2000 Toyota 4RUNNER

About 1 month ago the air bag light started flashing. It is available for inspection. It had not been in an accident. We took it to a local Toyota dealer. There are some middle of the story details, but bottom line is eventually they told me it could not be fixed secondary to inability to obtain a control module. This has been verified by Toyota Customer Service.

TRAVELING ON INTERSTATE AT 65 MPH AND HEARD A "POP." VEHICLE STARTED SWERVING BADLY -- TOTAL LOSS OF CONTROL. REAR END WAGGING HORRIFICALLY NEARLY HITTING CARS IN OTHER LANES. MANAGED TO GET TO SHOULDER BUT COULDNT SEE WHAT WAS WRONG. GOT VEHICLE OFF AT EXIT AND TO GARAGE. WAS TOLD FRAME SNAPPED AND REAR END CONTROL ARM NO LONGER ATTACHED REAR END TO FRAME. FRAME ROT EXTENSIVE. SCARY AS HELL. NO OTHER RUST ON VEHICLE. THOUGHT VEHICLE WOULD FLIP!

VEHICLE STARTED HANDLING POORLY. I HAD RECENTLY REPLACED THE REAR SHOCKS AND THOUGHT I NEEDED AN ALIGNMENT DONE. BROUGHT IT TO MY MECHANIC WHO POINTED OUT THAT MY REAR UPPER CONTROL ARM BRAKCET ON THE PASSENGER HAD ROTTED AND BROKEN, CAUSING THE SQUIRRELY HANDLING. SHORTLY AFTER, WHILE DRIVING HOME FROM WORK ON THE HIGHWAY AT ~70MPH, I HEARD A CLUNK AND THE TAIL END OF THE TRUCK STARTED JUMPING/SWERVING. TOOK BACK ROADS HOME AND ASSESSED THE PROBLEM. LO AND BEHOLD MY DRIVER'S SIDE UPPER CONTROL ARM BRACKET ENCOUNTERED THE SAME FATE. ROTTED AND BROKEN. MY VEHICLE'S FIRST OWNER WAS IN MINNESOTA BUT SINCE THEN IT HAS BEEN IN TEXAS WHERE THERE IS NO SALT ON THE ROADS. I'VE DONE WHAT I CAN TO SEAL AND PREVENT FURTHER RUST ON THE FRAME AFTER PURCHASE AND YET THIS STILL HAPPENS? MY TRUCK IS NO LONGER DRIVE-ABLE AS IT'S EXTREMELY UNSAFE TO HAVE MY REAR AXLE DISCONNECTED FROM THE FRAME. SO UNTIL I CAN MANAGE TO 1) FIND SOMEONE WILLING TO WELD MY FRAME 2) PAY FOR SUCH A SERVICE I AM WITHOUT A VEHICLE... I PAID $2000 FOR THIS CAR LESS THAN A YEAR AGO WITH ONLY 170K MILES ON IT.

AS I STARTED TO ACCELERATE AT A BUSY INTERSECTION, MY 4RUNNER STARTED TO JOLT AND ONCE IT BEGAN MOVING IT STARTED A SWERVE MOTION. IT BECAME DIFFICULT TO STOP AS WELL. NO INDICATOR LIGHT CAME ON TO WARN ME OF ANY PROBLEM WHILE I WAS ABOUT TO ENTER THE INTERSTATE HIGHWAY. SO I TURNED OFF THE ROAD. I BROUGHT THE TRUCK TO MY MECHANIC WHO STATED THE FRAME HAD BROKEN LOOSE. THE MECHANIC ALSO STATED THIS WAS NOT DUE TO WEAR AND TEAR, BUT IT WAS IN HIS PROFESSIONAL OPINION A MANUFACTURING RUST DEFECT. HE SAID THIS SHOULD HAVE NEVER HAPPENED. I DON'T HAVE IMAGES AT THE TIME I'M WRITING THIS REPORT BECAUSE MY 4RUNNER IS AT THE SERVICE GARAGE, HOWEVER I CAN FURNISH IMAGES UPON REQUEST.

DUE TO THE DREADED ' TOYOTA ROT ' FRAME FAILURE THE SPARE TIRE MECHANISM HAD RUSTED OFF GOING DOWN US HIGHWAY 25 IN KENTUCKY AND PUT A POOR MAN AND HIS CHILDREN IN HARMS WAY. TOYOTA DOESN'T CARE ABOUT THEIR CUSTOMERS THEY JUST WANT YOUR MONEY !!! I FEEL THIS PROBLEM COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED TOYOTA SHOULD HAVE RECALLED THESE VEHICLES KNOWING THE FRAME ISSUES HAVE EXISTED SINCE THE MID 90S!!!! WHEN I LOOK UP MY VEHICLE IT HAS ZERO RECALLS SHAME ON YOU TOYOTA THERE SHOULD BE A REMEDY EVEN IF IT'S SPLITTING THE COST WITH YOUR CUSTOMER. VERY UNSATISFIED

THE UNDER FRAME ROTTED OUT AND BROKE WHILE TRAVELING ON HIGHWAY AT 65MPH, WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN THE VEHICLE STARTED WEAVING BACK AND FORTH VIOLENTLY. ALMOST LOST CONTROL OF VEHICLE BEFORE SLOWING DOWN.PULLED OVER BECAUSE WE THOUGHT WE HAD A FLAT. WAS NOT THE CASE. GOT BACK ON THE ROAD AND ANY TIME WE WENT OVER 45MPH IT STARTED TO VIOLENTLY WEAVE BACK AND FORTH. LUCKILY WE DID NOT ROLL OVER OR CRASH WITH AN AUTISTIC CHILD IN THE BACK OF THE 4RUNNER OR MY VERY ILL HUSBAND ON OXYGEN. IF NOT ADDRESSED OR RECALLED SOON, SOMEONE IS GOING TO GET SERIOUSLY HURT OR WORSE. THIS NEEDS TO BE RECALLED. MY 4RUNNER ONLY HAS 168,000 MILES ON IT. *BF CONTACT STATED VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE SHOP FOR REPAIR BUT WAS TOLD IT WAS NOT REPAIRABLE.*JB