IllustrationREESE TOOLING KIT PACKAGE ON VEHICLE IS CAUSING FUSES TO BLOWOUT, VEHICLE HAS NO RUNNING LIGHTS, AND CONSUMER CANNOT PUT VEHICLE IN GEAR. CONTACTED DEALER, AND DEALER WAS TAKING A LOOK AT VEHICLE. *AK
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 reportsWHILE DRIVING 75 MPH TREAD ON RIGHT REAR TIRE COMPLETELY SEPARATED . TIRE SIZE P26570R16, TIRE MILEAGE 46,000, ORIGINAL MANUFACTURED EQUIPMENT ON A TOYOTA, 4 RUNNER, 1999. *AK *YD
WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 60 MPH THE VEHICLE STARTED VIBRATING IN AN UNCONTROLABLE WAY. THEN, WHILE DRIVING ON ROAD TIRE EXPLODED DUE TO TREAD SEPARATION. *AK
TIRE RUBBER SPONTANEOUSLY DETACHED FROM RIM. AUTO BECAME UNCONTROLLABLE. HAD DIFFICULTIES STOPPING. EXPERIENCED DRIVER. NO INJURIES OR FATALITIES.*AK (TIRESIZE: 225R15)
WHILE DRIVING, CONSUMER WENT INTO A DIRT GORE POINT AND LOST CONTROL, VEHICLE OVERTURNED DOWN A DIRT EMBANKMENT, INVESTIGATOR FEELS THIS WAS CAUSED BY A BROKEN LEFT REAR AXLE, HE STATES THERE WERE SCRAPE MARKS ON THE SPARE TIRE, REAR LEFT FRAME, LEFT REAR BRAKE ASSEMBLY BACKING PLATE, LEFT REAR WHEEL, AND BROKE PORTIONS OF THE R…
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WHILE DRIVING, CONSUMER WENT INTO A DIRT GORE POINT AND LOST CONTROL, VEHICLE OVERTURNED DOWN A DIRT EMBANKMENT, INVESTIGATOR FEELS THIS WAS CAUSED BY A BROKEN LEFT REAR AXLE, HE STATES THERE WERE SCRAPE MARKS ON THE SPARE TIRE, REAR LEFT FRAME, LEFT REAR BRAKE ASSEMBLY BACKING PLATE, LEFT REAR WHEEL, AND BROKE PORTIONS OF THE REAR BRAKE DRUM, HE ALSO STATED THAT THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO SLIDE REARWARD UNTIL IT LEFT THE ROADWAY AND OVERTURNED, MERCURY INSURANCE COMPANY SENT THIS INFORMATION IN, THERE FILE NUMBER FOR THIS IS 990629C. *SLC
FRONT BRAKE VIBRATION. 2ND FAILURE DUE TO WARPED ROTORS. *AK
BRAKE ROTORS HAVE BEEN REPLACED 6 TIMES DUE TO WARPING. DEALERSHIP INFORMED CONSUMER THAT DEFECT WAS DUE TO DRIVING HABITS OF HIS WIFE. *AK
THE FREQUENT TAIL LIGHT FAILURES ON MY 4RUNNER IS NOT ONLY A MAJOR NUISANCE BUT ALSO A LATENT SAFETY PROBLEM. MY 1998 4RUNNERS (LEFT OR RIGHT) TAIL LIGHT HAS FAILED TWICE SO FAR AND MY BROTHER'S 1996 4RUNNER HAS HAD AT LEAST 3 FAILURES. I HAVE SEEN MANY OTHER 4RUNNER'S ON THE ROAD WITH SINGLE TAIL LIGHTS OUT. I HAVE MENTIONE…
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THE FREQUENT TAIL LIGHT FAILURES ON MY 4RUNNER IS NOT ONLY A MAJOR NUISANCE BUT ALSO A LATENT SAFETY PROBLEM. MY 1998 4RUNNERS (LEFT OR RIGHT) TAIL LIGHT HAS FAILED TWICE SO FAR AND MY BROTHER'S 1996 4RUNNER HAS HAD AT LEAST 3 FAILURES. I HAVE SEEN MANY OTHER 4RUNNER'S ON THE ROAD WITH SINGLE TAIL LIGHTS OUT. I HAVE MENTIONED IT TO MY DEALER BUT THEY SAY ITS JUST THE BULB. BASED ON MY BROTHER AND MY EXPERIENCE, IT IS USUALLY THE SAME SIDE BULB THAT FAILS SUBSEQUENT TIMES. IT ALSO DOES NOT AFFECT THE BRAKE LIGHTS, ONLY THE REAR RUNNING LIGHTS (LEFT OR RIGHT, NEVER BOTH). I FEEL TOYOTA SHOULD HAVE TO INVESTIGATE THE TAIL LIGHT CIRCUIT AND TAKE CORRECTIVE ACTION. I ALSO BELIEVE THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN UNDERREPORTED BY OWNERS AS THEY JUST GET THE BULB REPLACED AND DO NOT BOTHER TO LOOK INTO IT FURTHER. THIS PROBLEM COULD ALSO POST A DIFFICULT-TO-QUANTIFY SAFETY ISSUE AS MANY 4RUNNER OWNERS DRIVE AROUND MISSING ONE TAIL LIGHT. IT IS ALSO A FINANCIAL ISSUE AS OWNERS NEED TO REPLACE THESE BULBS OFTEN (YEARLY OR LESS) AND CAN BE PULLED OVER BY THE POLICE FOR THIS TRAFFIC VIOLATION (NEW YORK CITY HAS JUST STARTED HEAVILY ENFORCING $20 FINES FOR THIS). IF YOU ARE NOT THE U.S. AGENCY I SHOULD CONTACT WITH THIS PROBLEM, PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHO I SHOULD CONTACT. THANK YOU.*AK
WHILE DRIVING CONSUMER COULD HEAR A LOT OF NOISE COMING FROM FRONT. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER FOR CHECK UP, AND FOUND OUT THAT TIRES WERE EXPERIENCING TREAD SEPARATION.*AK TIRE SIZE P225/75R15MS, DOT W2HHAWB048. *SLC
FRONT SUSPENSION FAILED, CAUSING A-ARM TO COLLAPSE. FRONT END IS SITTING DOWN ON TIRES. DEALR HAS NOT BEEN CONTACTED. *AK THE BALL JOINT CONNECTING A-ARM TO BOTTOM BACKING PLATE FAILED. *YH
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.