2003 TOYOTA 4RUNNER Complaints

HAVE AN 2003 TOYOTA 4 RUNNER, THAT HAS ALWAYS BEEN PARKED IN MY GARAGE. IT ONLY HAS 40,000 MILES ON IT & IS MINT CONDITION EXCEPT FOR ONE MAJOR PROBLEM, THE DASH. ALTHOUGH IT DOES NOT SIT OUTSIDE IN THE SUN, ONLY IN MY GARAGE, THERE ARE CRACKS ALL ALONG THE DASH. MOST PREDOMINANTLY THERE A DIAGONAL CRACK ACROSS THE PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG, AS WELL AS ALONG ALL THE EDGES OF WHERE THE DASH MEETS A CURVE' (I.E. RIGHT ABOVE THE SPEEDOMETER) IT IS EXTREMELY UNFORTUNATE THAT THIS SEEMS TO BE A MAJOR PROBLEM ACROSS THE DASHBOARD WITH OTHER 4RUNNER'S AND SIENNA'S, AND IT IS ALSO VERY UNFORTUNATE THAT DUE TO AIRBAG RESTRICTIONS, I CAN'T EVEN PAY SOMEONE TO FIX IT. MY CONCERN IS THE DIAGONAL CRACK ACROSS THE PASSENGER FRONT AIRBAG. *TR

I WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE AT A SLOW SPEED AND MADE A TURN UP A HILL. SUDDENLY, I FELT THE SEAT JERK BACKWARDS AND IT SEEMED LIKE THE DRIVER'S SEAT WENT OFF ITS TRACK. LATER, WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED, I CHECKED THE SEAT IN AN ATTEMPT TO RESECURE IT TO THE TRACK, BUT I COULD NOT IMPROVE THE SITUATION. IT SEEMED AS THOUGH THE SEAT IS NOT LOCKED ANYMORE. WHENEVER I ACCELERATE OR COME TO A STOP, IT FEELS AS THOUGH THE DRIVER SEAT COULD COME LOOSE AS IT IS NOT SECURE TO THE TRACK ANYMORE. I DID SOME RESEARCH AND FOUND OUT THAT THERE IS A TOYOTA TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN FOR THIS ISSUE. THE NUMBER IS NVO11-06. I CHECKED WITH THE DEALER, AND THEY SAID THERE IS NO RECALL TO FIX THIS PROBLEM. THE VEHICLE OWNER MUST PAY FOR PARTS AND LABOR TO FIX, WITH A TOTAL COST EXCEEDING $1500 FOR CARS OUTSIDE OF THE 3 YEAR/36000 MILE WARRANTY. I HAVE A 2003 MODEL VEHICLE THAT I PURCHASED ON 6/2003, AND THIS TSB WAS ISSUED ON 10/2006 FOR MY VEHICLE MODEL, WHICH MEANS THIS TSB WAS INVALID FOR ME AT THE TSB RELEASE. I DISCOVERED THIS PROBLEM AROUND 9/2011 BECAUSE I HAVE VERY LOW MILEAGE ON THE VEHICLE. MANY OWNERS ARE NOT AWARE OF THIS ISSUE. I BELIEVE THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD BECAUSE EVEN IF YOU ARE WEARING YOUR SEATBELT, THE DRIVER'S SEAT IS NOT SECURE AND SHIFTS DURING NORMAL STOP OF ACCELERATION AND CAN CAUSE WHIPLASH. ALSO, I HAVE FELT DIZZINESS DURING HEAVY STOP AND GO TRAFFIC DUE TO THE ROCKING MOTION BECAUSE THE SEAT IS NOT SECURE TO THE TRACK. IN CASE OF AN ACCIDENT, IT IS MORE LIKELY THAT THE SEAT CAN BECOME DISLODGED, THUS RENDERING THE SEAT BELT USELESS DURING A CRASH. I AM A MECHANICAL ENGINEER AND I UNDERSTAND THE ISSUE. I HAVE SURFED ONLINE AND MANY PEOPLE WHO HAVE NOTED THIS ISSUE HAVE RESORTED TO JERRY RIGGING A FIX TO THE SEAT BECAUSE THEY CANNOT AFFORD TO PAY FOR FIXING THIS DEFECT. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND A RECALL FOR TOYOTA TO FIX THIS PROBLEM. *TT

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA 4RUNNER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DASHBOARD WAS CRACKED FROM THE DRIVER TO THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG AREAS. THE CONTACT WAS CONCERNED THAT THE AIR BAGS WOULD DEPLOY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 115,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 118,364. UPDATED 02/28/12 *BF

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 TOYOTA 4RUNNER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 5 MPH, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED WITHOUT ANY WARNING. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE FAILURE RECURRED ON THREE OCCASIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE BUT PROVIDED NO ASSISTANCE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 70,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 92,000.

TOOK VEHICLE IN FOR FRONT BRAKE REPLACEMENT AT 121,679 MILES. FIRST SET OF FRONT BRAKES WERE REPLACED AT 70,452 MILES. TECH CALLED TO INFORM ME THAT FRONT CALIPERS WERE FROZEN AND WOULD REQUIRE REPLACEMENT. SEEMS TO BE A RELATIVELY COMMON OCCURRENCE FOR HIGH MILEAGE 4 RUNNERS. SAME TIME HAD RIGHT AXLE BOOT REPLACED AS WELL. $1,118.00 FOR THE WHOLE JOB! OF COURSE I ALMOST KEELED OVER BUT HAD TO HAVE THE WORK DONE, AND WANTED DEALER TO PERFORM THE WORK SO I WOULDN'T HAVE ISSUES LATER IF ANYTHING WENT WRONG. HAVE HAD ALL WORK DONE AT THIS DEALER AND THEY'VE STOOD BEHIND ALL THEIR WORK, BUT WAS STILL A BIT DISAPPOINTED THAT THE FRONT CALIPERS WERE SHOT. CAR HAS ALWAYS BEEN GARAGE KEPT, AND KEPT CLEAN, INSIDE AND OUT. IN FACT, STILL LOOKS LIKE A NEW CAR. *TR

WHILE DRIVING I NOTICED THAT MY FRONT ABS WOULD NOT ACTIVATE IN AN EMERGENCY SITUATION. BRAKING DISTANCES BECAME A LOT LONGER. WHEN I WENT TO CHECK MY FRONT BRAKES, I DISCOVERED THAT THE FRONT LOWER BRAKE PISTON HAD FROZEN. IT WAS THE SAME FOR BOTH SIDES. TOOK IT INTO THE SHOP, AND THEY SAID THE SAME THING. THEY WANTED TO REPLACE THE CALIPER ON BOTH SIDES FOR A TOTAL OF $750. I DID IT MYSELF. THIS IS THE SAME THING THAT HAS HAPPENED TO MANY OTHER OWNERS, WHICH CAN BE FOUND ON WWW.T4R.ORG. *TR

WHILE DRIVING FRONT ABS DOES NOT SEEM TO BE ACTIVATING. BRAKING DISTANCES WORSENED AS MY 03 4RUNNER WAS DRIVEN. IT TURNS OUT A PISTON IN THE BRAKE CALIPERS HAD FROZEN COSTING OVER $650 IN REPAIRS TO REPLACE THE CALIPERS. THIS IS A CONSTANT PROBLEM. MORE INFO CAN BE FOUND AT WWW.T4R.ORG. *TR

BRAKES FAILED CAUSING ME TO RUN OFF THE ROAD ALMOST REAR ENDING ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE VSC, ABS AND BRAKE LIGHTS CAME UP ON THE DASH ALONG WITH AN AUDIBLE ALARM. REPAIR SHOP SAID BRAKES ARE FINE AND THAT IS A COMPUTER RELATED PROBLEM. *TR

VEHICLE HAS A LOW GEAR SOUND WHICH BEGAN WHEN VEHICLE WAS RELATIVELY NEW AS I TRAVELLED DOWN SLIGHT GRADES. I NEVER COMPLAINED BECAUSE THAT WAS THE ONLY TIME IT SEEMED ABNORMAL AND THERE ARE ONLY A VERY PLACES IN MY TOWN WHERE THE HILL WAS STEEP ENOUGH TO CAUSE IT. PLUS I ASSUMED IT WAS RELATED TO THE TRAC BRAKING SYSTEM AND MIGHT BE NORMAL. LAST WEEKEND ON A 5 HOUR TRIP EACH WAY THE PROBLEM BEGAN TO MANIFEST ITSELF AS I ACCELLERATED ON FLAT GROUND. THE TACHOMETER SHOWED LOW RPMS (UNDER 2000) UNTIL 50-60 MPH. HOWEVER THE SOUND WAS MUCH MORE NOTICIBLE WITH SOME ADDITIONAL VIBRATION. THE VIBRATION IS NOW WORSE, COULD IT BE A SPEED SENSOR PROBLEM? [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

LOWER INBOARD FRONT BRAKE CALIPER PISTONS ON BOTH SIDES OF THE VEHICLE CORRODED TO THE POINT OF BEING FROZEN AND NON-FUNCTIONAL LEADING TO EXCESSIVE BRAKING DISTANCE AND WEAR OF BRAKE COMPONENTS. CALIPERS ARE NON-REBUILDABLE AND HAD TO BE REPLACED WITH REMANUFACTURED CALIPERS BY RAYBESTOS. BRAKE PADS AND ROTORS DAMAGED TO POINT OF NEEDING TO BE REPLACED ALSO. *TR