Toyota 4Runner Complaints

174 consumer complaints on file.

#11737053May 11, 2026
ENGINE, POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2025 Toyota 4Runner. The vehicle lost motive power while attempting to access the freeway on three occasions. The reduced power mode message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, and initially they were unable to determine the failure. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer again, where it was diagnosed that the sensor needed to be cleaned. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure persisted. The manufacturer was contacted, and a case was open. The failure mileage was approximately 11,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11732471April 20, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I am reporting a suspected manufacturing defect involving the exterior paint on my 6th generation Toyota 4Runner. The paint appears to be abnormally thin and is showing premature wear, including chipping and surface irregularities, under normal driving conditions. This vehicle has not been subjected to any abnormal environmental exposure, misuse, or neglect. The condition developed much earlier than expected for a new vehicle and raises concerns about inadequate paint application or quality control during manufacturing. While this issue is cosmetic in nature, it may lead to long-term structural concerns such as corrosion if the underlying metal becomes exposed. Additionally, this concern appears to be reported by multiple owners of the same generation vehicle, suggesting a potential pattern rather than an isolated case. I am requesting that this issue be documented and reviewed for possible investigation if additional complaints are received.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11731554April 16, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Driving 70 mph on a cloudy 73° day around 6:30 pm no cars immediately around me on I45. I heard a loud gunshot to the point I ducked in my car. Immediately pulled over walked around the car. My Sunroof exploded upwards. Took to Longo Toyota on Monday at 7am. Upon arrival they thought it would be covered under warranty. They brought in a specialist to evaluate and they can’t prove it but something must have hit it and they are denying warranty. The glass moved upward and was shattered but intact upon initial inspection. Upon online review this is a known problem w Toyota but one that needs to be addressed in a bigger scale as this could have caused an accident just from the sound alone or if the sunroof cover had been open glass raining down on passengers and driver.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11729314April 5, 2026
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
The Toyota 4Runner (5th and 6th Generations) lacks a dedicated 'Approach Lighting' function, creating a critical personal safety and trip-and-fall hazard during nighttime entry. Users are forced to navigate the vehicle's perimeter in total darkness, increasing the risk of injury from unseen obstacles or security threats. I am requesting an investigation into this lighting logic omission and a remedy via a software update to the Lighting Control Module to ensure owner safety for all generations of the 4Runner platform.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11727350March 26, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Vehicle: 2025 Toyota 4Runner Summary of Issue: The rear tailgate cannot be opened if the rear window is even slightly lowered. This appears to be an intentional design feature; however, it creates a real-world safety concern. Description of Safety Concern: In normal daily use, I needed to quickly access the rear cargo area (to retrieve my child’s belongings) while parked with the vehicle turned off. The rear window was partially lowered, which prevented the tailgate from opening entirely. This resulted in a delay while I attempted to determine why the tailgate would not open and then had to return to the driver’s seat to raise the rear window before accessing the cargo area. During this time, my child was left standing in a parking lot longer than necessary. While the vehicle was stationary, the inability to quickly access the rear compartment created an avoidable safety exposure. Why This Is a Concern: The system does not account for vehicle state (e.g., parked, engine off, zero speed). A more appropriate design would allow the tailgate to open when the vehicle is stationary or automatically raise the rear window when the tailgate is activated. Instead, the current behavior enforces a strict lockout regardless of context, which can delay access in situations where timely access is important for safety. Requested Action: I request that this behavior be reviewed for potential safety implications and that consideration be given to a software update or design change that allows tailgate operation when the vehicle is stationary, or provides an automatic window-close function when opening the tailgate. Additional Notes: This behavior may be present across multiple model years and could affect a large number of vehicles.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11725268March 18, 2026
SUSPENSION
I felt an unnatural vibration and roll to one side of the vehicle when slowing around a curve on the highway which affected my ability to control the vehicle as expected, so I took it to a mechanic specializing in Toyota. The XREAS suspension system has already failed at 36,000 miles and Toyota is refusing to assist since this is out of warranty. However, this is a known issue that you can see many many people are affected by with a quick internet search, and multiple Toyota certified mechanics can confirm this is an issue they see an inordinate amount of failures on. This is a very well publicly documented issue with the XREAS suspension. The XREAS has suffered from early failure for years and Toyota has not and is not addressing it, these vehicles should all be recalled and repaired as they are a danger to the public having cars with non-functional and unsafe suspensions, a critical system for safety in any automobile. Not only are the owners of these vehicles affected, the general public is being put at risk by drivers unknowingly commuting without fully functional suspensions or even being unaware their vehicle may not even pass a basic safety inspection. These are not parts any consumer should or could reasonably expect to fail so early, this is recall worthy based on the danger to public but Toyota clearly will have to be forced to do so. At the very least Toyota should be telling people to lookout for this, it is a safety issue they are trying to avoid. I will replace my own soonest possible because I want to be responsible, unfortunately Toyota is not sharing that want and is instead leaving American citizens at risk of injury and death by knowingly producing and shipping faulty suspensions on one of their best selling vehicles.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11725125March 18, 2026
SERVICE BRAKES
Brakes squeak/squeal very loudly and often, no matter if it’s cold, rainy, hot or humid. It was only squeaking/squealing when applying the brakes while backing up but now starting to squeak/squeal when applying the brakes while moving forward. Seems to be getting worse. Spoke to the dealer and they say there’s nothing they can do until Toyota comes up with a fix.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11722616March 6, 2026
SERVICE BRAKES
Today while I was driving home from work, in a snow storm, suddenly a low braking power notification and ABS malfunction popped up on my console with loud beeping and my brakes completely stopped working. In order to avoid hitting the car in front of me I had to swerve to the shoulder and come to a stop.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11722547March 6, 2026
STEERING
While going around turns (left or right) over 30mph the vehicle has knocking that can be felt coming through the steering wheel. This is not the driver assist feedback. If the turn are longer (like highway on ramp) you can hear a slight clunk associated with the knocking that is felt.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11722512March 6, 2026
POWER TRAIN, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
At approximately 520 miles, while performing a low speed left hand turn, the vehicle experienced a sudden mechanical "thunk" in the drivetrain followed by an immediate loss of motive power (Limp Mode) in my new 2026 Toyota 4Runner TRD Pro. The engine revved significantly, but the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended, creating a hazardous situation in the intersection of oncoming traffic. A diagnostic health check at an authorized dealer confirmed stored DTC fault codes P281671 and P08BA71, indicating that Pressure Control Solenoids Actuators "H" and "L" were in a "stuck" state. The vehicle's Freeze Frame Data recorded a catastrophic internal transmission slip, showing an engine speed of 1767 RPM while the vehicle was moving at only 4 MPH in 2nd gear. There are no previous warning signs or symptoms of this problem before the transmission failure. It was sudden and unexpected. The manufacturer’s technical service protocols (such as T-SB-0094-24/T-SB-0076-24) for these specific solenoid codes on this specific 8-speed hybrid transmission (L580F) – which is equipped on my vehicle – identify this as an internal mechanical actuator failure requiring full transmission, torque converter, and hybrid module replacement. However, the manufacturer has denied the repair because the vehicle’s specific VIN is not yet listed on a service bulletin and that they could not reproduce it in a short test drive. The manufacturer’s official recommendation is to continue operating the vehicle with a documented and non-repaired powertrain defect until a second failure occurs in traffic. I am reporting this as a significant safety risk, as a recurring loss of motive power during critical driving maneuvers puts myself and other motorists in danger. The vehicle and its stored diagnostic data are available for inspection.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11721837March 3, 2026
STEERING
I was driving the vehicle and suddenly the steering wheel started to getting hard to turn it and the dash board doesn’t show any failure I went right away to dealership close by they inspected the vehicle they states there is a power steering failure but the car never showed any failure on dashboard or safety system
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11721343March 2, 2026
SERVICE BRAKES
The brake system emits a high-pitched noise, which seems to be worn down to the discs when used in drive mode and reverse mode. At any moment, they could stop working or cause an accident. The problem was reported to the dealership on October 28, 2025, when the vehicle had only 3,171 miles. The vehicle is still under warranty. It has been inspected by the dealership. To date, it has not been repaired. The dealership reports that this problem has occurred in most of these vehicles. There were no warning lights or warning messages. The situation first occurred when the vehicle had approximately 3,100 miles and was reported to the dealership at 3,171 miles.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11721264March 1, 2026
SERVICE BRAKES
Brakes screech every time I back up. Brake pads have been replaced twice and issue is still unresolved. Just had pads replaced again a few weeks ago (they claimed they have new pads) and issue is ongoing
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11721093February 28, 2026
VISIBILITY/WIPER
With the slanted windshield and location of the rearview mirror creates a blind spot when looking to the upper right. Both my husband and I have trouble seeing.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11720053February 24, 2026
STEERING
Steering shake at 55mph, seems to go away after tires have warmed up. Tried road force balance with no help.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11719546February 21, 2026
SERVICE BRAKES
My 2025 Toyota 4Runners brakes have a very high pitched squeal. This is most noticeable when backing up but sometimes when applying the brakes going forward, especially in wet conditions. I feel the brakes may fail at some point causing an accident. Twice I’ve had other vehicles slam their brakes on or attempt evasive action thinking I was going to hit them because the noise was so loud they heard it inside their vehicle. This did happen in a parking lot and not on the road. It is my understanding Toyota had a service bulletin to fix the issue under T-SB-0046-25 which was issued in July 2025, however to date, Toyota has not repaired my vehicle. It is my understanding that some vehicles were repaired under the bulletin but the fix did not correct the problem. I was told by my local Toyota dealer this week that Toyota told them to stop all repairs because the TSB was not correcting the issue and they were waiting for Toyota engineers to find a new solution. Request your assistance in getting Toyota to repair all the vehicles affected by this problem before a serious accident occurs because of brake failure or another driver taking evasive action when they hear this noise.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11716332February 6, 2026
VISIBILITY/WIPER, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Windshield cracked approximately 2” from the bottom all the way across while using the defroster to clear ice from it. I was still parked at the time. I am unsure how long it will stay water tight or become worse. One concern is the crash avoidance and the automatic high beam sensor are both attached to the windshield and don’t want them to fail. I also don’t want the entire piece of glass to shatter and land in my lap while driving. The dealer refused honoring the repair under warranty. They only use one particular repair shop (which I suspect they own) and even quoted me a price for replacing the ruined glass. In addition to paying for that I would need to pay the dealer to recalibrate the crash avoidance and headlight sensor. I have yet to report the damage to my insurance. As of yet there are no warning lights showing.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11715551February 4, 2026
SEAT BELTS
The contact owned a 2023 Toyota 4Runner. The contact stated that while her father was driving under 30 MPH on a side road, the driver swerved to miss a deer. The vehicle drove off a hill, rolled over and landed on its top, and all the seat belts simultaneously unbuckled, causing all the passengers to hit their heads against the roof simultaneously. Additionally, the contact noticed an abnormal fuel odor. The contact stated that she was unable to exit the vehicle. The contact's brother assisted the contact in exiting the vehicle, and all passengers were able to exit the vehicle. The vehicle then caught on fire. The fire department arrived at the scene, but it was unknown whether the fire was extinguished by the fire department. The origin of the fire was unknown. A police report was filed. It was unknown whether the air bags deployed. The vehicle was towed and deemed a total loss. The contact sustained neck and back pain, bruises and headaches. The contact stated that the headaches could be due to an impact on the brain cyst in the back of the contact's head. The contact's son sustained neck pain, back pain and bruises. The contact's brother and father sustained unknown injuries. All the passengers went to the hospital the following day and were still receiving medical assistance. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 10,000.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
4
Deaths:
0
#11715365February 3, 2026
POWER TRAIN, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
The car has the iforce max powertrain. At low speeds or in stop and go traffic, when the car has come to a stop, the car will lurch forward, which could potentially cause an accident. I took car to dealership and they said this is normal operation of the hybrid system and there is no fix. This is a huge safety issue if the car pushes itself forward and potentially causing an accident. The transmission system is very unrefined.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11714444January 30, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
the rear manual tailgate has opened 3 times while the vehicle was at highway speeds and the doors would be locked. the latest incident happened on 1-30-26, at highway speed (70mph) the tailgate opened completely without warning. the indicator on the dash did light up and an alarm did sound. I had been on the road approximately 10 miles without incident before that. this was the third time this happened, although the first two the door did not completely open, only became unlatched but stayed shut. all three times were mornings that were extremely cold. (below -1 F) each time i made sure there was no ice or snow or other object in the way of securely closing the tailgate. even if there were, the door would not be closed from the onset and the dash warning should have indicated the door was not completely latched.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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