2006 TOYOTA 4RUNNER Complaints

The contact owns a 2006 Toyota 4Runner. The contact stated that the undercarriage frame was rusted. The contact was made aware of the failure after replacing the exhaust pipe himself and taking the vehicle to the dealer to have the sway bar removed and replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.

I purchased my 2006 4Runner brand new and am the original owner. The vehicle has never been in an accident and has been very well maintained and both the body and drivetrain is in great condition. I just learned that my entire frame is rusted and rotted out. I have been told the vehicle is unsafe to drive and this is a known problem with both Toyota Tundras and 4Runners. I was encouraged to file this report and attach pictures.

My 2006 4 Runner frame is rusting from the inside out. I first noticed this in 2009. I saw many rust spots in my driveway coming from the frame on a fairly new truck. At my next service I brought it up to the dealer Boch Toyota in Ma. They brushed it off as just normal rust from water dripping through frame. A few months lata in 2010 I looked deeper into the frame holes and could see a good amount of rust inside the frame rails. It was excessive rust for a fairly new truck. I brought it to the dealer ( Boch Toyota) few more times complaining of the issues I saw but Toyota didn’t want to hear it. It has been 11 years since then. The rust has made its way to the outside of the frame and had compromised the Integrity of the frame for some time now.

Frame under the vehicle has severe premature rusting including large holes that make the vehicle dangerous to drive. Vehicle has been inspected, and this is the info that was given to me. Vehicle model/year has seen this issue countless times from other owners, and Toyota has not paid to repair this major flaw from their vehicles. This vehicle has not been inspected by manufacturer, police, insurance representatives, but has been inspected by a body shop/ repair shop. No warning lamps or messages were shown. Vehicle frame has not failed yet, but needs replacement.

The contact owns a 2006 Toyota 4Runner. The contact stated that while in for maintenance it was discovered that the subframe had experienced extensive rusting and corrosion. The cause of the failure was not determined, and the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were not notified of the failure. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 121,000.

Got my 2006 4 Runner inspected and it failed due to the frame being rusted with holes in it. The gas tank skid plate is also completely rotted. The vehicle is unsafe to drive. If you were to hit a bad pot hole the frame could collapse and cause an accident.

The plastic slider for the sunroof malfunctioned releasing the sunroof so when I went to open the sunroof while driving the airflow caught underneath the sunroof lifting it up and shooting it off and hurtling into traffic behind me and innocent highway drivers, and I completely shocked did not know where it landed or who it landed on. Now I don’t have any protection from the weather and my headliner is coming off due to the wind. Now I have to save money or go to a pick and pull and figure out how to get this fixed before it causes more damage to my vehicle. I do not know if it caused any injuries or crashes or if anyone got hurt Being that I was going down the highway at the time of the incident.

When I went to have a tail pipe replaced, it was discovered that the frame of my car was badly rusted. Upon bringing to a mechanic, an auto body shop and a Toyota dealer, they all said the car is not safe to drive. The rest of the body is in mint condition as is the interior and mechanics. I called Toyota Corporation asking for assistance, provided them with the vin and was told they would do nothing and suggested I "junk' the car. Toyota replaced the same frames on their Tacoma models under a recall and it turns out there is no recall for this model. The same frames are used on the 4Runner as well as the Tacoma. Saftcap.com in Cranston RI holds a United States patent for replacing parts of these frames and the owner feels there should have been a recall on the 4Runners just like the Tacomas.

Bought this 4Runner back in January of 2021 and when I took it to a mechanic I saw rust all over the frame and the spots of the frame where the welds are. The frame has no rotten out spots but it’s way too much rust for a car from 2006. The frames on these 4runners are notoriously known for huge amount of rust

Frame is rusting apart Rear lower trailing arm section has already been patched by previous owner Upper trailing arm connection point to frame crossmember has perished due to rust If the other side breaks the rear axle can flex excessively causing control problems Toyota’s service campaign for other trucks should not have omitted the 4Runner which shares many identical design characteristics