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.
8.1
pretty bad
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
4,667 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.
My 2007 Toyota 4-runner has a serious drive shaft jolt and clunk that occurs whenever coming to a complete stop causing the vehicle to lurch. The first occurrence was at approximately 8000 miles in my first year. Toyota has been informed of this several times and refuses to take action. Approximately 3 weeks ago, the vehicle did this on the freeway at highway speed of approximately 60 mph causing the vehicle to lunge in heavy traffic. Toyota was again notified of this and refused to take action. In viewing discussion boards online for 4th generation Toyota 4-runners (2003-2009), this is a widespread problem.
I have a 2007 4runner, limited, V8 with the clunk in the driveshaft that appeared about 5K miles and hasn't let up now at 16K miles. I pull up to a stop sign and it feels like I've been rear ended. Then, when I start out, it feels like the brake release is delayed with another clunk. This happens at every stop. If the brake is not pressed firmly when coming to a stop, the vehicle will lunge forward. I first reported this problem to Toyota at about 8,000 miles and they said that it was a lubrication and maintenance issue, stating that the propeller shaft was supposed to be lubed at every oil change. When I asked them to show me the maintenance plan in the manual, they admitted that this task was not listed in the maintenance plan for this frequency.
When driving in stop and go type traffic the transmission or drive line make a horrible clunk and will lurch the vehicle. Also the plastic around the gear shift area becomes very hot ~50C in an A/C cabin.
- Minneapolis, MN, USA
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A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Yucaipa, CA, USA