IllustrationREAR PANEL ADJUST ROD FAILED. MJS
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
What owners actually said
120 reportsREAR SPRING LOOSE,REPLACEMENT NECESSARY. YH
WINDSHILED DEFROSTER DOES NOT WORK WELL. NLM
HAD VEHICLE IN REVERSE & USING BRAKES HEARD LOUD CLICKING/GRINDING NOISES. TOOK TO DEALER. *AK
ENGINE STALLS WHILE DRIVING ,LOSS OF ENGINE POWER. DEALER CANNOT DETERMINE DEFECT. *AK
WHEN DRIVING ON WET PAVEMENT THE ABS LIGHT KEEP COMING ON, AND THE BRAKE LIGHT COMES ON NON-EMERGENCY SITUATIONS WHEN COMING TO A STOP. ALSO, WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES THEY DON'T SLOW THE VEHICLE DOWN FAST ENOUGH, CAUSING VEHICLE TO LOSE CONTROL, ALMOST HITTING OTHER VEHICLES. CONSUMER CAN HEAR THE BRAKES MOVING BACKWARD AND…
Read full complaint
WHEN DRIVING ON WET PAVEMENT THE ABS LIGHT KEEP COMING ON, AND THE BRAKE LIGHT COMES ON NON-EMERGENCY SITUATIONS WHEN COMING TO A STOP. ALSO, WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES THEY DON'T SLOW THE VEHICLE DOWN FAST ENOUGH, CAUSING VEHICLE TO LOSE CONTROL, ALMOST HITTING OTHER VEHICLES. CONSUMER CAN HEAR THE BRAKES MOVING BACKWARD AND FORWARD, AND THE DEALER CAN'T DETERMINE THE PROBLEM. *AK
VEHICLE IN HEAD ON COLLISION, FIRE ERRUPTED IMMEDIATELY. (QCAW)
WHILE DRIVING THE CHILD BECAME TWISTED IN SEAT BELT, IT WORKED LIKE A RATCHET TIGHTENING AROUND HER WAIST, CONSUMER DROVE TO A NEARBY POLICE STATION WHERE THEY HAD TO CUT THE SEAT BELT TO RELEASE THE CHILD. CONSUMER BELIEVES THERE IS A DEFECT IN THE DESIGN OF THE SEAT BELT. *AK *TT
WHEN CRUISE CONTROL IS ON AND GOING UP A HILL, TRANSMISSION DOWNSHIFTS.
THE CRUISE CONTROL SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONED, CAUSING VEHICLE TO KICK INTO HIGH GEAR, COMING OUT OF THE OVERDRIVE AND REVS UP TO 3500 MPH WHICH ALMOST CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. CAUSE UNKNOWN.
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.