Toyota 4Runner Complaints

174 consumer complaints on file.

#11561189December 20, 2023
SERVICE BRAKES
Vehicle brakes normally initially at stop lights but then the brakes are unable to hold the vehicle stationary. Brake pedal slowly goes to the floor and vehicle creeps forward into traffic. No warning lights. No brake fluid leaks at wheels. Full brake fluid reservoir.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11556361November 21, 2023
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
While driving the 4Runner on a clear road with no vehicles in close proximity, I heard a loud explosion like noise. I looked around and didn’t see any damage, I didn’t strike anything , nothing hit me. As I continued driving I could hear glass noise above and realized it could have been the sunroof. I pulled over and pulled back the sunroof cover and confirmed that the glass was broken. Luckily my 6 month old baby was not in the vehicle and the sunroof was closed and covered so no glass made its way into the car but I would consider this a high risk near miss. Once I got home I inspected the damage further and noticed that the glass broke upwards. I made an appointment with the dealership that I purchased 4Runner from (Victory Toyota in Canton, MI) and explained to them what happened. The dealership was initially adamant that something must have struck the sunroof but I explained that this scenario is improbably given the height of the vehicle and the amount of force needed to cause such a large hole, additionally the glass broke upward and you can see that in the photos attached. Once at the dealership they confirmed that the glass was raised up. Vehicle is now being repaired. I’ll add that I found a NHTSA investigation report for Kia but there was no resolution noted. As an engineer i believe this is a design and/or assembly issue associated with the clearances in the glass sunroof assembly. Too tight tolerances would create additional stress on the glass, thermal cycling of the glass further aggrevates until glass ultimately fails. Very scary situation and I hope NHTSA starts taking these complaints seriously.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11555592November 17, 2023
TIRES
The contact owns a 2023 Toyota 4Runner equipped with Nitto Tires, Tire Line: Ridge Grappler, Tire Size: 265/70/R17, DOT Number: 737079K4222. The contact stated while driving 58 MPH, the steering wheel was vibrating. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was determined that the tires had caused the steering wheel to vibrate. The dealer referred the contact to the tire manufacturer. The vehicle was not repaired. The tire manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The vehicle manufacturer was also made aware of the failure and advised the contact to take the vehicle back to the dealer for assistance from the Service Manager. The failure mileage was approximately 3.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11553600November 4, 2023
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
My brand new 2023 Toyota 4Runner has terrible head lights. I see I am not the first person to post this very same complaint either. These headlights NEED to be recalled and replaced by Toyota. I will do my best to describe this, but when driving in the dark there is large shadow cast on the left side of the throw of the lights. It is far in front of the car, just before the light tapers off into darkness. But it's not just that the headlights are uneven, I have light that surrounds the dark spot. So it's like I'm constantly chasing an animal. The 4Runner has a soft suspension, so every small bump in the road makes the shadow dance and it is incredibly distracting. It's all I look at. When I turn it looks like something is running across the road. This is a dangerous design. I live in Illinois and I drive to and from work in the dark 5 months out of the year. Everybody on the internet says it's for the safety of oncoming drivers. The shadow is nowhere near where somebody would be sitting in an oncoming driver seat. This problem is all over the internet. Why has nothing been done about it? The Toyota dealer told me it's be design, and so did the service manager. Toyota corporate referred me to the customer relations lead back at the dealer, who sent me back to corporate, who sent me to a senior advisor at corporate, who told me they have to respect what the dealer says. Round and round we go. I inquired if my dealer can take apart my headlights and remove the piece that casts the shadow out on the road. I bet you know the answer to that one. Never once have I seen this in any vehicle driven by myself, family or friends. Anybody I have had in the car has mentioned how distracting it is. These lights need an immediate recall and replacement. Thank you.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11552450October 29, 2023
SUSPENSION, STEERING
Around 50-55mph, shake can be felt in the steering wheel. Possible needle bearing? Common complaint yet Toyota states it is operating "normal". Steering wheel shake is not normal. This has occurred since I purchased the vehicle.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11551453October 23, 2023
SERVICE BRAKES
The contact owned a 2023 Toyota 4Runner. The contact stated that while the husband was driving approximately 35 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed but the pedal became stiff and did not slow down as intended. As a result, the contact collided with two vehicles. The air bags deployed. The driver sustained shoulder, back, and forearm injuries. Medical attention was needed. The contact stated that the two other vehicles involved needed medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was taken to a wrecking lot. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 9,000.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11551400October 23, 2023
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Regarding jack components included with the vehicle. An unknown person, let the air out of one of my tires as an act of vandalism, harassment, or, possibly as a set up for a crime, as is common in California. I attempted to lower my spare tire so that I could put it on and address the tire that has been deflated at another location. The equipment supplied to access the pulley that drops the tire was unusable. The pieces look to be powder coated in a brown color and have combination screw or socket heads on them. There are two of these screws needed to put three pieces together, in order to access , the chain driven pulley to access my spare tire. These screws were apparently powder coated together making it impossible to loosen so that these pieces could be put together to do its function, I have sent come home and, trying to use both the socket set, which does not work, because the powder coating changes the overall size of the screw head. I also tried a screwdriver. These lock screws are unmovable with reasonable and even slightly excessive force. I do need to access my spare tire, even though somebody did come along with an air pump to assist me on that one incident, I need assistance quickly. I do not trust Toyota to resolve my problem in an efficient and non-financially punishing way. This is a dangerous situation. Imagine somebody having a flat tire in the remote area or a dangerous area and needing to leave an area quickly. Toyota should replace all of these parts. I attempted to upload a file, but the form was not permitting me using Google Chrome on an Apple iPhone
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11549984October 14, 2023
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
While doing approximately 65 on clear, sunny, and dry conditions heading north bound on I-65 with no traffic my sunroof spontaneously exploded outwards with enough force to shake the whole cabin. Luckily my sunshade was closed so no shards entered the vehicle at that time. The remaining glass was convex, sticking outwards. The dealer’s service advisor told me he had 8 customers with this same issue in the last 2 weeks. Toyota needs to consider the frequency of these events and declare a manufacturing defect and / or issue a safety recall.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11546888September 27, 2023
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
The headlight pattern of the low beam lights has a large dark area at the 10 to 11 O'clock position that appears in the oncoming traffic lane when driving at night. This dark area is very distracting while driving at night. The area is approximately 1 to 2 meters in diameter when seen on the driving surface. It appears the headlights to not meet the photometric requirements for headlights. This pattern was first noticed when the vehicle was delivered by the dealer. I have contacted multiple dealers with no remedy. The dealer states that "pattern is by design."
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11542625September 5, 2023
SEAT BELTS
My daughter was seated on the passenger side rear of my vehicle. Her seatbelt was on correctly and we were slowing down to pull into the driveway. My daughter said her seatbelt was stuck and wouldn't loosen. She unbuckled the seatbelt and tried to loosen it and remove it from around her waist. She was stuck in the seatbelt, it would not loosen even the slightest bit. I called 911 and they sent the fire department out. They could not get it to loosen in any way and they had to cut my seatbelt to remove my child. My vehicle is a 2022 and I don't understand how this is a normal safety feature. My child was stuck in her seatbelt with no other way out than to cut the seat belt.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11541730August 30, 2023
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
When using the low beams, there is a distinctive shadow or blotch that is evident on the driver's side only in the 2023 4 Runner Limited. I understand from others that it is due to the LED anti glare technology mandated to be used by the government. This shadow or blotch is NOT visible when using the high beams. When using the low beams the shadow is ALWAYS in the periphery or in front of the driver....but it is there at ALL times. As a driver, my eyes are drawn to it, taking my eyes off of the traffic or road ahead. On several occasions I have thought that it was an animal or something. I have had passengers in my vehicle who immediately noticed the same thing and thought that it was a terrible design and would pose a safety hazard. This shadow is NOT visible on the passenger side. I have notified Toyota USA and have visited the dealership several times. I have had the headlamp replaced with no resolution, so I went back to have the headlight adjusted up and it is still there. I have been told by Toyota USA and dealership that this is a 'characteristic' of the vehicle and has been designed this way and they will not do anything to resolve this issue. I have done quite a bit of research and understand other Toyota owners are experiencing the same thing. Here are a few other websites where owners are complaining of the same thing: [XXX] and [XXX] and [XXX] ). I feel that this characteristic is a defect or flaw that poses a safety risk since the driver's eyes are drawn to this 'spot' while driving at night using the low beams. I did not experience this issue with my previous 2014 Toyota 4-Runner. I really appreciate someone looking into this as I am contemplating selling my brand new vehicle because of it. I have video as well. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11539318August 18, 2023
SUSPENSION, STEERING
Aggressive steering wheel vibration from 55-70 mph from the day I drove the vehicle off the lot. Ignoring the vibration, Toyota claims this 4runner is operating as it is manufactured to do so. This is causing unnecessary wear on the steering and/or suspension. Without a visual warning sign from the vehicle, this could cause catastrophic failure while driving, ultimately putting the driver and other drivers at risk while on the road. Additionally, the vehicle can be hard to control due to the vibration, which could cause excess swerving. Toyota claims it is the tires. Toyota issued me two different sets of tires and the issue persists. It is not the tires, it is a manufacturing defect that is a safety hazard and reduces the value of the vehicle.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11536974August 7, 2023
LANE DEPARTURE: BLIND SPOT DETECTION, LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
We were driving down the interstate, no other cars, trucks, etc anywhere near us, and the sunroof of our 2022 Toyota 4Runner spontaneously shattered. We were lucky that we had the shade closed on the sunroof when we experienced the gunshot like blast. We opened our sunroof shade and had glass fall down on us. We are so lucky that we had the shade closed and that there were no other cars near us, as this surely would have put lives at risk. We spoke to the Toyota dealership service manager where we bought the car the following day, which is about an hour from our house. He directed us to bring it in. When we arrived at the scheduled date/ timeframe, he informed us that it would take a day or so to do diagnostic tests- but he could not provide us with a car.(He knew that we were driving over an hour to bring it in.) We obviously could not get home without a car. They directed us to try going to a different dealer. We went to a Toyota dealer on the way home, 1/2 hour from our house. They did not want to deal with the car and said we need to take it back to the dealer we bought it from. He also stated that he'd never heard of this happening and that it must have been a rock, which is similar to what the first dealership said. I've read on-line now that our experience is not unique to us. We are confident that we did not have a chip or crack in our sunroof prior to this happening. This incident definitely puts people at risk.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11534127July 24, 2023
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I have had 3 cracks on my windshield in the 8 months of owning this car I was wondering if there is any structural recall to this vehicle
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11531153July 9, 2023
STEERING
I have a Toyota 4runner 2021. I'm actually presenting steering wheel shake and a feeling of unstable suspension issues in the front end during highway speeds more than 60 MPH. I when to the dealership and they align and balance the tires. But problem still happens. They said that not problem has been found when they verified the vehicle but they noticed the issue.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11527724June 19, 2023
AIR BAGS
I was slowing down with traffic going about 30mph and was rear ended by a small suv going about 50-60mph. I was then hit on the right side by car who was originally behind us. I was thrown forward and then to the left. The emergency assist call was activated but not one of the airbags went off. I ended up with back and neck pain and injury. My passengers all suffered whiplash and one hit her head on the dashboard causing a concussion.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
4
Deaths:
0
#11521332May 10, 2023
STEERING, SUSPENSION
I purchased the vehicle from a Dealer. During a test drive I noticed a shake in the steering wheel that represented a wheel balance issue. The dealership acknowledged that, according to their techs that it was a wheel issue. A new set of tires was ordered mounted and balanced. I have been dealing with the issue of sometimes excessive steering wheel shake and a feeling of unstable suspension issues in the front end during highway speeds of 60-70 MPH. In researching this model of Toyota it appears this is a well documented problem that has not been addressed by Toyota.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11519890May 1, 2023
SERVICE BRAKES
Suddenly had difficult time stopping the vehicle without "pumping" the brakes. Brake pedal went to the floor, and car would not hold stopped. There were no warning lamps during the 400 miles of driving from western NY to Michigan for a Holiday with family. Had this happened as I was waiting in line on the downhill side of the Blue Water Bridge in Michigan, it would have been quite difficult to keep in line, not touching the car in front of us. We felt lucky to have discovered the problem while going to run an errand later. We saw no external leaks to the brake system (no fluid leaking) while trying to investigate what could be happening. The problem was reported to me as a leak in the brake master cylinder which was replaced under warranty at a Toyota dealer in Grand Blanc MI. It took two weeks to get the vehicle repaired (which presented other challenges to us to deal with, as we were only visiting Michigan at the time). The vehicle had 12,600 miles on it at the time that the brakes stopped holding.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11519823May 1, 2023
STEERING, SUSPENSION
Yes vehicle is available for inspection upon request. Steering wheel/steering column/wheels tires/suspension/differential/drive shaft/: steering wheel shimmies, shakes, vibrates, wobbles and usually occurs at 55-68 MPH typically closer to the 62-64 MPH range and "pulls"/steers very hard to the right during this time. No warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure. This could possibly cause me or another driver to lose control of the vehicle and cause an accident that might hurt me or someone else. The vehicle has been inspected by the Toyota dealership more than 6 times in 6 months/6k miles. The problem has been confirmed by the dealer. Wheels and tires have been balanced and road force balanced several times. Alignment has been performed several times to varying degrees of castering and adjusting wheels all within manufactures specs. Correct tire pressure is used. Wheels and Tires were swapped with another set of wheels and tires from the same year, make, model, and tread depth and it did NOT fix the issue. No one can fix the shake and wobble in the steering wheel. I purchased this Certified Pre-owned vehicle with 11k miles on it and now has just over 20k miles. This has been a problem since approx. 12.5k miles. I took it to the dealership service dept for the first time around 14k miles. The dealership service department has opened 2 tech cases on this and I am set to meet with a Toyota Field Rep this week. My hope is that they can determine what defect is causing this to happen. There are NUMEROUS reports of this happening (just google "Toyota 4 runner shimmy in the steering wheel") and no one can fix it. Is it going to take someone getting hurt or dying for this issue to be resolved?
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11519178April 26, 2023
SERVICE BRAKES
Driving home today, I felt that the brake was not performing properly. When I would stop at stop signs, slow down for traffic, or stop at red lights, the brake pedal felt spongey and the vehicle would not come to a complete stop. As I would step on the brake pedal, the vehicle would slow down, but continue to roll, while the pedal would continue to go farther and farther down until I could not press it any farther. When I made it home, I parked it in the garage, and even with the vehicle turned off, the brake pedal goes all the way to the floor.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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