IllustrationCONSUMER STATES WHILE DRIVING 45-50 MPH WITHOUT WARNING POWER STEERING WENT OUT RESULTING LOST OF CONTROL OF VEHICLE CAUSING A MAJOR COLLISION. NLM
1998 Toyota 4 Runner
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1998 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: 17 of 120 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.
- Tires. Review the 29 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Suspension. Review the 17 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. 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.
12 crash reports3 fire reports10 injury reports
Steering complaints
6 reportsMY DAUTHER AGED 10 YEARS, WAS IN THE REAR OF THE CAR TRYING TO GRAB A BAG OF CHIPS THAT WERE IN THE LUGGAGE. WHEN WE GOT REAR ENDED AT THE HIGHWAY EXIT, THE BACK DOOR OF THE SUV POPPED OPEN EVEN THOUGH THE CAR DOORS WERE LOCKED. MY DAUGHTER WAS THROWN OUT OF THE BACK OF THE SUV AND IN FRONT OF THE TRUCK THAT REAR ENDED US. LUCKI…
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MY DAUTHER AGED 10 YEARS, WAS IN THE REAR OF THE CAR TRYING TO GRAB A BAG OF CHIPS THAT WERE IN THE LUGGAGE. WHEN WE GOT REAR ENDED AT THE HIGHWAY EXIT, THE BACK DOOR OF THE SUV POPPED OPEN EVEN THOUGH THE CAR DOORS WERE LOCKED. MY DAUGHTER WAS THROWN OUT OF THE BACK OF THE SUV AND IN FRONT OF THE TRUCK THAT REAR ENDED US. LUCKILY SHE FELL ON SOME PILLOWS THAT WERE ALSO FLUNG FROM THE CAR, THEREBY REDUCING HER INJURIES. ALSO THE PICKUP TRUCK THAT REAR ENDED US HAD STOPPED, SO SHE DID NOT GET RUN OVER BY IT. THIS DOOR SHOULD NOT HAVE OPENED WHEN IT WAS LOCKED. THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD. I HAVE VOICED MY CONCERNS TO TOYOTA, BUT THERE HAS BEEN NO RESPONSE. *AK
ENGINE FAILED TWICE WITHIN TWO MONTHS FOR NO REASON. BOTH TIMES SLOWING DOWN WHEN GOING TO TURN. NO ONE WAS HURT./// LOST CONTROL OF 4 RUNNER WHILE SLOWING DOWN FOR EXIT RAMP AT 35 MPH AND WET ROAD. SPEED WAS NOT EXCESSIVE FOR CONDITIONS. CAR SPUN HIT GUARD RAIL AND THEN HIT AND DID A 360. 4 DAYS LATER, DRY FREEWAY AT 70 MPH CAR…
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ENGINE FAILED TWICE WITHIN TWO MONTHS FOR NO REASON. BOTH TIMES SLOWING DOWN WHEN GOING TO TURN. NO ONE WAS HURT./// LOST CONTROL OF 4 RUNNER WHILE SLOWING DOWN FOR EXIT RAMP AT 35 MPH AND WET ROAD. SPEED WAS NOT EXCESSIVE FOR CONDITIONS. CAR SPUN HIT GUARD RAIL AND THEN HIT AND DID A 360. 4 DAYS LATER, DRY FREEWAY AT 70 MPH CAR SUDDENLY VEERED TO LEFT, SPUN 360 THEN INTO GRASS MEDIAN 360 , THEN 360 BACK ONTO FREEWAY AND CAME TO STOP, ONLY GOD COULD HAVE PREVENTED THIS FROM BEING A DISASTER. TWO PASSENGERS, NO ONE WAS HURT. CAR COVERED WITH GRASS. *AK( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: 16 )
ALARM SYSTEM OUT OF ORDER. YH
POWER STEERING PUMP FAILED. YH
ALARM AND KEYLESS ENTRY SYSTEM FAILED. NLM
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.