1999 Toyota 4RUNNER

IN SEPTEMBER 2009, I WAS STARTING MY 1999 TOYOTA 4RUNNER IN MY DRIVEWAY. I DRESSED THE CLUTCH AS USUAL AND TURNED THE KEY. THE ENGINE STARTED, I HEARD A "POP", AND IT BEGAN RUNNING AT FULL THROTTLE AND WAS RACING FOR SEVERAL MINUTES UNTIL I FINALLY TURNED IT OFF. THE RPM GAUGE WAS AT ITS MAXIMUM. I DID NOT HAVE A FLOOR MAT ON THE DRIVERS SIDE, I DID NOT HAVE MY FOOT ON THE GAS, AND WAS NOT DOING ANYTHING TO RACE THE ENGINE. I COULD NOT MAKE THE ENGINE STOP RACING. I TRIED TO PUT MY FOOT ON THE GAS PEDAL AND THEN RELEASED IT. IT WAS STILL RACING, AND THE GAS PEDAL WAS NOT DEPRESSED OR CAUGHT ON ANYTHING. FORTUNATELY, THE CAR WAS STILL IN NEUTRAL WITH THE PARKING BRAKE ON. IT WAS VERY SCARY, AS I COULD NOT MAKE THE ENGINE STOP RACING. I HAD TO TURN THE ENGINE OFF TO STOP IT. I TOOK IT TO THE TOYOTA DEALER, THEY COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG AFTER INSPECTING WITH A "SCAN TOOL" AND THE WIRING LOOKED GOOD. THEY SAID THAT IT WAS BECAUSE A PACK RAT HAD BEEN IN THE ENGINE AT THE TIME. (THAT'S A PRETTY LAME EXCUSE.) THEY SAID THEY COULD "CLEAN THE THROTTLE" AND "FLUSH THE FUEL LINE" WHICH I HAD THEM DO (COST $300.) BECAUSE I WAS SCARED TO DRIVE THE CAR UNTIL THEY DID SOMETHING. *TR

1999 TOYOTA 4-RUNNER- I NOTICED THE REAR END SWAYING WILDLY AT EVEN LOW SPEEDS. I NOTICES THAT THE REAR END HAD BECOME DETACHED FROM FRAME. I WENT TO A PROFESSIONAL WELDER WHO HAD PREVIOUSLY DONE SOME WORK FOR ME. HE SAID THAT THE FRAME COMPONENTS WERE SO BADLY DETERIORATED THAT NOTHING COULD BE DONE. I WENT TO STEET TOYOTA IN UTICA N.Y., AND THEY TOLD ME THAT MY VEHICLE WOULD COST OVER $15,000 TO REPAIR. THE FRAME AND COMPONENTS WERE INDEED DEFECTIVE, BUT I HAD NO RECOURSE. *TR

WHILE DRIVING ON INTERSTATE DURING RUSH HOUR, IN THE PASSING LANE AT 70 MPH, THE VEHICLES ENGINE QUIT, LOST ALL POWER STEERING, BRAKES, ETC. VERY DANGEROUS FOR ME AND MY FAMILY. WAS ABLE TO DRIFT TO A TURN AROUND. BOTTOM LINE, VEHICLE HAD RUN OUT OF GAS, EVEN THOUGH FUEL GAUGE SHOWED A LITTLE OVER 1/2 TANK. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS. *TR

THE TRAILING ARMS IN THE REAR HAVE BROKEN. FIRST THE RIGHT AND I HAD IT REPAIRED AND NOW THE LEFT AND IT CANNOT BE REPAIRED DUE TO THE METAL BEING SPONGY. IT IS ALSO CALLED THE SWAY BAR LINK. THE STEERING HAD BECOME ERRATIC AND I TOOK IT IN TO BE LOOKED AT AND RECEIVED THE BAD NEWS. TOYOTA HAS NO RESPONSE. THE 4RUNNER HAS THE SAME BODY AS THE TACOMA BUT THERE IS NOT RECALL ON THIS LEMON. *TR

DRIVING ON I-79 IN PASSING LANE AT 65 MPH, THE ENGINE QUIT, COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER STEERING AND BRAKES..RUSH HOUR. MOST DANGEROUS THAT HAS EVER HAPPENED TO ME. COASTED TO SIDE OF ROAD, TOWED TO GARAGE, ENGINE WILL NOT START, SHOWS A LITTLE OVER 1/2 TANK ON FUEL GAGE..ENDS UP, WAS OUT OF FUEL ! GAUGE GAVE FALSE READING. THE VEHICLE HAS ONLY 54,000 MILES ON IT. I DID FIND A TOYOTA TSB EL010-00 THAT ADDRESSES THIS EXACT PROBLEM, BUT I WAS NEVER NOTIFIED OF IT. MY VEHICLE WAS BOUGHT FROM A TOYOTA DEALER WITH MY NAME AS THE NEW OWNER ON RECORD. THIS IS THE MOST DANGEROUS THING TO HAPPEN, NO INDICATION OF LOW FUEL LEVEL, NO FUEL LOW WARNING LIGHT,,GAUGE WAS SHOWING A LITTLE OVER 1/2 TANK. THIS NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED AS A RECALL. *TR

FUEL GAUGE BEGAN SHOWING INACCURATE READINGS. USUALLY SHOWED AT OR NEAR FULL REGARDLESS OF ACTUAL FUEL VOLUME IN TANK. AFTER A COUPLE WEEKS IT JUST STAYED AT THE FULL MARK. MORE RECENTLY, ABOUT THE BEGINNING OF MARCH, 2009, UPON STARTING THE VEHICLE THE GAUGE WOULD OCCASIONALLY DROP TO THE EMPTY MARK, AND THE LOW FUEL INDICATOR LIGHT WOULD FLASH. IT WOULD REMAIN THIS WAY UNTIL THE VEHICLE WAS TURNED OFF. UPON TURNING THE KEY BACK TO THE ON POSITION, OR RESTARTING THE VEHICLE, THE GAUGE WOULD RETURN TO THE FULL MARK AND REMAIN THERE. REPLACING THE FUEL SENDER AS STATED IN TSB EL010-00 HAS NOT CORRECTED THE PROBLEM. IMMEDIATELY AFTER REPLACING THE FUEL SENDER THE GAUGE READ ABOUT 3/4 FULL BUT THE TANK WAS NEARLY EMPTY. AFTER FILLING THE TANK THE GAUGE MOVED TO FULL BUT IT CONTINUES TO ACT AS IS DID BEFORE REPLACING THE SENDER, EVEN AFTER GOING THROUGH THE CALIBRATION PROCEDURE MULTIPLE TIMES. ACCORDING TO THE VEHICLE VIN, AS SHOWN IN THE TSB, REPLACING THE COMBINATION PLATE (CIRCUIT BOARD) IN THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER IS NOT NEEDED. BUT THE FUEL GAUGE STILL ALWAYS READS FULL, OR EMPTY, AS IT DID BEFORE REPLACING THE FUEL SENDER. *TR