinder issue but they don't specialize in that, and to take it somewhere else.
I took it to a brake specialty shop, and they said it is a broken master cylinder, and to replace and install a new one will be about $3,000! I took it somewhere else because this sounded way too expensive to be true. This place said it would be about $3,000 too. I made the repair and spent the money, but my brakes are still a bit loose, when other people drive my car they always mention how "I probably need new brake pads," but I don't even want to get started with them.
This is a very annoying issue to have on a car that runs so well. I don't even want to take it back in to get looked at, because I don't want to spend any more money on these damn brakes.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
I bought my 4Runner with about 115,000 miles on it. It ran great, but then after putting about 5,000 more miles on it, I noticed that the brakes went down almost all the way to the floor before stopping the car. I took it in to get looked at, and they just replaced the brake pads. This didn't fix the problem. Took it to another place, they said it might be a master cylinder issue but they don't specialize in that, and to take it somewhere else.
I took it to a brake specialty shop, and they said it is a broken master cylinder, and to replace and install a new one will be about $3,000! I took it somewhere else because this sounded way too expensive to be true. This place said it would be about $3,000 too. I made the repair and spent the money, but my brakes are still a bit loose, when other people drive my car they always mention how "I probably need new brake pads," but I don't even want to get started with them.
This is a very annoying issue to have on a car that runs so well. I don't even want to take it back in to get looked at, because I don't want to spend any more money on these damn brakes.
- Jake B., cincinnati, OH, US