2003 TOYOTA 4RUNNER Complaints

FRAME IS RUSTING AND DEFORMING UNIFORMLY ON BOTH SIDES OF THE VEHICLE JUST BEHIND THE FRONT WHEELS AND ENGINE, IN FRONT OF THE TRANSFER CASE.

CATASTROPHIC BRAKE LOSS WITHOUT WARNING. VSC, TAC AND E-BRAKE LIGHTS WITH LOUD AUDIBLE ALARM WITH LOSS OF ABILITY TO BRAKE. ONLY WITH STRONGEST PRESSURE ON BRAKE WAS ABLE TO SLOW VEHICLE. FORTUNATELY, NO COLLISION OR INJURIES OCCURRED. REPORT THIS TO TOYOTA - NO ADVISORY OR RECALL NOTICE HAS BEEN ISSUED. REPRESENTATIVE TOLD ME THAT NO ONE WOULD CONTACT ME AND THE CASE WOULD BE CLOSE. THIS FLIES IN THE FACE OF A MANUFACTURES LIABILITY TO NOTIFY OF POTENTIAL PRODUCT FAILURE AS LONG A PRODUCT IS IN USE. THIS IS A 2003 TOYOTA R RUNNER WITH 166830 MILES. TOYOTA WORK ORDER LIST THIS AS A BAKER BOOSTER MOTOR ASSY INTERNAL PART FAILURE. COST TO REPLACE THIS NECESSARY SAFETY EQUIPMENT WAS 3,817 DOLLARS.

THERE IS EXTENSIVE CORROSION ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE OF THE CAR FRAME. IT'S OF GREATLY SAFETY CONCERN AND IT SEEMS THAT THE PROBLEM IS CONSISTENT WITH OTHER 4RUNNER TYPE OF FRAMES. OUR MECHANIC SEEN A FEW RELATED ISSUES IN THE LAST YEAR OR SO.

THE VEHICLE HAS EXCESSIVE FRAME RUST, COVERING 100% OF LOWER FRAME, BUMPER TO BUMPER. IT HAS AT LEAST 2 HOLES, AND IS WEAK IN SEVERAL AREAS OF FRAME. IT FAILED INSPECTION DUE TO THIS. ONLY 133K MILES ON VEHICLE. WELL MAINTAINED. FINALLY, TAILGATE DOOR IS SIGNIFICANTLY RUSTED ABOVE WINDOW, BUT AT LEAST THIS ISN'T A SAFETY PROBLEM.

EXCESSIVE AND HEAVY RUST/FLAKING OF THE FRAME COMPONENTS POINTED OUT BY MY MECHANIC WHILE PERFORMING A MINOR REPAIR TO A HEAT SHIELD UNDER THE VEHICLE. VEHICLE HAS BEEN GARAGE KEPT SINCE NEW AND THERE IS NO RUST ON THE BODY. I REPORTED THIS TO TOYOTA CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE AND RECEIVED A CASE NUMBER 1710131927, BUT THEY ADVISE THERE ARE CURRENTLY NO ACTIVE CAMPAIGNS WHICH COVER MY VEHICLE. OTHERS HAD SUGGESTED I NOTIFY THE NHTSA.

VEHICLE HAS A CRACKED DASHBOARD FROM ONE SIDE TO THE OTHER, COULD SPREAD AND AFFECT AIR BAGS, TOYOTA DEALERSHIP IN NORTH MIAMI BEACH STATED THERE IS A RECALL BUT HAVE NOT CORRECTED IN THREE YEARS, I HAVE CHECKED WITH THEM THREE TIMES

FRAME HAS HOLES AND CRACKS CAUSED BY EXCESSIVE RUST. ONE CROSS MEMBER IS NON FUNCTIONAL. HAS RUSTED THROUGH ENTIRELY. I CALLED TOYOTA'S CUSTOMER CARE 800 NUMBER. WAS TOLD THE 3 YEAR 36,000 MILE WARRANTY HAS EXPIRED. I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER AND THE VEHICLE HAS ALWAYS BEEN GARAGE KEPT. THE BODY IS IN PERFECT CONDITION. IT HAS ONLY 104,000 MILES. COLLISION REPAIR SHOP LOOKED AT THE FRAME YESTERDAY AND I WAS TOLD IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE.

EXCESSIVE RUST ON THE FRAME AND UNDER STRUCTURE OF THE VEHICLE FOR A 2003 4RUNNER LIMITED. NOTICED DURING INSPECTION 10/19/17 AND PRIOR YEARS.

FRAME IS RUSTED ALMOST COMPLETELY IN TWO WHERE BACK AXLE TIES TO THE FRAME. ALSO VARIOUS OTHER AREAS OF THE FRAME ARE RUSTING AS WELL. TOOK TO SEVERAL MECHANICS AND EACH SAID IT IS A MFG ISSUE AND SHOULD HAVE BEEN RECALLED DUE TO SEVERE SAFETY ISSUES. PUTTING A YOUNG DRIVER, OR ANYONE FOR THAT MATTER, INTO A CAR TO DRIVE THAT HAS SERIOUS FRAME RUST ISSUES WHICH COULD LEAD TO A WRECK AND SERIOUS INJURY IS INEXCUSABLE AND TOYOTA NEEDS TO GET THIS TAKEN CARE OF IMMEDIATELY WITH A RECALL. WE BOUGHT VEHICLE IN 2016, HOWEVER IT WAS RUSTED FAR BEFORE THEN BASED ON RUST EVIDENCE PRESENT.

WHILE PULLING INTO A GROCERY STORE PARKING LOT, ALOUD CABIN ALARM SOUND AND ABS, VSC AND TRAC AND BRAKE WARNING LIGHTS ON THE DASH CAME ON. MY VEHICLE SEEMED TO STOP OK SO WE DID OUR SHOPPING, WHEN WE STARTED THE CAR IT STILL HAD THE LIGHTS LIT UP AND BRAKED OK. WE WERE CLOSE TO HOME SO I DROVE SLOWLY TRYING TO GET THERE ABOUT HALF WAY HOME I APPLIED THE BRAKES AND THE PEDAL WAS HARD AS A ROCK AND WOULD NOT SLOW DOWN THE CAR APPLYING EMERGENCY BREAK AND USING SHIFTER IN ORDER TO STOP AND AVOID CRASHING WE GOT IT HOME ACCIDENT FREE. TODAY A TALKED TO A TOYOTA SPECIALTY SHOP AND EXPLAINED THE PROBLEM AND HIS FIRST RESPONSE WAS THE ABS PUMP AND MASTER CYLINDER FAILURE. VEHICLE HAS 105000 MILES AND THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE I HAVE NEVER HAD A VEHICLE BRAKES FAIL WITHOUT A BACK UP SYSTEM FOR SAFETY.I HAVE READ 1000S OF POSTS AND THREADS IN BLOGS FROM TOYOTA OWNERS WITH SIMILAR ISSUE, AND SOME THAT CAUSED ACCIDENTS. I HAD JUST COME OFF THE HIGHWAY, SO THIS COULD HAVE CAUSED A SERIOUS ACCIDENT JUST MINUTES EARLIER. THIS SEEMS TO BE A VERY COMMON OCCURRENCE AND TOYOTA IS VERY AWARE OF THE SITUATION BUT NO RECALL. THIS SITUATION MERITS AN INVESTIGATION BY TOYOTA AND A RECALL SHOULD BE AWARDED BEFORE HUMAN LIFE IS LOST IN AN ACCIDENT.