IllustrationTHIS PARTICULAR TYPE OF HEAD GASKET FAILURE (COOLANT LEAKAGE INTO THE CYLINDER) IS A KNOWN PROBLEM ON THE 3VZ-E ENGINE, TOYOTA INITIATED A SPECIAL SERVICE CAMPAIGN (V06) TO REPAIR MOST, HOWEVER THE CONSUMER'S VEHICLE DOES NOT QUALIFY DUE TO THE VIN # RANGE. *MJS
1990 Toyota 4RUNNER
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1990 Toyota 4RUNNER do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 58.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all 4RUNNER 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: 15 of 78 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.
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 38 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 14 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Structure. Review the 8 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
10 crash reports6 fire reports6 injury reports
What owners actually said
78 reportsSTARTED AND LOW SPEED STRANGE NOISE AND ANTIFREZE SPEWING, HEAD GASKET BLOWN (REPLACED IN 1998) ONLY 42 K MILES INTO NEW GASKET. *AK
THREW A ROD, RESULTING IN TOTAL ENGINE FAILURE. COMPLETE OIL LOSS BLAMED - CAUSE UNKNOWN. HEAD GASKET REPLACED IN APRIL OF 1996. THIS OCCURRED IN MAY OF 1997.*AK
THE FAILURE OCCURRED ON INTERSTATE 10 IN TEMPE, ARIZONA AT APPROXIMATELY 12 NOON. AT THE TIME I WAS A RESIDENT OF TEMPE, ARIZONA FOR 12 YEARS. THE FAILURE WAS A SUDDEN AND COMPLETE TREAD SEPARATION OF THE RIGHT REAR TIRE WITHOUT ANY WARNING WHATSOEVER. THE AGE OF THE TIRE AND TREAD WEAR IS UNKNOWN. I WAS THE ONLY OCCUPANT OF THE…
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THE FAILURE OCCURRED ON INTERSTATE 10 IN TEMPE, ARIZONA AT APPROXIMATELY 12 NOON. AT THE TIME I WAS A RESIDENT OF TEMPE, ARIZONA FOR 12 YEARS. THE FAILURE WAS A SUDDEN AND COMPLETE TREAD SEPARATION OF THE RIGHT REAR TIRE WITHOUT ANY WARNING WHATSOEVER. THE AGE OF THE TIRE AND TREAD WEAR IS UNKNOWN. I WAS THE ONLY OCCUPANT OF THE VEHICLE AT THE TIME. I MAINTAINED CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND BROUGHT IT TO A STOP WITHOUT DIFFICULTY. NO OTHER REPORT IS AVAILABLE. I PAID TO REPLACE THE TIRE AT A FIRESTONE DEALER. OTHER INFORMATION: I HAVE OBSERVED OTHER QUALITY PROBLEMS WITH THIS MODEL TIRE INCLUDING TIRES GETTING OUT OF BALANCE SOON AFTER PURCHASE AND PARTIAL TREAD SEPARATION ON TIRES WITH HEAVY WEAR.( DOT NUMBER: N/A TIRE SIZE: P235/75R15 )
CONSUMER STARTED UP THE CAR AND SAW A BIG PUFF OF SMOKE. TOOK VEHICLE TO A MECHANIC, AND THEY SAID IT WAS A BLOWN HEAD GASKET.*AK *SLC
ABS FAILED TO ACTIVATE DURING SNOW CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO SPEED UP RESULTING IN A COLLISION WITH A FENCE. *YH
WHEN TRYING TO START VEHICLE AFTER IT HAS BEEN RUNNING ROUGHLY, WHITE SMOKE CAME OUT OF ENGINE. A TECHNICIAN HAD INFORMED CONSUMER THAT VEHICLE HAD A BLOWN HEAD GASKET. *AK
THIS VEHICLE BEHAVES IN A VERY "LEMON" LIKE WAY. NUMEROUS ELECTRICAL FAILURES SINCE I HAVE OWNED THE VEHICLE. MAIN PROBLEM IS VEHICLE JUMPING IN AND OUT OF OVERDRIVE AT HIGHWAY CRUISING SPEEDS. (A CONSTANT PROBLEM.) TOYOTA SEEMS TO NOT WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE PROBLEM, ALTHOUGH I KNOW OF AT LEAST ONE OTHER OWNER LOCALLY WHO H…
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THIS VEHICLE BEHAVES IN A VERY "LEMON" LIKE WAY. NUMEROUS ELECTRICAL FAILURES SINCE I HAVE OWNED THE VEHICLE. MAIN PROBLEM IS VEHICLE JUMPING IN AND OUT OF OVERDRIVE AT HIGHWAY CRUISING SPEEDS. (A CONSTANT PROBLEM.) TOYOTA SEEMS TO NOT WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE PROBLEM, ALTHOUGH I KNOW OF AT LEAST ONE OTHER OWNER LOCALLY WHO HAS EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM. AT ONE TIME, A WIRING HARNESS WAS BLAMED AND A FIX WAS MADE THAT CURED THE PROBLEM FOR A COUPLE OF YEARS. VEHICLE CONSTANTLY LEAKS OIL, EVEN THOUGH THE LOCAL TOYOTA DEALERSHIP "FIXED" THESE PROBLEMS AS PART OF A RECALL IN LATE 1997. (PROBLEM NEVER STAYED FIXED.) ELECTRICAL SHORTS IN WIRING ALSO CAUSED SEVERAL INSTANCES OF BATTERY LOSS OF POWER SO BADLY THAT BATTERY HAD TO BE REPLACED NUMEROUS TIMES. TRANSMISSION HAS ALWAYS BEHAVED POORLY, ENGINE ALWAYS LEAKS OIL, AND ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS ARE ABUNDANT. *AK
TOYOTA SENT EXT. NOTICE 03/98. GOOD FOR 12 MONTHS, UP TO 100K MILES. ENGINE HEAD GASKETS DID NOT FAIL IN THAT TIME, BUT 24 MOS LATER AT ONLY 62K MILES, WELL UNDER 100K. STILL, TOYOTA WON'T EXTEND HONORING THE 1998 EXTENSION THOUGH RECORDS ON YOUR NHT
VALVES .LOW COMPRESSION IN ONE CYLINDER AFTER ONLY 25,000 MILES ON NEW VALVE JOB. *AK
Official recalls
105V389000 · Steering:linkages:rod:relay:connecting
Sep 6, 2005
ON CERTAIN PICKUP TRUCKS AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, IF THE STEERING WHEEL IS REPEATEDLY TURNED UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS WHERE HIGH STEERING EFFORT AND POWER ASSIST ARE REQUIRED, FOR INSTANCE, WHEN FULLY TURNING THE WHEEL WHILE THE VEHICLE IS STOPPED, A FATIGUE CRACK MAY DEVELOP IN THE STEERING RELAY ROD.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: IF THE VEHICLE IS CONTINUED TO BE OPERATED IN THIS CONDITION, THE RELAY ROD MAY FRACTURE, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE STEERING RELAY ROD. THE RECALL BEGAN OCTOBER 5, 2005. OWNERS MAY CONTACT TOYOTA AT 1-800-331-4331.
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
4DP02002 · Rear Seat Belt Routing
Opened Mar 26, 2002 · Closed Aug 26, 2002
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Seat Belts:rear/other
No summary supplied.
SQ99003 · Corroded Brake Lines
Opened Jan 27, 1999 · Closed Apr 22, 1999
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Service Brakes, Hydraulic
TOYOTA IS CONDUCTING A SAFETY RECALL IN CANADA 98-253. CORRODED BRAKE LINES COULD FAIL RESULTING IN A PARTIAL BRAK SYSTEM LOSS AND INCREASED STOPPING DISTANCES
EA92011 · Loss Of Brk Effectiveness
Opened Mar 24, 1992 · Closed Jan 21, 1993
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Service Brakes, Hydraulic
There is no summary currently available
PE91147 · Loss Of Brake Effectivenes
Opened Nov 6, 1991 · Closed Mar 24, 1992
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Service Brakes, Hydraulic
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