2004 TOYOTA 4RUNNER Recalls, Complaints & Safety

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Response: Frame, Suspension, Airbags / Yes it is available for inspection. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Response: Safety was put at risk due to frame & suspension failure due to severe rust. Also due to failure of deployment of AirBags. Rusted Frame Failure subsequently caused safety of Injured Party and other motorists to be at risk due to the Injured Party’s 4Runner to dart across oncoming lane of traffic with no warning other than a swaying motion felt immediately before losing control. Once the Injured Party lost control of the 4Runner it crossed into oncoming traffic, progressing into the drainage ditch on the oncoming traffic side of highway. Once the 4Runner impacted the drainage ditch at a 90° angle, the 4Runners momentum dispersed by causing the 4Runner to overturn 3 times landing on its wheels in the adjoining field. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Repaonse: Independent Service Center has confirmed the problem with the Rusted Frame, Rusted Suspension, and Air Bag failure. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? Response : Yes Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? Repaint: No warning lamps prior to failure. Symptoms indicative of failure were an unknown minor swaying sensation while driving. Injured party was under the impression that there may have been a tire low on air, which was discovered to be incorrect later.

Crash 1 injured

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Response: Frame, Suspension, Airbags / Yes it is available for inspection. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Response: Safety was put at risk due to frame & suspension failure due to severe rust. Also due to failure of deployment of AirBags. Rusted Frame Failure subsequently caused safety of Injured Party and other motorists to be at risk due to the Injured Party’s 4Runner to dart across oncoming lane of traffic with no warning other than a swaying motion felt immediately before losing control. Once the Injured Party lost control of the 4Runner it crossed into oncoming traffic, progressing into the drainage ditch on the oncoming traffic side of highway. Once the 4Runner impacted the drainage ditch at a 90° angle, the 4Runners momentum dispersed by causing the 4Runner to overturn 3 times landing on its wheels in the adjoining field. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Repaonse: Independent Service Center has confirmed the problem with the Rusted Frame, Rusted Suspension, and Air Bag failure. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? Response : Yes Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? Repaint: No warning lamps prior to failure. Symptoms indicative of failure were an unknown minor swaying sensation while driving. Injured party was under the impression that there may have been a tire low on air, which was discovered to be incorrect later.

Crash 1 injured

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Response: Frame, Suspension, Airbags / Yes it is available for inspection. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Response: Safety was put at risk due to frame & suspension failure due to severe rust. Also due to failure of deployment of AirBags. Rusted Frame Failure subsequently caused safety of Injured Party and other motorists to be at risk due to the Injured Party’s 4Runner to dart across oncoming lane of traffic with no warning other than a swaying motion felt immediately before losing control. Once the Injured Party lost control of the 4Runner it crossed into oncoming traffic, progressing into the drainage ditch on the oncoming traffic side of highway. Once the 4Runner impacted the drainage ditch at a 90° angle, the 4Runners momentum dispersed by causing the 4Runner to overturn 3 times landing on its wheels in the adjoining field. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Repaonse: Independent Service Center has confirmed the problem with the Rusted Frame, Rusted Suspension, and Air Bag failure. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? Response : Yes Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? Repaint: No warning lamps prior to failure. Symptoms indicative of failure were an unknown minor swaying sensation while driving. Injured party was under the impression that there may have been a tire low on air, which was discovered to be incorrect later.

Crash 1 injured

The body frame on this vehicle is almost completely rushed out. I don’t know what to do. If I should have the frame replaced I know there’s been a couple recalls on similar Toyota models.

The contact owns a 2004 Toyota 4Runner. The contact stated that while the vehicle was in for service, the independent mechanic discovered rust on the front driver's side subframe. Additionally, the subframe had developed holes due to rust. The cause of the failures was not yet determined, and the vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 120,000.

The contact owns a 2004 Toyota 4-Runner. The contact stated that the frame was severely rusted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or a dealer. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 108,000.

2004 Toyota 4Runner SR5 - Frame rust: currently not drivable due to complete breakage from the rust. Driving 2 hours home on the highway I almost lost control, pressing/releasing the brake and/or gas pulls the steering side to side and sways the truck (fish tail) due to damage from the frame rust/breaking. There is no control of the rear end. Truck was in great condition prior to the frame snapping. Vehicle has been inspected by multiple mechanics (including Firestone, Welding/fabricating Auto Repair shops and small owned mechanic shops), possibly won’t be able to weld due to the amount of rust. Firestone won’t perform any service if the vehicle needs to go in the air (tires, oil..etc) due to frame rust. This has been a huge problem with Toyota, they addressed other models around the same year but excluded the 4Runner for unknown reasons. The dealership will not address the issue unless instructed by corporate. This problem jeopardized my safety and the safety of others around while I was driving at highway speeds, there was no warning when it occurred. Vehicle is available for inspection any time, as it currently is not going anywhere without a tow.

Rusting frame, no specific incident date. Used today’s date.

Frame rust. Huge problems on the 4th gen 4runners. Can't believe there's not a recall on this issue.

Excessive frame and suspension corrosion that could lead to serious accidents if not repaired at a very high cost for myself

The undercarriage is full of rust that the repair shop will not test drive or fix due to the issue. No warnings.

Extensive frame rust to the point of structural failure. Cannot support weight or force.

Rusty frame undercarriage. It’s not going to get any better due to the fact I have to drive on hwy 80 with all the construction, that’s a hazard itself, potholes everywhere that puts stress on your frame and the salt every winter.

Underbody of vehicle is rusting away from vehicle body, I was made aware of situation at a service appointment in April of 2022, no vehicle collision or wreck has happened because of it yet,

UNKNOWN: Excessive frame rust. frame is excessively rusting to the point where the brakes and suspensions is connected to the frame has been compromised. brake lines rusted to the point of failure, thus almost causing a wreck. Vehicle is now parked due to safety concerns involving the excessive rusting that is happening to the frame and any components that is attached to the frame.

Undercarriage frame rusted to the point where structural rust was formed in various places This rust has made a whole and cracks to the frame causing my vehicle to become a safety hazard on the road

I recently bought a 2004 Toyota 4 Runner and the frame of the vehicle has significant corrosion to the extent of holes, weld failures and more. I've never seen frame rust so bad on a vehicle like this. I'm a little uneasy about the safety of this situation. I think Toyota should replace the frame or give a good discount on the part and labor. I hope someone can help me out with this concern.

Cars frame is rotting out to the point it is not safe to drive. I was told being in a collision could cause catastrophic failure and the car is just turning 20 years old with 125,000 miles. Can’t get my money back and the car is otherwise is excellent condition.

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

Something is causing the straps to fray I was informed this is a a problem, checked my seat and sure enough my straps are fraying. Evenflo says it’s my fault.

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.

The rear tailgate window shattered while vehicle was in driveway as soon as it was turned off. Before it shattered there was an odor of something like plastic burning. Fortunately no one was hurt by the exploding bits of glass. The sound the breaking glass make was loud and startled the passengers. Good thing the vehicle was not in motion on the street or highway. On the internet I saw where other people shared the same problem on their Toyota 4Runner. Then I saw that Toyota had put out, TSB-0189-17, which stated exactly what happened to my 4Runner. Due to this possibly dangerous incident this should be upgraded to a vehicle safety recall.

2004 4Runner rear hatch glass imploded with rear defroster on while driving and glass shattered all inside the vehicle in the back behind rear passenger seat. The loud sound when it imploded sounded like we had got shot at and scared all four of us in the vehicle thinking we were shot at. We pulled the vehicle over at the nearest pull over while driving on a coastal two lane road. We searched for any possible bullets. Did not find any and had to clean up as much possible of shattered glass that had covered all of our clothing and belongings. Had no materials to cover the rear broken window and had to continue our drive to meet family members to attend an early event at 9:00 am.

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.

Unknown: we were on [XXX] when the car went out of control. It first spun one way and then the other way and then we hit the concrete abutment where the guardrail connects to it. We hit it head on. It was as if we were on ice or oil, unable to gain control or brake. We checked the road and it was dry. Other cars were going by with no problem. The airbags didn’t deploy. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Crash

Unknown: we were on [XXX] when the car went out of control. It first spun one way and then the other way and then we hit the concrete abutment where the guardrail connects to it. We hit it head on. It was as if we were on ice or oil, unable to gain control or brake. We checked the road and it was dry. Other cars were going by with no problem. The airbags didn’t deploy. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Crash

Unknown: we were on [XXX] when the car went out of control. It first spun one way and then the other way and then we hit the concrete abutment where the guardrail connects to it. We hit it head on. It was as if we were on ice or oil, unable to gain control or brake. We checked the road and it was dry. Other cars were going by with no problem. The airbags didn’t deploy. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Crash

I have taken my car to Mountain states Toyota as well as corwin toyota for a tripped light it has to do with vehicle stability system it trips leaving the vehicle stability option not usable. I have told both dealers not to just reset the code however this is what’s happening and they don’t seem to know why it’s doing this. we have repaired the knock sensors and speed sensors. It feels unsafe driving when this trips when road conditions call for all wheel drive. the technician can’t figure it out why. their only solution is to keep resetting. This is not the option I want I need it repaired and they don’t seem to want to do it or figure out and give us options on repair.

I own a 2004 Toyota 4runner Sport Edition that suffers from frame rust issues. Mine isn't as bad as I've seen in person while working at a Toyota dealership as a tech or on the forums but from my experience in assisting in replacing frames at the dealership I know that my frame won't last very long. When I bought it from the original owner it had around 86,XXX miles on it and the typical spot in the from was rusted out. I choose to purchase it because it was the best example I could find, others having worse rust. I quickly discovered a weak spot which became a hole when trying to jack it up to do work along with chunks of rust that came off the rear end of the frame and all over. The weak spot that ended up being a hole seems to be caused by the AC drain location and how it drips right onto the frame which has an opening right by where it drips. I believe the drips went into the frame through the factory hole and lead to the weak spot and hole in my frame. I am not the only one who has experienced this issue. In fact on a Toyota 4runner forum there is threads on people extending the drain to prevent the same thing from happening to theirs or from getting worse. As a former Toyota tech who has seen how bad the frames that came in under recall and 4runner frames were first hand I cant believe that a the 4runner frames weren't included in the recalls. I've seen countless threads/reviews/complaints of severe rust causing accidents from suspension components. Toyota should be held accountable for the rust issues ont he 4runners just like the other vehicles. My 4runner now has 113,xxx on it and it will rust out long before the drivetrain gives out no matter what I try to do. My only option is to fix it using safe t caps when the time comes who makes frame fixes for Tacomas, Tundras, FJ crusier and of course the 4runner. They produce them for these vehicles because the frames rust out pre maturely. The rusty 4runner frames are a safety issue and should be addressed.

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.

Rusted frame

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.

The contact owns a 2004 Toyota 4Runner. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the ABS and the brake warning lights illuminated. Additionally, there was an abnormal humming sound coming from the dash. The contact stated while approaching another vehicle, he depressed the brake pedal, but the vehicle failed to respond, nearly causing a crash into another vehicle. The contact immediately shifted into neutral(N) and veered to the side of the road while continuously depressing the brake pedal, and the vehicle stopped. The contact was able to continue driving. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the ABS pump had failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 350,325.

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.