2000 Toyota 4RUNNER

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 TOYOTA 4RUNNER. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS BEING SERVICED BY AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE PASSENGER SIDE FRAME WAS RUSTED ON BOTH SIDES AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 135,600. UPDATED 6/24/15*CN

ABOUT 1 MONTH AGO, THE FRAME OF MY 4RUNNER WITHOUT WARNING HAD A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE WHILE ON A HIGHWAY AND MY REAR CONTROL ARMS DISCONNECTED/PULLED OUT OF THE FRAME. FORTUNATELY I DID NOT HAVE A SERIOUS ACCIDENT, BUT IT EASILY COULD HAVE BEEN. THE LACK OF ANY WARNING SIGNS WAS THE SCARY PART IN ALL OF THIS. AFTER A BIT OF BASIC SEARCHING ON THE WEB, INCLUDING NHTSA, IT APPEARS MY CASE IS NOT A UNIQUE ONE. IT IS QUITE OBVIOUS THAT THIS THESE VEHICLES ARE SUSCEPTIBLE TO PREMATURE FRAME RUST ISSUES. I FIND IT EXTREMELY IRRESPONSIBLE THAT TOYOTA HAS TURNED A BLIND EYE TO SOMETHING SO SERIOUS. HYPOTHETICALLY, I CAN SEE A CAR FRAME FAILING BUT NOT A ROBUST TRUCK FRAME OF THIS ERA. IN MY PARTICULAR CASE, MY VEHICLE WAS REGULARLY MAINTAINED AT A TOYOTA DEALERSHIP, WASHED REGULARLY, GARAGED AND THE REST OF THE BODY IS RUST FREE AND MECHANICALLY EVERYTHING ELSE IS WORKING FLAWLESSLY. *TR

UPON REMOVING AND REPLACING MY EXHAUST AND MUFFLER ON OUR 2000 4RUNNER LIMITED I SPOTTED A HOLE IN MY FRAME ON THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE JUST BEFORE MY RIGHT PASSENGER WHEEL AND SUSPENSION. I FINISHED INSTALLING THE NEW EXHAUST AN BEGAN INSPECTING THE FRAME ALONG THE LENGTH OF THE VEHICLE. WHILE THE TRUCK IS NOT NEW ...IT ONLY HAD WHAT APPEARS TO BE LIMITED SURFACE RUST TO MOST OF THE FRAMEWORK. HOWEVER , THE PORTION THAT WAS DETECTED WAS CLEARLY RUSTED THROUGH AND NOW THREATENS THE FRAME INTEGRITY. I EXPECTED TO KEEP THIS CAR FOR A LONG TIME AND AM DISAPPOINTED THAT THIS MIGHT SHORTEN MY EXPECTED OWNERSHIP OF THIS VEHICLE. *TR

AFTER DROPPING MY KIDS OFF TO SCHOOL AND EXITING OFF THE INTERSTATE AT 45 MILES PER HOUR, I HEARD A LOUD POP AND THE TRUCK STARTED TO FISH TAIL UNTIL I WAS ABLE TO GET IT STOPPED WITHOUT WRECKING OR ENDING UP IN THE DITCH. AFTER SPEAKING TO A MECHANIC, HE SAID THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH 2000 4RUNNERS AND TO CONTACT TOYOTA. THE BACK FRAME ON THE PASSENGERS SIDE HAS COMPLETELY RUSTED THRU LEAVING THE REAR AXEL WITH NO SUPPORT. AFTER READING ALL THE COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS SAME EXACT ISSUE, AT THE SAME EXACT LOCATION, MEANS THAT THIS IS OBVIOUSLY A TOYOTA DEFECT. I BOUGHT MY 4RUNNER UNDERSTANDING THAT THIS VEHICLE WOULD GET ME AT LEAST 200,000 MILES. I'M CURRENTLY AT 118,000 AND IT ALREADY NEEDS TO GO TO THE JUNK YARD. I'M SHOCKED AND APPALLED THAT TOYOTA WOULD ALLOW THESE VEHICLES TO BE OUT ON THE STREETS KNOWING THAT THEY ARE ENDANGERING HUNDREDS AND THOUSANDS OF LIVES EVERYDAY. THIS CLEARLY SHOULD HAVE BEEN A SUBJECT OF RECALL AND NO DOUBT LIVES WILL BE LOST BEFORE SOMETHING IS DONE. A VERY SERIOUS ISSUE AND TOYOTA NEEDS TO RECALL THIS VEHICLE ASAP. AS IT STANDS I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER TOYOTA AND WILL GO TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH TO TELL MY STORY AND HOW TOYOTA TURNS THEIR BACK ON CUSTOMERS AND THE SAFETY OF THOSE YOU DRIVE THIS 2000 4RUNNER. WITH THE WEB AND ALL THE SOCIAL MEDIA FORUMS AT MY FINGER TIPS, I WILL MAKE IT MY MISSION IN LIFE TO SEE THAT TOYOTA IS HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR IRRESPONSIBILITY AND LACK OF LOYALTY TO TOYOTA BUYERS. DO THE RIGHT TOYOTA AND RECALL THE 2000 4RUNNER FOR THE PIECE OF JUNK THAT IT IS BEFORE LIVES ARE LOST! THE FRAME ON THE BACK AXEL COMPLETELY RUSTS THRU LEAVES NO OPTIONS FOR REPAIR BUT TO SIMPLY SCRAP YOUR VEHICLE WITH LOW MILEAGE. SUCH A DISHONEST COMPANY WITH NO REMORSE AND NO RESPECT FOR LIVES ON THE ROAD DRIVING EVERYDAY. *TR

SUBMISSION FROM CONSTITUENT RE 2000 TOYOTA 4-RUNNER SAFETY & ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES CONCERNS [TOYOTA MOTOR SALES]. *SMD THE CONSUMER STATED THE FRAME ON HIS VEHICLE IS RUSTED, TO THE POINT WHERE THE VEHICLE IS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE. THE FRAME RAIL IS EXHIBITING CORROSION TO THE POINT WHERE SECTIONS OF THE FRAME HAVE COMPLETELY DISINTEGRATED LEAVING HIM WITH MAJOR HOLES AND WELDED SUSPENSION MOUNTING COMPONENTS COMPLETELY SEPARATED FROM THE ACTUAL FRAME RAIL. *JB

TRAVELING STRAIGHT DOWN THE HIGHWAY AT 65 MPH. I HEAR A LOUD POP AND MY SUV VEERS HARD TO THE RIGHT CROSSING THE LOW SPEED LANE AND BREAKDOWN LANE. FORTUNATELY, THERE WERE NO OTHER VEHICLES NEXT TO ME. SUV MISSED THE GUARD RAIL, BUT CLIMBED AN EMBANKMENT AND CAME TO REST ON THE DRIVERS SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. RESULTING IN ME FORCEFULLY TWISTING THE STEERING WHEEL, HITTING MY HEAD ON THE WINDSHIELD AND BRAKING THE SIDE GLASS WITH MY HEAD. AFTERWARDS, LOOKING AT THE VEHICLE, IT WAS APPARENT WHAT HAD CAUSED THE ACCIDENT. SEVERE RUST ON THE FRAME, CAUSED THE SHOCK MOUNT, AND REAR CONTROL ARM TO TOTALLY SEPARATE FROM THE VEHICLE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 TOYOTA 4RUNNER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT A LOW SPEED, A NOISE EMITTED FROM THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE. IN ADDITION, THE CONTACT HAD TO MANEUVER THE STEERING WHEEL IN EXCESS IN ORDER TO TURN THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER. THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE REAR TRAILING ARM HAD CORRODED AND FRACTURED. THE TECHNICIAN ALSO STATED THAT THE VEHICLE COULD NOT BE REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 156,000. UPDATED 7/9/15*CN