IllustrationDURING THE DAY INSTRUMENT PANEL IS NOT WELL LIT, CAUSING POOR VISIBILITY OF THE SPEEDOMETER AND WARNING INDICATORS. *AK *MR
2004 Toyota 4 Runner
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2004 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
460–25K
125–50K
050–75K
075–100K
0100–150K
0150K+
47 reports with mileage · 19 unknown
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.
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 18 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 9 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Seats. Review the 7 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
5 crash reports0 fire reports2 injury reports
What owners actually said
66 reports2004 SR5 V6 4WD EXPERIENCES DRONING VIBRATION OR RUMBLING ON FLOOR, PEDALS, AND STEERING WHEEL WHEN CAR IS DRIVEN BETWEEN 1500-2000 RPM. VIBRATIONS ARE SIGNIFICANTLY WORSE FOR AMBIENT TEMPERATURES BELOW 35 DEGREES F. AND VERY BAD BELOW 15 DEGREES F. ALSO BECOMES MORE PREDOMINANT DURING ACCELERATION. VIBRATION DISSAPPEARS WHEN T…
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2004 SR5 V6 4WD EXPERIENCES DRONING VIBRATION OR RUMBLING ON FLOOR, PEDALS, AND STEERING WHEEL WHEN CAR IS DRIVEN BETWEEN 1500-2000 RPM. VIBRATIONS ARE SIGNIFICANTLY WORSE FOR AMBIENT TEMPERATURES BELOW 35 DEGREES F. AND VERY BAD BELOW 15 DEGREES F. ALSO BECOMES MORE PREDOMINANT DURING ACCELERATION. VIBRATION DISSAPPEARS WHEN TRANSMISSION IS SHIFTED INTO NEUTRAL AT SAME SPEED. APPEARS PROBLEM IS IN DRIVE TRAIN/TRANSAXEL AND NOT TRANSMISSION. *AK
LEAKAGE OF SULFUR DIOXIDE (SO2) FUMES FROM EXHAUST INTO CABIN OF VEHICLE, SMELLS LIKE "ROTTEN EGGS." EXPOSURE TO SO2 HAS ADVERSE HEALTH EFFECTS, SOURCE EPA. I SUFFER FROM ASTHMA AND THE SULFUR FUMES CREATE SERIOUS SAFETY AND HEALTH HAZARD.
WHEN DRIVING MY 2004 TOYOTA 4 RUNNER EMITS A SULFUR LIKE ODOR. I HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT SWITCHING FUELS WILL HELP, BUT I HAVE TRIED ALL FUELS IN THE AREA OF ALL GRADES AND STILL HAVE THIS TERRIBLE SMELL. IT HAPPENS ON A REPEATABLE BASIS, MOST OF THE TIME AFTER EXITING THE FREEWAY ONTO A SURFACE STREET IS WHEN IT IS MOST NOTICEABL…
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WHEN DRIVING MY 2004 TOYOTA 4 RUNNER EMITS A SULFUR LIKE ODOR. I HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT SWITCHING FUELS WILL HELP, BUT I HAVE TRIED ALL FUELS IN THE AREA OF ALL GRADES AND STILL HAVE THIS TERRIBLE SMELL. IT HAPPENS ON A REPEATABLE BASIS, MOST OF THE TIME AFTER EXITING THE FREEWAY ONTO A SURFACE STREET IS WHEN IT IS MOST NOTICEABLE.
ROTTEN EGG SMELL WHEN THE GAS PEDAL IS DEPRESSED QUICKLY FROM EITHER A STANDSTILL OR ALREADY MOVING. I'VE TRIED ALL DIFFERENT TYPES OF GAS BUT TO NO AVAIL.*AK
DRIVELINE VIBRATION CENTERD AT APPROXIMATELY 1700 RPMS. IS WORST IN 5TH GEAR. PROBLEM BEGAN AT ABOUT 400 MILES AND HAS GOTTEN SLIGHTLY WORSE WITH ADDITONAL MILEAGE. DEALER RESPONSE TO COMPLAINT WAS "CHARACTERISTIC OF THE VEHICLE - NO POBLEM FOUND AT THIS TIME."*AK
I JUST PERCHASED A 2004 TOYOTA 4 RUNNER SPORT EDITION V8 IN FEBRUARY. I HAVE JUST COMPLETED THE "BREAK-IN" PERIOD AND HAVE BEGUN TO INCREASE MY SPEED ON THE HIGHWAY. A CYCLICAL VIBRATION AND NOISE IS NOTICED FROM THE ENGINE AT 70 MILES PER HOUR THAT INCREASES IN FREQUENCY AS VEHICLE SPEED IS INCREASED. THE NOISE SUBSIDES ONCE…
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I JUST PERCHASED A 2004 TOYOTA 4 RUNNER SPORT EDITION V8 IN FEBRUARY. I HAVE JUST COMPLETED THE "BREAK-IN" PERIOD AND HAVE BEGUN TO INCREASE MY SPEED ON THE HIGHWAY. A CYCLICAL VIBRATION AND NOISE IS NOTICED FROM THE ENGINE AT 70 MILES PER HOUR THAT INCREASES IN FREQUENCY AS VEHICLE SPEED IS INCREASED. THE NOISE SUBSIDES ONCE YOU LET OFF THE GAS REGARDLESS OF SPEED. IN ADDITION, STEERING WHEEL AND BRAKE PEDAL VIBRATES BETWEEN 1500 AND 2000 RPM RANGE AT VARIOUS SPEEDS. *AK
TOYOTA'S NEW COMMERCIAL FOR THEIR HIGHLANDER IS ALL ABOUT FEATURING A WOMAN PUTTING MAKE-UP ON WHILE DRIVING TO WORK. IT IS UNBELIEVABLY IRRESPONSIBLE.*AK
SIDE BLOW OUT IN A BRIDGESTONE DUELER H/T 687 P225/70 R16 TIRE AT 9:50AM. UPON BACKTRACKING DOWN YORK ROAD, NO "CHUCK" HOLES WERE FOUND OR FOREIGN OBJECTS IN THE 4 LANE ROAD. SANDY WAS TRAVELING SOUTH DOWN YORK ROAD IN PARMA OHIO, ABOUT 1,000 FEET FROM PLEASANT VALLEY ROAD WHEN THE TIRE BLEW OUT. NOTE: YOUR WEB SITE DID NOT HA…
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SIDE BLOW OUT IN A BRIDGESTONE DUELER H/T 687 P225/70 R16 TIRE AT 9:50AM. UPON BACKTRACKING DOWN YORK ROAD, NO "CHUCK" HOLES WERE FOUND OR FOREIGN OBJECTS IN THE 4 LANE ROAD. SANDY WAS TRAVELING SOUTH DOWN YORK ROAD IN PARMA OHIO, ABOUT 1,000 FEET FROM PLEASANT VALLEY ROAD WHEN THE TIRE BLEW OUT. NOTE: YOUR WEB SITE DID NOT HAVE A HIGHLANDER AS THE TOYOTA (SO, I ENTER 4-RUNNER). MY CAR IS A TOYOTA. ALSO, THIS WEB SITE DIDN'T HAVE THE EXACT TIRE TO SELECT FROM, SO PLEASE READ THE DESCRIPTION HERE.*AK
WHILE DRIVING VIBRATION CAME FROM THE DRIVETRAIN/FRONT DIFFERENTIAL AT VARIOUS SPEEDS. SEEMED TO BE RELATED TO RPM AND OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE. MOST PROMINENT AT @2000 RPMS, AND BELOW 50 DEGREES. VIBRATION FELT IN PEDALS, FLOOR AND STEERING. HEARD THROUGHOUT THE VEHICLE. DEALER TECH TRYING, BUT NO ANSWERS. *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.