2003 TOYOTA 4RUNNER Complaints

WHILE CHANGING THE BRAKES AND ROTERS, IT WAS NOTICED THAT THE FRAME WHERE THE GAS TANK STRAPS ATTACH, IS COMPLETELY RUSTED AND ROTTED THROUGH. SEVERAL AREAS ON THE FRAME ARE ROTTED THROUGH. THE MECHANIC STUCK HIS FINGER RIGHT THROUGH MY FRAME. ALSO, THERE IS BODY RUST ALL AROUND THE BACK WINDOW, CAUSING WATER TO GET INTO THE BACK DOOR, CAUSING THE 3RD BRAKE LIGHT TO NOT WORK, AND CAUSING THE LATCH TO LOCK AND KEEP THE HATCH CLOSED IS SEIZED DUE TO RUST.

MY 2003 4RUNNER SR5 LOOKS GREAT AND ITS V8 ENGINE HUMS LIKE IT IS NEW BUT THE FRAME RAILS ARE TOTALLY ROTTEN AND I HAVE BEEN ADVISED NOT TO DRIVE IT AT ALL AS IT IS TOO DANGEROUS TO DRIVE. SO ITS VALUE SHOULD BE ABOUT 5-,6000 AND NOW IT IS TOTALLY JUNK AND HAS ONLY SCRAP VALUE. TOYOTA USA RECALLED THE SEQUOIA, THE TUNDRA AND THE TACOMA FROM THE TIME PERIOD, APPROXIMATELY 2003-2007 MAYBE MORE YEAR MODELS, BUT DID NOT RECALL THE 4RUNNER BECAUSE THERE WERE TOO MANY SOLD AND IT WOULD HAVE COST TOO MUCH MONEY. THE FRAME AND FRAME RAIL ROT ON THE 4RUNNER FROM THAT TIME PERIOD IS WELL DOCUMENTED AND MANY COMPLAINTS HAVE BEEN FILED WITH THE NHTA YET TOYOTA HAS SEEN FIT NOT TO RECALL THE 4RUNNER!! . WHAT A DISGRACE!! THE MOST IMPORTANT FACT IS THE 4RUNNERS, PAST AND PRESENT, SIT ON THE EXACT SAME FRAME AS THE TACOMA. THE TACOMA WAS RECALLED FOR THE FRAME ROT BUT THE 4RUNNER WERE NOT. COULD YOU PLEASE PROVIDE THE REASONING FOR NOT RECALLING THE 4RUNNER FOR FRAME ROT WHILE THE TACOMA WITH THE EXACT SAME FRAME FROM THE EXACT SAME FACTORY WAS NOT/HAS NOT BEEN RECALLED?

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA 4RUNNER. ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, WHILE ATTEMPTING TO SLOW DOWN THE VEHICLE, IT INDEPENDENTLY ACCELERATED. THE FAILURE WAS INTERMITTENT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO BE DIAGNOSED AT SUNRISE TOYOTA NORTH (LOCATED AT 910 MIDDLE COUNTRY RD, MIDDLE ISLAND, NY 11953, (631) 924-8100). THE MECHANIC WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE OR RETRIEVE A FAULT CODE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 75,000.

WHILE TRAVELING SOUTHBOUND ON I-85 IN NORTH CAROLINA AT MILE MARKER 51.4 , AT 65 MPH THE LEFT REAR TIRE SIDEWALL EXPLODED CAUSING A NEAR ACCIDENT. THE TIRES HAD BEEN ON THE VEHICLE LESS THAN TWO WEEKS AS THEY WERE REPLACED AS A FOUR TIRE SET, THEY WERE ALL NEW TIRES. APPARENTLY THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE SIDEWALLS WITH THESE TIRES. I GOOGLED THIS SIDEWALL BLOWOUT AND THERE HAVE BEEN OVER 198 CASES OF COOPER TIRES WITH SIDEWALL BLOWOUT. THE TIRE BRAND IS COPPER TIRES, MODEL- COOPER DISCOVERER A/T 3 265/70 R 16 DOT- UTC2 1A6 4716 DATE CODE- 2013

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA 4RUNNER. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY, THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE FRAME OF THE VEHICLE NEAR THE TRAILING ARM BRACKETS WAS ROTTED WITH HOLES AND SLIGHT CORROSION. A DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED ABOUT THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE AND STATED THAT THERE WAS NO RECALL ON THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 196,000.

MY 2003 TOYOTA 4 RUNNER HAS SIGNIFICANT FRAME RUST THAT THE TOYOTA DEALER IDENTIFIED DURING ROUTINE SERVICE AND NOTED THAT THE VEHICLE IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE. THEY REFUSED TO FIX THE PROBLEM, SAYING IT COULD NOT BE FIXED (BEYOND REPAIR), BUT THAT I SHOULD NO LONGER DRIVE THE VEHICLE AS IT IS NOW UNSAFE TO BE ON THE ROAD.

CHASSIS/FRAME ON 4TH GENERATION 4RUNNERS HAVE A SEVERE RUST PROBLEM. MANY ARE DOCUMENTED & DISCUSSED AT HTTP://WWW.TOYOTA-4RUNNER.ORG/4TH-GEN-T4RS. SIMILAR TRUCKS IN TOYOTA'S PRODUCT LINE QUALIFIED FOR FRAME REPLACEMENT BUT THE 4RUNNER WAS IGNORED. THE REST OF THE TRUCK IS 100% RUST FREE EXCEPT FOR THE FRAME. RECENTLY HAD A BODY SHOP LOOK AT THE FRAME - WAS DESCRIBED AS "TOO RUSTY TO WELD ONTO" WHEN DISCUSSING PATCHES. BELOW I AM ASKED FOR A DATE WHEN THIS EVENT HAPPENED. I AM PUTTING TODAYS DATE, 2003 BECAUSE LOGICALLY THE TRUCK HAS BEEN RUSTING SINCE IT WAS BUILT.

THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL HOUSING AND THIRD MEANDER ARE EXTREMELY RUSTED I CONTACTED TOYOTA AND WAS TOLD THAT THEY KNOW THERE IS A ISSUE WITH RUST ON SOME 4RUNNERS BUT THEY ARE NOT RECALLING THEM

FRAME RUST, SEVERE EXTENSIVE RUST TO FRAME, VEHICLE IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE, TOYOTA HAS RECALLS FOR TUNDRA AND TACOMA, NEED TO ADD 4RUNNER TO RECALL LIST. VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN INVOLVED IN ACCIDENT, FRAME ROT WAS POINTED OUT WHILE HAVING VEHICLE SERVICED. THE FRAME NEEDS TO BE REPLACED.

I WANT TO KNOW IF THERE IS A RECALL FOR THIS VECHICLE FOR MANIFLOD/EXHAUST/CATILITIC CONVERTER