2003 TOYOTA 4RUNNER Complaints

EXCESSIVE FRAME RUST IN MULTIPLE SPOTS ON FRAME ON BOTH SIDES AND ON CROSSMEMBER. THIS IS A WELL DOCUMENTED PROBLEM FOR THIS GENERATION OF 4RUNNER AND NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED. MY VEHICLE HAS BEEN GARAGE KEPT SINCE NEW I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF THE VEHICLE.

MY FRAME IS RUSTING FROM THE INSIDE OUT. THERE'S A HOLE IN MY FRAME RIGHT ABOUT WHERE THE DRIVER SITS. I'M INCLUDING A PICTURE OF THE FRAME DAMAGE AND DOCUMENTS FROM TOYOTA INDICATING THE FRAME RUST AND DAMAGE (HIGHLIGHTED IN RED) FROM WHEN THEY INSPECTED IT. NOT SURE WHEN THIS STARTED HAPPENING, BECAUSE I BOUGHT THE 4RUNNER IN 2018. THE INSPECTION FROM TOYOTA ON 12/15/2017 IS THE ONLY THING I CAN FIND DOCUMENTING THE RUST/DAMAGE, BUT IT DEFINITELY STARTED LONG BEFORE THEN. THE TACOMA'S AND TUNDRA'S BOTH HAD THEIR FRAMES RECALLED... WHEN'S IT OUR TURN?

EXCESSIVE AMOUNT OF FRAME RUST FOR A CAR THAT HAS BEEN GARAGE STORED IN MILD VANCOUVER BC CLIMATE. FRAME IS EXACT SAME AS TOYOTA TACOMA WHICH HAVE KNOWN FRAME RUST AND FRAME ROT, BUT NOT COVERED UNDER THE FRAME RECALL FROM TOYOTA

STRUCTURAL RUST TO FRAME. CRACKS AND HOLES AT WELDS AND ATTACHMENT POINTS OF SUSPENSION AND STEERING. FRAME IS DISINTEGRATING UNDER THE TRUCK, COMPLETE STRUCTURAL FAILURE IS IMMINENT.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA 4RUNNER. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO LOWER THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE WINDOW, THE CONTACT HEARD A POPPING SOUND AS THE GLASS BECAME STUCK MIDWAY AND DID NOT MOVE UP. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 112,000.

WE HAD JUST BOUGHT THE VEHICLE WHEN THE REAR END BEGAN SWAYING FROM SIDE TO SIDE AND WE TOOK IT TO THE MECHANIC AT TOYOTA AND WAS TOLD THAT THE WHOLE FRAME WAS RUSTED OUT AND WAS TO DANGEROUS TO DRIVE BUT THEY COULD NOT HELP US. THE SAME FRAME WAS ON THE OTHER 3 MAKES AND WAS RECALLED AND THAT OURS NEEDS TO BE RECALLED. THEY ALL KNOW IT NEEDS TO BE RECALLED AND I WISH THEY WOULD JUST DO IT BECAUSE IT JUST SITS OUT THERE AND IS IN GREAT CONDITION ALL BUT THE FRAME RUST.

MY 2003 TOYOTA 4RUNNER WILL NO LONGER PASS INSPECTION AND IS NO LONGER SAFE TO DRIVE AS THE FRAME IS ROTTED BEYOND REPAIR ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE REAR. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO HAVE NEW TIRES PUT ON AND AM INSPECTION DONE WE NOTICED THE SEVERE RUST/ HOLES AND ALSO A CRACK IN THE WELD. THE REST OF THE FRAME IS PRETTY UGLY AS WELL, I DID NOT LOOK OVER THE ENTIRE FRAME BUT I'M SURE THERE ARE PROBABLY OTHER AREAS THAT ARE VERY BAD. I'VE READ ABOUT CATASTROPHIC FAILURE DUE TO FRAME ROT IN THESE MODELS. TOYOTA HAS TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS. I'M SUPPOSED TO GET A PHONE CALL FROM TOYOTA TOMORROW AND IF THEY CONTINUE TO DO NOTHING ABOUT IT THEN I'LL START CALLING ALL THE NEWS STATIONS AND START SPREADING THE WORD. I HAVE 45 THOUSAND DOLLARS INVESTED IN THE COMPANY THUS FAR AND WILL NEVER SPEND ANOTHER CENT ON THEM IF THIS ISSUE ISN'T RESOLVED.

MY 4RUNNER HAS BEEN A VERY RELIABLE VEHICLE, YET HAS EXTENSIVE FRAME RUST. THE VEHICLE DID NOT PASS NEW HAMPSHIRE STATE VEHICLE SAFETY INSPECTION IN MARCH OF 2018 AS A RESULT OF THE FRAME DETERIORATION. I HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO USE THE VEHICLE SINCE THEN, AND FEEL THAT TOYOTA SHOULD ADDRESS THE ISSUE WITH A RECALL AS THEY HAVE ALREADY DONE ON THE TACOMA, TUNDRA AND SEQUOIA. I HAVE HEARD MANY SIMILAR REPORTS ON THE 4RUNNER FRAMES AND TOYOTA HAS YET TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEM.

FRAME IS RUSTING THROUGH WHERE "FRONT CLIP" JOINS SIDE RAILS. FOUND DURING NORMAL VEHICLE SERVICE. VEHICLE DEEMED "SAFE" TO USE AT PRESENT, BUT THE FRAME WILL FAIL IN THE FUTURE. VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED NEW, ONE OWNER, GARAGED, APPROXIMATELY 125,000 MILES, ALL STREET MILES, NEVER OFF-ROADED.

I WAS WARNED BY MY TOYOTA DEALER THAT MY 4RUNNER MAY BE UNSAFE TO DRIVE DUE TO THE AMOUNT OF RUST ON THE FRAME. THE ENTIRE FRAME HAS RUST SPREAD OUT AND IT HAS A FEW REALLY BAD AREAS. I BOUGHT THE VEHICLE USED AND I WAS TOLD THAT THERE WAS A SPOT THAT WAS RUSTED THROUGH AND NEEDED A BRACKET TO BE WELDED OVER IT. IN THE IMAGE ATTACHED YOU CAN WHAT THE GENERAL STATE THE FRAME IS IN BUT IT DOES NOT SHOW THE WORST AREAS. I DON'T HAVE A CAR JACK AVAILABLE SO ITS DIFFICULT FOR ME TO TAKE PICTURES OF THE WHOLE FRAME.