1996 TOYOTA 4RUNNER Complaints

TRAVELING NB APPROACHING GREEN LIGHT AND A CAR RAN RED LIGHT IN INTERSECTION. THE CAR ON SB SWERVED ON MISS THEM, HIT THEM ANYWAY AND HIT ME HEAD ON. BOTH ON THEIR AIR BAGS WENT OFF AND MINE DID NOT. I AM STILL IN PHYSICAL THERAPY FOR PARTIAL ROTATOR CUFF TEAR, SPRAINED NECK, BACK, SHOULDER, ELBOW AND I STILL CANNOT USE RIGHT ARM FROM ELBOW DOWN. I HAVE NOT WORKED SINCE THE ACCIDENT. I WANT TO KNOW WHY MY AIR BAGS DID NOT GO OFF.

SECOND OWNER OF THIS SUV THAT I HAVE OWNED FOR 12 YEARS. FRAME RUST ISSUES HAVE PROCEEDED TO THE POINT WHERE ONE MONTH AGO, THE LEFT REAR LATERAL AXLE LINK BRACKET BROKE FREE FROM THE FRAME. THE CAR IS NOW UNSAFE TO DRIVE BECAUSE THE REAR AXLE IS NOT TIED TO THE FRAME ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE. MECHANIC TOLD ME IT MIGHT BE ABLE TO BE FIXED/WELDED, BUT THE REST OF THE FRAME IS SO BAD THERE ISN'T MUCH TO WELD TO. I HAVE FOUND NUMEROUS OTHER COMPLAINTS ONLINE ABOUT THIS GENERATION 4RUNNER AND ITS FRAME RUST ISSUES. I ALSO FOUND MANY CASES WHERE THE EXACT SAME ISSUE WITH THE AXLE LINK BRACKET HAS OCCURRED. THIS REALLY SEEMS TO BE A BROADER ISSUE THAT TOYOTA HAS NOT REMEDIED FOR 4RUNNER OWNERS. DISAPPOINTED THAT I'M NOT ABLE TO KEEP THIS LONGER LIKE I'D PLANNED.

FRAME RUST ISSUE. REAR SHOCK AND SPRING MOUNT ON FRAME HAS BROKEN DUE TO EXCESSIVE RUST.

1996 TOYOTA 4RUNNER WILL NOT PASS PENNSYLVANIA SAFETY INSPECTION DUE TO FRAME RUST AND DETERIORATION. EXTENT OF DAMAGE MAY INHIBIT REPAIR WITHOUT TOTAL FRAME REPLACEMENT. VEHICLE IS NOT OPERABLE WITHOUT INSPECTION.

I HAVE OWNED MY 4RUNNER FOR 26 YEARS AND I HAVE METICULOUSLY CARED FOR IT. ONE OF MY SHOCKS GAVE WAY AND I BROUGHT IT IN FOR MY TECHNICIAN TO INSPECT IT. UPON MY HIS INSPECTION I WAS NOTIFIED ABOUT THE EXTENSIVE RUST ON THE FRAME AND OTHER PARTS UNDER THE TRUCK SUCH AS THE GAS LINE. I WAS INFORMED THAT MY ENGINE RUNS STRONG WITH 209K ON IT. MY TECHNICIAN WOULD NOT DO ANY REPAIRS TO THIS FRAME BECAUSE OF HOW COORS ICE IT WAS. HE SHOWED ME SEVERAL FINGERS GOING THROUGH A STRESS POINT NEAR THE REAR AXEL. THE TRUCK LOOKS BEAUTIFUL AND IS NOW USELESS WITH THE RUSTY FRAME. I LIVE IN SALTY CT AND BELIEVE THE FRAME WAS NOT PROPERLY CONDITIONED FROM THE FRAME FACTORY. VIN NUMBER: [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

TAKATA RECALL. WAS NOTIFIED ALMOST A YEAR AGO ABOUT THE AIR BAG RECALL AND STILL HAVE NOT BEEN PROVIDED A FIX.

KNOWN DOCUMENTED ISSUES WITH TOYOTA 4RUNNER FRAME ROT. THIS PARTICULAR VEHICLE THE CONTROL ARM SUPPORT BRACKETS ARE SHOWING SIGNS OF RUST THROUGH WITH HOLES APPEARING IN THE BRACKETS. THIS IS DOCUMENTED WITH PHOTOS! THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED NEW BY MY FATHER IN 96, ALWAYS GARAGE KEPT ,IN 2006 I BOUGHT THE VEHICLE FROM HIM AND ALSO IS KEPT IN A DRY GARAGE NOT SITTING OUT OVER MOIST SOIL. THE 4RUNNER HAS NEVER BEEN IN A ACCIDENT. I AM A CERTIFIED MECHANIC WHO PERFORMS SAFETY INSPECTIONS AS I WORK FOR ENGINEERING UNIVERSITY. IT CAME TO MY ATTENTION WHEN I WAS HEARING AND READING STORIES OF THESE 3RD GENERATION 4RUNNERS HAVE STABILITY PROBLEMS DIRECTLY RELATED TO THE RUSTED OUT FRAME SUPPORT BRACKETS THAT HOLD THE CONTROL ARMS IN PLACE FOR THE REAR AXLE. THIS IS A MAIN FRAME COMPONENT , IF THE SUPPORT BRACKET BREAK FREE IT ALLOWS THE AXLE TO WANDER AROUND AS IT'S NOT BEING HELD IN PLACE, CAUSING LOSS OF STEERING STABILITY, IT IS A ROAD HAZARD THAT IS EVENTUALLY GOING TO KILL PEOPLE . I HAVE A 95 BLAZER THAT WAS PURCHASED SIX MONTHS BEFORE THE 4RUNNER AND I STILL HAVE IT! THE BODY ON THE BLAZER IS LITERALLY RUSTED EVERYWHERE HOWEVER,THE INTEGRITY OF THE FRAME IS STILL SOLID BUT THE FRAME IS RUSTED BADLY ! CONVERSELY, THE BODY ON THE 4RUNNER IS EXCELLENT ESPECIALLY FOR THE YEAR, HAVING A RUSTED OUT BODY IS A APPEARANCE ISSUE NOT A SAFETY RELATED ISSUE AS IN THE 3RD GENERATION TOYOTA 4RUNNER THAT RESIDE IN THE UPPER MIDWEST. TOYOTA HAS A A BUY BACK PROGRAM WITH TUNDRA PICKUPS THAT HAVE FRAMES THAT ARE SAFETY HAZARDS. I FEEL THESE 4RUNNERS ARE NO DIFFERENT THAN THE TUNDRAS, TOYOTA SHOULD HAVE THE FRAMES EITHER REPLACED OR BUY THE VEHICLE BACK! I TOOK GREAT CARE OF THIS 4RUNNER IT LOOKS GREAT ,HOWEVER I CAN NOT SELL IT DUE TO THE POSSIBILITY OF THE CONTROL ARM BREAKING FREE FROM THE FRAME CAUSED BY INSIDE FRAME ROT.

FRAME BROKE DUE TO RUST BY THE LOWER CONTROL ARM GOING STRAIGHT DOWN THE ROAD DOING ABOUT 30MPH ALMOST CAUSING ME TO GO OFF THE ROAD. HAD IT TOWED TO A LOCAL GARAGE TO FIND OUT IT WAS RUSTED THROUGH IN SEVERAL PLACES AND THE MECHANIC TOLD ME IT WAS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS YEAR OF 4RUNNER. IF THIS HAD HAPPENED GOING DOWN THE HIGHWAY IT COULD OF COSTED ME MY LIFE OR SOMEONE ELSE'S AND BEING AS COMMON OF A PROBLEM AS IT IS I FEEL IT SHOULD BE ADDRESSED THERE'S NO REASON A FRAME SHOULD RUST AS BAD AND AS QUICK AS THIS CONSIDERING IT HAS BEEN UNDERCOATED EVERY YEAR OF ITS LIFE

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1996 TOYOTA 4RUNNER. WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO WOBBLE UNCONTROLLABLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE FRAME ON THE DRIVER SIDE HAD COMPLETELY RUSTED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 224,000.

HI, THE FRAME IS EXTREMELY RUSTED. IT HAD A SMALL TEAR ON A WELD. NOW IT HAS A LARGE TEAR IN THE FRAME. IT APPEARS THAT IT IS RUSTING AT ALL THE WELD POINTS AT A ACCELERATED RATE AND OR THE FRAME ITSELF IS NOT THICK ENOUGH. I HAVE READ OF HUNDREDS OF OTHERS THAT OWN THIS CAR AND THE FRAME HAS RUSTED THROUGH. I KNOW THAT THE TACOMA HAS BEEN RECALLED AND IT HAS THE EXACT SAME FRAME-------PLEASE ADVISE AS THIS CAR IS NOT EVEN 20 YEARS OLD......THE CAR IS IN GREAT CONDITION OTHERWISE AND IN NO WAY SHOULD BE READY FOR THE JUNK YARD........