2003 TOYOTA 4RUNNER Complaints

THE ENTIRE FRAME IS RUSTED. THE FRONT SECTION HAS ROTTED THRU AND THE RIGHT SECTION HAS ROT THRU MORE THAN HALF WAY PASS THE MUFFLER AREA. ABOVE THE SPARE TIRE CARRAGE IS ROTTED AND THE TIRE CARRAGE IS SIEZED. I FOUND THIS WHILE JACKING UP THE TRUCK FOR AN OIL CHANGE AND HEAR THE FRAME CRUMBLE.

I OWN A 2003 TOYOTA 4RUNNER THAT I PURCHASED NEW. THE VEHICLE HAS ~129K MILES AND WAS GARAGED KEPT TO 11/2015. IT RECENTLY FAILED PA STATE INSPECTION DUE TO A RUST HOLE IN A FRAME RAIL. SINCE 11/2015, THE VEHICLE IS DRIVEN LESS THAN 5K MILES A YEAR. PRIOR TO THIS EVENT, I HAVE NEVER OWNED A VEHICLE THAT EXPERIENCED A RUST HOLE IN THE FRAME. I DID SOME RESEARCH AND FOUND THAT FRAME RUST IN 4TH GENERATION 4RUNNERS IS AN ISSUE. AFTER LOOKING AT THE HOLE AND THE AMOUNT OF RUST ON THE FRAME IT IS OBVIOUS TO ME THAT MORE RUST HOLES WILL OCCUR. TOYOTA CREATED THIS PROBLEM AND HAS A MORAL AND ETHICAL OBLIGATION TO THEIR CUSTOMERS TO MAKE IT RIGHT! TOYOTA NEEDS TO OWN THE PROBLEM, NOT THEIR CUSTOMER! I TRULY BELIEVE THAT THE NHTSA NEEDS TO ISSUE A RECALL BECAUSE IT IS A SAFETY RELATED ISSUE AFFECTING THE STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY OF THE VEHICLE.

THIS VEHICLE FAILED STATE SAFETY INSPECTION AT AN INDEPENDENT AUTO REPAIR CENTER DUE TO EXCESSIVE FRAME RUST. THEN HAD VEHICLE INSPECTED BY A LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER WHO INDICATED "NEEDS NEW FRAME - ALL ROTTED - THERE'S NO WHERE TO WELD." THE BODY OF THIS VEHICLE IS IN GREAT SHAPE BUT HAS BECOME A SAFETY HAZARD DUE TO FRAME RUST. THIS RUSTING ISSUE SEEMS VERY SIMILAR TO THAT OF THE TACOMA. TOYOTA ACKNOWLEDGES THE FRAME ISSUE ON THE TACOMA BUT HAS NOT DONE THE SAME FOR THE IDENTICAL PROBLEM WITH 4RUNNERS.

THE REAR AXLE ASSY MOUNT BRACKET RUSTED STRAIGHT THROUGH AND IT DOES A LOUD CLUNKY NOISE WHILE DRIVING. BROUGHT IT TO A BODY SHOP AND THEY SAID I HAVE TO CHANGE THE WHOLE ASSY, IT CANT BE FIXED. THE CAR WAS PURCHASED FROM DOWN SOUTH, THERES LITERALLY NO BODY RUST, BUT THE FRAME IS ALMOST ALL CHEWED AWAY. I ALSO CANT PASS NY INSPECTION UNTIL I GET IT FIXED, WHICH WILL COST MORE THAN I PAID FOR THE CAR.

EXCESSIVE FRAME ROT. 4RUNNER SHOULD OF BEEN PART OF THE TACOMA RECALL AND IS ABSURD IT WAS NOT IN THE FIRST PLACE. MY WHOLE PASSENGER SIDE FRAME RAIL IS GONE. I HAVE HAD TO CONSTANTLY FIX WELD NEW METAL TO IT.

MOVING VEHICLE AT SCHOOL PARKING LOT - 17 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER DRIVING ABOUT 3 MONTHS AFTER GETTING HER LICENSE. VSC TRAC ABS LIGHTS ALL CAME ON, A LOW TONE NOISE AND THE BRAKE PEDDLE WAS HARD AS A ROCK WHEN DEPRESSING.

SIGNIFICANT FRAME RUST HAS COMPROMISED THE SAFETY OF THE VEHICLE. SEVERAL HOLES HAVE PERFORATED THROUGH THE FRAME AND IT HAS BEEN DEEMED UNSAFE TO DRIVE DUE TO FRAME RUST. TOYOTA NEEDS TO REPLACE THESE 4RUNNER FRAMES.

"TAKATA RECALL" MY 2003 TOYOTA 4RUNNER FAILED STATE INSPECTION TODAY FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER DUE TO EXTREME FRAME RUST. THE VEHICLE IS TOTALLY UNSAFE TO DRIVE BECAUSE OF RUSTED OUT HOLES IN THE METAL FRAME . YES, IF I DROVE OVER LARGE POTHOLE OR INVOLVE IN A COLLISION, THIS VEHICLE WOULD SEPARATE IN PIECES AND NOT TO MENTION WHAT LEVEL OF BODILY HARM YOU WOULD SUSTAIN . EVEN THOUGH MY ODOMETER READS 255,000+ MILES, THE ENGINE SEEMS TO BE ABLE TO RUN ANOTHER 200,000 PLUS MILES WITH NO ELECTRICAL OR MECHANICAL ISSUES AND BODY LOOKS FANTASTIC FOR THE YEAR. ON-THE-HAND VEHICLE FRAME BELOW IS IN HORRIBLE CONDITION, WITH HOLES RUSTED THROUGH THE METAL AND NO SIGNS OF ANY UNDER COAT PAINT PROTECTION (HATE TO LOSE SUCH A WONDERFUL VEHICLE). PLEASE ADD MY VEHICLE AND SAFETY CONCERNS TO THE LIST OF OTHER 4TH GENERATION TOYOTA 4RUNNERS OWNERS FACING THE SAME FRAME RUST ISSUE.

THE FRAME OF MY VEHICLE IS EXTREMELY RUSTED FOR IT'S AGE. EVERY COMPONENT ATTACHED TO THE FRAME IS OVERLY RUSTED AS WELL. IT IS SPREADING LIKE A VIRUS THROUGHOUT THE UNDER BODY. I AM BECOMING INCREASINGLY CONCERNED ABOUT HAULING, TOWING, OR EVEN DRIVING MY VEHICLE DUE TO THIS RUST. WITH ONLY 172,000 MILES, THIS SHOULD NOT BE OCCURRING. I HAVE BEEN KEEPING IT IN A GARAGE FOR THE PAST 5 YEARS BUT AS THE 2ND OWNER IT'S PROBABLY TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE. TOYOTA SHOULD RECALL THESE VEHICLES AS THEY DID SOME OTHER MODELS.

FRAME ROT AND UNABLE TO PASS INSPECTION NEW EVEN THOUGH I HAVE KEPT THIS TRUCK IN PRISTINE CONDITION. IT IS A REAL SHAME THE DON'T USE BETTER STEEL.