IllustrationWHILE DRIVING AT 60-65 MPH, USING CRUISE CONTROL, WHEN TAKING CRUISE CONTROL OFF, IT WOULDN'T GO OFF. USED BRAKES, BRAKES DIDN'T WORK, VEHICLE WOULDN'T SLOW DOWN. VEHICLE IMMEDIATELY VIBRATED AND ROLLED OVER DOWN A 25 FOOT EMBANKMENT. DEALER NOT AWARE. *AK
1997 Toyota 4 Runner
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1997 Toyota 4 Runner do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 96.5.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all 4 Runner years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 21 of 122 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Suspension. Review the 30 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 22 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Tires. Review the 15 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
23 crash reports0 fire reports10 injury reports
What owners actually said
122 reportsJACK THAT IS SUPPLIED WITH VEHICLE IS INSUFFICIENT FOR THE SIZE OF TIRES.
CONSUMER WAS INVOLVED IN A 45 MPH FRONTAL COLLISION IN WHICH THE DRIVER'S AND PASSENGER'S AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. *AK THIS IS THE SECOND OCCASION IN WHICH THE AIRBAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY, ONE PERSON WAS INJURED IN THE ACCIDENT AND THE VEHICLE WAS TOTALED. *SLC
SLOWED VEHICLE DOWN TO MAKE A RIGHT TURN AND VEHICLE STALLED.
VEHICLE WAS IN AN INSIDE PARKING LOT. OWNER WAS PARKING AND HAD FOOT ON THE BRAKE THE TRUCK JUMPED BACK AND ACCELERATED FORWARD, THEN HIT A CONCRETE WALL. *AK
WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY THE ENGINE STALLED AFTER OWNER APPLIED THE BRAKES. DEALER HAS NOT SEEN VEHICLE. *AK
INTERMITTENT STALLING. *AK
WHILE SLOWING DOWN AFTER DRIVING ABOUT 40MPH, THE VEHICLE SHUT DOWN. OWNER STATES THAT ALL THE LIGHTS ON THE DASH CAME ON PRIOR TO STALLING. THE DEALER AND THE MANUFACTURERWERE NOTIFIED. OWNER HAS FILED A CLAIM WITH THE BBB (BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU). *AK
BLOWN ENGINE GASKET CAUSED COOLANT TO LEAK AND ENGINE TO OVERHEAT.
VEHICLE EXPERIENCES INTERMITTENT LOSS OF POWER.
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.