IllustrationDT: THE CONTACT STATED THE VEHICLE STALLS AND THE DEALER HAS BEEN UNABLE TO RESOLVE. THE CONTACT IS UNSURE IF THIS IS THE ENGINE AND THE TRANSMISSION. THE VEHICLE ALSO HAS A CONTINUOUS KNOCKING SOUND, AND A INTERMITTENT STALLING PROBLEM. ALSO THE VEHICLE HAS A VIBRATION WHEN IT IS ACCELERATING OVER 50 MILES PER HOUR.
1999 Toyota 4 Runner
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1999 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: 25 of 110 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 27 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 15 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 12 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
18 crash reports3 fire reports10 injury reports
Engine And Engine Cooling complaints
12 reports(1) HIGH PITCHED ENGINE SQUEAK; ASSUMED WORN BELT. (2) MAIN PULLEY KEY LOCKING MAIN PULLEY TO CRANK SHAFT HAD SHEARED INTO TWO PIECES. ONE PIECE LOST. PULLEY MOVED OUT OF POSITION, STRESSING BELT AND CAUSING NOISE. REMAINING PIECE OF THE KEY WAS EMBEDDED AND FUSED INTO THE CRANK SHAFT. PULLEY KEY IS $ PART. OBVIOUSLY, NOT …
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(1) HIGH PITCHED ENGINE SQUEAK; ASSUMED WORN BELT. (2) MAIN PULLEY KEY LOCKING MAIN PULLEY TO CRANK SHAFT HAD SHEARED INTO TWO PIECES. ONE PIECE LOST. PULLEY MOVED OUT OF POSITION, STRESSING BELT AND CAUSING NOISE. REMAINING PIECE OF THE KEY WAS EMBEDDED AND FUSED INTO THE CRANK SHAFT. PULLEY KEY IS $ PART. OBVIOUSLY, NOT DURABLE ENOUGH FOR CRITICAL ENGINE PART, WHICH WHEN FAILS CAN RUIN THE ENTIRE ENGINE. EVEN 500 X THE $ COST WOULD BE WORTH HAVING TITANIUM OR TUNGSTEN STEEL PART THAT WOULD NEVER FAIL. TOYOTA IS CUTTING CORNERS, SACRIFICING QUALITY IN THE NAME OF PROFIT. I RISKED HAVING TO REPLACE THE ENGINE -- A $9,000 CONSIDERATION. (3) FORTUNATELY OLD MILL TOYOTA (OMAHA, NEBRASKA. WAS ABLE TO REMOVE THE FUSED PART AND SAVE THE ENGINE. A PROPERLY ENGINEERED PART, EVEN AT MUCH GREATER COST, WOULD HAVE PROTECTED ME FROM THIS RISK.*AK
1999-TOYOTA 4-RUNNER STARTED TO CONVULSE,SEIZE, AND SHAKE UNCONTROLLABLY, OIL WAS POURING OUT ALL OVER THE FREEWAY. THE CAR WAS NOT CONTROLLABLE IN FREEWAY TRAFFIC AT FREEWAY SPEEDS. THE CAR WAS PERFECTLY MAINTAINED. TOYOTA REFUSED TO EVALUATE THE PROBLEM. INDEPENDENT EXPERT DIAGNOSED A "HOLE IN THE BLOCK FROM A DEFECTIVE CONNEC…
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1999-TOYOTA 4-RUNNER STARTED TO CONVULSE,SEIZE, AND SHAKE UNCONTROLLABLY, OIL WAS POURING OUT ALL OVER THE FREEWAY. THE CAR WAS NOT CONTROLLABLE IN FREEWAY TRAFFIC AT FREEWAY SPEEDS. THE CAR WAS PERFECTLY MAINTAINED. TOYOTA REFUSED TO EVALUATE THE PROBLEM. INDEPENDENT EXPERT DIAGNOSED A "HOLE IN THE BLOCK FROM A DEFECTIVE CONNECTING ROD WHICH HAD SHOT THROUGH THE ENGINE WALL" TOYOTA REFUSES ANY RESPONSIBILITY!! *JB
"THREW A ROD" WHILE HWY DRIVING. ENGINE SEIZED. ALL SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE ON TIME INCLUDING OIL CHANGES. LAST OIL CHANGE 2 MONTHS PRIOR. NO WARNING.
VEHICLE STALLS AND DIES ON FREEWAY ALMOST CAUSING WRECK. FIND OUT THERE IS NO FUEL IN TANK EVEN THOUGH FUEL GAUGE READS 1/2. TOYOTA SAYS TSB EL010-00 ADDRESSES KNOWN DEFECTIVE 1999 AND 2000 FUEL GAUGES AND ALSO ADDRESSES SOME GAUGES INACCURATELY READING EMPTY WHEN 4 GALLONS REMAIN, BUT MY VEHICLE IS A FEW MONTHS AND MILES OUT OF…
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VEHICLE STALLS AND DIES ON FREEWAY ALMOST CAUSING WRECK. FIND OUT THERE IS NO FUEL IN TANK EVEN THOUGH FUEL GAUGE READS 1/2. TOYOTA SAYS TSB EL010-00 ADDRESSES KNOWN DEFECTIVE 1999 AND 2000 FUEL GAUGES AND ALSO ADDRESSES SOME GAUGES INACCURATELY READING EMPTY WHEN 4 GALLONS REMAIN, BUT MY VEHICLE IS A FEW MONTHS AND MILES OUT OF WARRANTY SO TOY WILL NOT PAY FOR FIX. NO ENGINE, NO STEERING, NO BRAKES, LOTS OF TRAFFIC....
CONSUMER STATES THAT THERE IS OIL ON THE ENGINE. DEALER WAS CONTACTED. MR
VEHICLE IS EXPERIENCING INTERMITTENT STALLING FROM 18,000 MILES UP TO THE PRESENT 22,000 MILES AT 25 MPH IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC. VEHICLE HAS BEEN IN DEALER'S SHOP FOR REPAIRS. DEALER INFORMED CONSUMER THAT NOTHING COULD BE FOUND. *AK *ML
WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE STALLED UNEXPECTEDLY WHICH COULD HAVE CAUSED A CRASH. DEALER COULD NOT DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE THE PROBLEM. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK
WHILE DRIVING IN HEAVY TRAFFIC VEHICLE STALLED UNEXPECTEDLY AND WON'T RESTART AFTER 4 TIMES. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK
THE VEHICLE STALLS AND DIES, GIVING THE DRIVER NO INDICATION. DEALER HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. *AK
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.