2001 Toyota 4RUNNER

ENTERED HIGHWAY FROM ON RAMP AS PICKED UP SPEED STEERING WHEEL BEGAN TO SHAKE VIOLENTLY AND BEGAN TO LOOSE CONTROL OF SUV. I IMMEDIATELY PULLED OVER AND HAD IT TAKEN TO SHOP TO FIND EXCESSIVE RUST ON BACK FRAME N SHOCK CAUSING WHEEL TO 'BASICALLY BE FREE FLOATING AND UNATTACHED' THE VEHICLE IS STILL IN SHOP AT MOMENT AND I CAN GET PICTURES AND A STATEMENT UPON REQUEST

MY 4 RUNNER SHAKES WHILE ON FREEWAY GOING PASSED SPEED LIMIT OF 50MPH IT FEELS LIKE I CAN TIP OVER IF GOING TO FAST. SOME OF THE ELECTRICAL THINGS WORK THEN NOT WORK. IT IS MOSTLY THE SHAKING BACK AND FORTH. I HAVE TO HOLD FIRMLY TO GET IT UNDER CONTROL SOMEWHAT. PEOPLE NOTICE IT WHEN DRIVING BEHIND ME. I AM SCARED FOR MY CHILDREN AND I.

WE WERE TOLD TODAY THAT OUR 2001` TOYOTA 4-RUNNER HAS FRAME ROT THAT IS INCONSISTENT WITH THE AGE OF THE VEHICLE AND THE CONDITION OF ALL THE OTHER PARTS ON IT. FRAME ROT THAT CONSTITUTES A DANGER TO OUR SAFETY WHEN DRIVING IT. THE REPAIR TECHNICIANS ADVISED US TO DETERMINE IF IT WAS PART OF TOYOTA'S FRAME ROT RECALL WITH THE TACOMAS AND OTHER VEHICLES BECAUSE THE FRAME ROT RUST WAS CONSISTENT WITH THE PATTERN OF DAMAGE THEY HAD SEEN ON OTHER RECALLED VEHICLES. WHEN WE LOOKED UP OUR 4-RUNNER IN THE RECALL INFORMATION, SUPPOSEDLY TOYOTA HASN'T INCLUDED OUR TRUCK IN THE RECALL. WE WERE ADVISED BY OUR AUTO REPAIR SPECIALIST THAT THE RECALL COVERED DAMAGE IN TRUCKS THAT WERE THE SAME AGE AND OVERALL CONDITION, SO IT'S NOT AS THOUGH THE REST OF THE TRUCK IS EATEN UP BY RUST AND WE JUST HAPPENED TO COMPLAIN ABOUT THE FRAME ROT. THE FRAME ROT PATTERN FOUND ON OUR 4-RUNNER IS CONSISTENT WITH THE FRAME ROT FOUND ON RECALLED TOYOTA TRUCKS AND INCONSISTENT WITH THE REST OF THE VEHICLE'S STABILITY. BECAUSE THIS IS SUCH A DANGEROUS SITUATION, AND BECAUSE THE FRAME ROT IS A KNOWN PROBLEM, IT'S IMPORTANT FOR OTHER CONSUMERS TO KNOW THAT REGARDLESS OF THEIR CARE OF THE VEHICLE, THE FRAME MAY ROT AT A RATE THAT IS INCONSISTENT WITH THE REST OF THE VEHICLE, AND IT COSTS LOTS OF MONEY TO REPAIR. 4-RUNNER OWNERS SHOULD HAVE THEIR VEHICLES CHECKED FOR PREMATURE FRAME ROT, AND TOYOTA SHOULD DO THE RIGHT THING AND FIX THE FRAME ROT IN THE 4-RUNNERS. JUST THOUGHT THAT AFTER WE WERE MADE AWARE, SO SHOULD OTHER CONSUMERS AND SAFETY ORGANIZATIONS.

ON THREE SEPARATE OCCASIONS MY 2001 TOYOTA FORERUNNER HAS HAD AN ISSUE WHERE THE STEERING WHEEL PULLS TO THE RIGHT AND LOCKS UP FOR ABOUT A SECOND. ON EACH OCCASION I WAS ON A RIGHT HAND CURVE IN THE ROAD AND WAS ACCELERATING THROUGH THE TURN AFTER INITIALLY SLOWING DOWN TO BEGIN THE CURVE. ON EACH OCCASION I WAS OBEYING THE POSTED SPEED LIMIT FOR THE SECTION OF THE ROAD WHERE THE CURVE WAS LOCATED. AS I BEGAN ACCELERATING INTO THE CURVE THE STEERING WHEEL SUDDENLY JERKED TO THE RIGHT, A BEEPING NOISE OCCURRED AND THE VEHICLE MOMENTARILY FELT LIKE THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED UP. A MOMENT LATER THE BEEPING STOPPED AND STEERING CONTROL RETURNED. IN EACH SITUATION I WAS ABLE TO AVOID AN ACCIDENT. IN TWO OF THE THREE OCCURRENCES I HAD A PASSENGER IN THE VEHICLE WITH ME. TODAY TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP AND ASKED THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT TO LOOK INTO THE ISSUE. I ADVISED THEM THAT I HAD SEEN A RECALL CONCERNING THE TOYOTA AVALON WHICH SEEMED TO BE IDENTICAL TO THE SITUATION I HAD ENCOUNTERED. I INFORMED THEM THAT THE INCIDENTS HAD ALL BEEN ON RIGHT HAND CURVES AND THAT THE OCCURRENCES HAD HAPPENED AT SPREAD OUT INTERVALS OVER THE LAST YEAR. I WAS INFORMED BY THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT THAT THEY HAD BEEN UNABLE TO REPLICATE THE PROBLEM. THEY DID NOT EXAMINE THE STEERING SYSTEM BUT HAD TAKEN THE VEHICLE OUT FOR TEST DRIVES IN AN ATTEMPT TO EXPERIENCE THE ISSUE. I CALLED THE TOYOTA CORPORATE OFFICES AND REPORTED THE PROBLEM TO THEM AND ADVISED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS CURRENTLY AT THE DEALERSHIP IN SAN DIEGO. I'VE HAD NO FURTHER CONTACT WITH THEM AND THE DEALERSHIP REPRESENTATIVE I SPOKE WITH WAS UNAWARE IF THE CORPORATE OFFICES HAD CONTACTED THE DEALERSHIP REGARDING THE CASE. *TR

ON THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2010, WHILE DRIVING THE 2001 TOYOTA 4 RUNNER, THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED UP CAUSING MY SON TO DRIVE COMPLETELY OFF THE ROAD CRASHING AND FLIPPING THE SUV INTO A CREEK. THE VEHICLE IS IN THE PROCESS OF BEING TOTALED. I DID A RECALL RESEARCH ON THE VEHICLE TO FIND A STEERING LOSS, RECALL DATED 2005. I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE IN 09/07, FROM INFINITY OF SOUTH ATLANTA. APPARENTLY THE RECALL HAD NOT BEEN DONE BY THE DEALERSHIP BEFORE SELLING TO ME. *TW

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 TOYOTA 4RUNNER. WHILE AT THE DEALER FOR ROUTINE MAINTENANCE, THE MECHANIC STATED THAT THE STEERING ROD WAS FAILING. THE DEALER REPLACED THE ROD AND THE VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY OPERATING NORMALLY. AFTER THE REPAIR, THE CONTACT RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 05V389000 (STEERING:LINKAGES:ROD:RELAY:CONNECTING) FOR AN OLDER 4RUNNER THAT HE PREVIOUSLY OWNED, BUT FOR THE SAME COMPONENT THAT WAS JUST REPLACED. THE CONTACT BELIEVES THAT THE FAILURE IS AFFECTING THE NEWER MODEL 4RUNNER'S AS WELL AND A RECALL SHOULD BE ISSUED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 230,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 240,000.