Frame is severely rusted and has holes started at 40k miles

- Sheboygan , WI, USA

Took 2004 Toyota 4Runner SR5 to Toyota dealership to be serviced. Dealership called me to explain unable to do alignment, due to rear back frame excessive rusted through. Dealership advised waste of money to align new tires just purchased, unable to even do alignment and it was dangerous. Now what is to be done? This is my daily driver for work. How did this happen that its unsafe and dangerous to drive.

- Harris, MO, USA

Excessive frame rusting. There are holes in the frame from rusting. At this point in time there isn-??t anything I can do about the issues. Frame is unrepairable.

- Ada, MI, USA

Entire frame of the vehicle is rotten with rust and holes. This vehicle has been inspected by McDaniel Toyota, Marion, OH 43302 and the damage was confirmed. I have been and must continue to drive this vehicle even though the dealership did not recommend it. No evidence of the extent of the rust and damage was not noticed until October 2023 when a strap on the gas tank came loose. Upon further inspection, he noticed the holes and rust all over the frame. Reported to Toyota because other 2004 Models were recalled for this issue. They were of no assistance.

- Morral, OH, USA

Frame of this vehicle completely rusted through. Holes on passenger side right where the front door ends. Hole is approx 12" long. Frame also has a hole in the left front core support. Advised that the vehicle is no longer safe to drive by my Toyota Dealer and personal mechanic.. There were no indications of this until a few weeks ago when the gas tank strap had come off and the gas tank was leaning. When inspected, it was found the frame was in disrepair.

- Morral, OH, USA

Purchased 4 runner from a Toyota dealer in 2018 with 130k miles. During routine maintenance in 2021 with 160k. The frame was found to have several holes and wide spread corrosion. It is absurd that Toyotas was let off the hook for frame replacements. I bought this truck from the dealer and it had structural frame issues that were not disclosed at the time of sale. Frames don-??t just fall apart apart in 4 years from normal driving. Clearly Toyota is ignoring the manufacturing deficits in there frames and still re-selling these as road worthy cars. It-??s absurd that Toyota was not required to replace these and not recall has been issued. People should not be able to buy/sell one off these vehicles they are not safe due to the frames rusting from the inside-out. They need to be recalled and removed from service.

- Oakdale , CT, USA

I have. Toyota 4Runner the frame is very rusty I ask the. Dealer few times for recall and he said no. Recall. It is very dangerous to drive. The buddy is very nice just the frame is very rusty. Want ca I do need help

- Nanuet , NY, USA

Frame rusted through on left rear of vehicle were suspension parts are attached.

- Racine, WI, USA

Frame is falling apart rusted right out unsafe to drive a truck I'm making payments on.

- White Cloud, MI, USA

The frame is damaged from excessive corrosion. The rear cross member that supports the trailer hitch and rear bumper is almost non-existent, which could result in the loss of the trailer being towed, and it will reduce the truck's rear impact resistance. The front right lower control arm has a 2'" x 3/8" lateral hole from corrosion, which could result in a catastrophic failure of the right front suspension system. The longitudinal frame members are compromised by corrosion which has penetrated through the steel in various locations. The front cross-frame member that supports the radiator is severely corroded. The frame to body mounts are showing signs of excessive corrosion which could result in the separation of the the body from the frame in an accident.

- Cape Coral, FL, USA

The contact owns a 2004 Toyota 4Runner. The contact stated that he noticed that the tow hitch had separated from the frame and was laying on the ground. The contact stated upon inspecting the subframe of the vehicle, he noticed that the subframe to which the radiator mount was attached was severely corroded. The contact stated that upon changing the oil in the vehicle he noticed that the front passenger-??s side subframe had a significant size hole. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and provided case numbers to the contact. The failure mileage was approximately 224,000. The contact stated that their vehicle is not a part of the recall that affects other Toyota models although other 4Runners have experienced similar issues. It was recommended to the contact to sell or trade-in their vehicle. No repairs were made.

- South Rockwood, MI, USA

We took our 2004 4Runner for annual vehicle inspection and the service provider told us the vehicle would not pass safety inspection due to the excessive rusting on the steel frame and the suspension of the vehicle. Welding and patchwork will not fix this issue. My husband depends on this vehicle to work. The attached pictures give a small window into the extent of the damage. There is no current recall for this vehicle and year, but similar Toyota trucks from the same time frame have been recalled for the same exact issue. The entire frame needs to be replaced or worst case scenario, the vehicle is no longer usable. Toyota needs to remedy this issue for their loyal customers immediately.

- Souderton, PA, USA

Complete frame rust-out. Suspension at rear axle disintegrated. Vehicle undriveable. My son had just taken the vehicle (moving his belongings) from Minnesota to the East Coast and back. No problems or issues. After returning, while driving the vehicle I had a hard braking event which is when I noticed something was drastically wrong. This frame failure really snuck up on us. We were lucky, no accident or incidents occurred.

- Stacy, MN, USA

I bought my 2004 Toyota 4runner Sport edition as a new car, and have been the sole owner of the vehicle. I have taken good care of it the entire time. Regular car washes, service maintenance and necessary repairs over time. I recently had my 4runner in for repairs and spent a considerable amount of money, over $6,000 in anticipation of driving it for many more years. Following the repairs I was told by the mechanic that the frame was EXTREMELY rusted and that the entire frame would need to be replaced. There are large holes rusted through in many areas of the frame and a tremendous amount of rust over the entire frame. Rusted Pieces of the frame have fallen off. I fear for the safety of my family and me if I were to drive the vehicle at all. I have barely driven it since learning of the dangerous condition of the frame. I've limited any driving at all to my immediate area, and have driven very carefully and slowly, as I am extremely concerned that there might be a catastrophic failure of the frame while driving and I may be injured or killed, or worse....the vehicle might cause harm or death to another person. I am now basically without a vehicle and have been forced to rely on my daughter's car, leaving the family with only one vehicle. This is a major failure of the vehicle. I can provide photos and video at your request. Toyota must be held accountable for the failure of this frame. The vehicle is now useless. I expect Toyota to rectify this situation immediately. Please contact me as soon as possible. Thank you. [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Newton, NJ, USA

vehicle failed inspection due to hole in frame-- 08/14/20-- had to cover repairs--under body has severe frame damage from rust--toyota recalled and replaced truck frames from bad steel on 2004 tacomas but not to the 2004 4runners

- Selinsgrove, PA, USA

My Car was inspected by a Virginia Inspection Station and was cited for significant rust holes in the frame which have to be repaired. The frame should not have such significant rust that it needs to be fixed or it will be a hazard on the road. Based on other litigation around Toyota fames from this period of time is seems that this is a systemic issue and should be made to provide a recall based on the safety risk that is present with a frame failure as noted in previous class-action lawsuits. The Brian Warner et al. v. Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc., Class Action Settlement (UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE CENTRAL DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA Case No. 2:15-cv-02171-FMO-FFM) is a perfect example of the risk to the public if this is not corrected.

- Purcellville, VA, USA

The entire frame is rusted. It's been welded back together on 2 different occasions. The last time it happened I was pulling out of driveway and the vehicle cannot be steered at all. I live in east TN and should not have a rusted frame. This is not an isolated problem. This is a problem with the 4runners and should be recalled. There are literally 1,000's of 4runners with Rusty frames. I don't understand why this isn't being recalled. You can reach me at [XXX] or [XXX]. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Mascot, TN, USA

My 4 runner only has 147,000 miles and is a great running vehicle but my frame is rotted badly. I have large holes throughout, the front crossmember under radiator with tow hooks has completely rusted off, and now I found where my rear lower drag link bolts to frame is about to come off. I have had to repair rusty brake lines multiple times. My rear axle carrier just sheds large flakes of rust. I love this truck but now it is almost too dangerous to drive and with all the inflation lately I cannot afford another vehicle.

- Kernersville, NC, USA

2004 Toyota 4Runner, original owner with roughly 210K miles. We took the vehicle to the mechanic concerning a sway bar issue. He informed us that the frame of the vehicle was nearly rusted into and that it's serious safety issue to continue to drive it. It is my understanding the Toyota recalled several other models with this same issue but did not include the 4Runner in this recall.

- Larwill, IN, USA

The frame is rusted completely throughout. VERY DANGEROUS!

- Piedmont, SC, USA