1997 Toyota 4RUNNER

FRAME ON A 1997 TOYOTA 4RUNNER ROTTING OUT. VEHICLE NO LONGER ROAD WORTHY AND WILL NOT TAKE A STICKER. HAVE BEEN A TOYOTA MAN MY WHOLE LIFE BUT THIS MAKES ME THINK TWICE ABOUT EVER PURCHASING ANOTHER ONE. IS TOYOTA GOING TO GO GOOD ON THIS? FUNNY HOW THE TACOMA WAS RECALLED BUT NOT THE 4RUNNER! SAME FRAME? I WOULD HAVE TO GUESS YES... *TR

I AM REPORTING A FRAME DEFECT ON MY VEHICLE. I HAVE A 1997 TOYOTA 4RUNNER, AND WHILE ON MY WAY HOME, ON THE DATE STATED, I HIT A POTHOLE IN THE ROAD, AND, IMMEDIATELY STARTED HEARING A NOISE AT THE DRIVER SIDE OF MY VEHICLE. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO OUR LOCAL DEALERSHIP, AND UPON INSPECTION, THE DIAGNOSIS, WAS THAT THE FRAME HAD BROKEN, AND WAS RUBBING ON MY GAS TANK, WHICH MADE THE VEHICLE UNSAFE TO DRIVE ANY FURTHER. I HAVE DONE RESEARCH AND HAVE FOUND MANY OTHER COMPLAINTS,SIMILAR TO MINE, YET, THE MANUFACTURER IS UNWILLING TO DO ANYTHING TO SOLVE THE ISSUE, OR OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE TO REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE PART. I GUESS AS LONG AS NOBODY HAS BEEN KILLED, OR ,SERIOUSLY INJURED, THE PROBLEM ISN'T BIG ENOUGH YET!!!

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 TOYOTA 4RUNNER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS BEING SERVICED FOR UNRELATED MAINTENANCE WHEN HE WAS ADVISED BY THE DEALER THAT THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE FRAME WAS RUSTED. THE DEALER STATED THAT IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH, THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE OF THE VEHICLE WOULD CRUMBLE. THE DEALER ALSO ADVISED THAT THE FAILURE WAS UNREPAIRABLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 180,000.

1997 TOYOTA 4RUNNER REAR DIFFERENTIAL RUST THROUGH. I HAVE JUST NOTICED THAT MY 1997 4RUNNER IS LEAKING DIFFERENTIAL OIL AND AM CONCERNED THAT RUST OR FOREIGN DEBRIS WILL GET INTO THE DIFFERENTIAL AND CAUSE A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE. I HAVE REMOVED THE 4RUNNER FROM OPERATION UNTIL THE DEFECT IS CORRECTED. THE RUST IS ON THE REAR TOP OF THE DIFFERENTIAL. THERE ARE VERY LARGE FLAKES OF RUST ON THE DIFFERENTIAL AND THE OIL IS LEAKING THROUGH SOME OF THE RUST HOLES. IT APPEARS THAT THE DIFFERENTIAL WAS NOT MANUFACTURED WITH ADEQUATE THICKNESS IN THE METAL HOUSING AND HAD INADEQUATE CORROSION PROTECTION. *TR

I WAS ON HIGHWAY 101 DRIVING HOME RECENTLY IN MY 97 4RUNNER WITH 200,000+ MILES ON IT AFTER A FULL SERVICING AT TOYOTA OF SANTA CRUZ AND MY ACCELERATOR STUCK, IDLING AT 3-4K RPM. AFTER THE PANIC MODE OF NOT BEING ABLE TO STOP AND REALIZING THE BRAKES WILL NOT STOP A REVVING ENGINE, I PUT IT IN NEUTRAL AND SLOWED THE VEHICLE AS THE ENGINE REVVED. I PUT IT BACK IN DRIVE AND IT SEEMED TO BE OK. I GOT TO AN AREA WHERE I COULD TEST IT OUT SAFELY AND THE SAME THING HAPPENED AND I HAD TO PUT IT NEUTRAL AGAIN. I CONTINUED TO DRIVE, BUT IT FINALLY FROZE AT 3-4K RPM AND I HAD TO PULL TO THE SIDE AND GET TOWED. I HAD IT TOWED TO TOYOTA OF SANTA CRUZ AND THE NEXT DAY WAS INFORMED THAT THE BRAIDING ON THE THROTTLE CABLE CAME APART IN THE THROTTLE HOUSING AND THE MAINTENANCE'S WOULD NOT HAVE FOUND THE PROBLEM. THE FIX WAS RELATIVELY INEXPENSIVE, $200 AND THE TOW WAS $200. THAT WOULD NOT BE A PROBLEM IF IT HADN'T BEEN SUCH A SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD, BUT THIS WAS A MAJOR SAFETY HAZARD NOT ONLY TO MYSELF, BUT TO ANYONE THAT I WAS ON THE ROAD WITH. I UNDERSTAND THAT THE VEHICLE IS AN OLDER VEHICLE, BUT I'M GUESSING THAT THIS IS NOT THE 1ST TIME THAT THIS HAS HAPPENED. AND MY WORST THOUGHT IS THAT POSSIBLY MY DAUGHTER, GIRLFRIEND (WHICH IS A NEW DRIVER) OR ANYONE ELSE FOR THAT MATTER COULD HAVE BEEN DRIVING THE VEHICLE AND WHO KNOWS WHAT MAY HAVE HAPPENED. SO, IT LOOKS LIKE TOYOTA HAS QUITE A FEW SAFETY ISSUES THAT THEY HAVE BEEN IGNORING FOR QUITE A FEW YEARS. ON TOP OF THAT, IT SEEMS THAT THEY SHOULD HAVE AT LEAST PAID FOR THE REPAIRS FOR SENDING ME OUT IN THEIR DEATH TRAP WITH NO WARNING. I'M GOING TO BE BUYING ANOTHER CAR SOON AND I WILL TO THINK TWICE ABOUT BUYING ANOTHER TOYOTA. *TR

SERIOUS CORROSION ON REAR DIFFERENTIAL CASING AT BELOW FILL BOLT, LEAKING FLUIDS. DEALER UNABLE TO DO ANYTHING BECAUSE PART IS NOT A COVER AS IN MOST VEHICLES. DEALER ONLY SOLUTION IS TO REPLACE ENTIRE REAR DIFFERENTIAL WITH ALL PARTS. THIS SITUATION PRESENTS A SERIOUS THREAT TO LIFE AS THESE COMPONENTS ARE SEVERELY AND UNUSUALLY RUSTED. *TR

1997 TOYOTA 4RUNNER FRAME ROTTING OUT. THERE IS A RECALL ON THE 1997 TOYOTA TACOMAS FOR THE SAME REASON, THE 4RUNNER HAS THE SAME FRAME AND HAS THE SAME PROBLEM. TOYOTA REFUSES TO ADD THE 4RUNNER TO THE RECALL OR FIX THE DEFECTIVE FRAMES. MY 4RUNNER IS IN EXCELLENT SHAPE EXCEPT THE FRAME IS ROTTING THROUGH IN SEVERAL LOCATIONS. THESE 4RUNNERS SHOULD BE RECALLED THE SAME AS THE TACOMAS TO FIX THE DEFECT. *TR

1997 TOYOTA 4RUNNER FRAME ROTTING OUT. THERE IS A RECALL ON THE 1997 TOYOTA TACOMAS FOR THE SAME REASON, THE 4RUNNER HAS THE SAME FRAME AND HAS THE SAME PROBLEM. TOYOTA REFUSES TO ADD THE 4RUNNER TO THE RECALL OR FIX THE DEFECTIVE FRAMES. MY 4RUNNER IS IN EXCELLENT SHAPE EXCEPT THE FRAME IS ROTTING THROUGH IN SEVERAL LOCATIONS. THESE 4RUNNERS SHOULD BE RECALLED THE SAME AS THE TACOMAS TO FIX THE DEFECT.