2001 Toyota 4RUNNER

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 TOYOTA 4RUNNER. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH THE TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL, AND THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO PULL TOWARDS THE LEFT. AFTER A FEW MOMENTS, THE FAILURE CORRECTED ITSELF. THE FAILURE RECURRED APPROXIMATELY SEVEN TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING OR TO BE REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND ADVISED THE CONTACT TO CALL A DEALER. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 120,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 140,000.

THE REAR AXEL HOUSING ON OUR 2001 SR5 TOYOTA 4-RUNNER IS RUSTED OUT PRETTY BAD. THE ENTIRE FIRST LAYER OF THIN METAL HAS COMPLETELY FLAKED OFF. IT HAS NOT BEGAN TO LEAK YET, BUT IT IS A MATTER OF TIME UNTIL IT DOES. TOYOTA INDICATED THAT THERE HAS NOT BEEN A RECALL ISSUED ON THIS PART, WHICH I THINK THERE SHOULD BE SINCE IT IS SUCH A COMMON OCCURRENCE WITH 1999 - 2002 TOYOTA 4 RUNNERS. THE ENTIRE VEHICLE IS IN GREAT SHAPE, AND RUNS GREAT - WE COULDN'T BE HAPPIER WITH ITS PERFORMANCE. BUT THE ROTTING REAR AXEL NOT ONLY IS SURPRISING, BUT HAS ME QUITE CONCERNED THAT WE WILL END UP WITH A PRETTY EXPENSIVE REPAIR WITHOUT TOYOTA TAKING RESPONSIBILITY FOR AN OBVIOUSLY DEFECTIVE REAR AXEL HOUSING. IF ANYONE SIMPLY DOES AND INTERNET SEARCH REGARDING THIS PROBLEM - YOU WILL SEE THAT ARE LITERALLY THOUSANDS OF TOYOTA TRUCKS THAT ARE EXPERIENCING THIS PROBLEM WITH THE REAR AXEL HOUSING. *TR

WHILE DRIVING THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL GAVE OUT. MOTOR WAS STILLING RUNNING. I OPENED THE HOOD TO REV THE MOTOR FROM THE THROTTLE ITSELF AND NOTHNG HAPPENED. I TURNED THE CAR OFF AND RESTARTED AND IT SEEMED TO RESET WHATEVER WAS WRONG . I BEGAN DRIVING AND SHORTLY THEREAFTER THE SAME THNG HAPPENED. I PRESSED THE PEDAL ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR AND WAS ABLE TO GET SOME SPEED. THE NEXT DAY IT DID NOT HAPPENED. DAYS LATER IN TRAFFIC IT HAPPENED AGAIN. THE CAR LOSSES SPEED ALMOST INSTANTLY. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS. IF I WERE NOT ABLE TO PRESS THE PEDAL ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR AND GET SOME SPEED THE OUT SOME WOULD NOT BE GOOD. I FOUND OUT THAT THE ACCELERATOR POSITION SENSOR IS FAULTY AND IS THE REASON FOR THE INSTANT LOSE OF SPEED. IN SEARCHING THE INTERNET I FOUND THAT MANY, MANY PEOPLE HAVE THIS SAME ISSUE. TOYOTA SHOULD RECALL THIS PART...IT IS DEFINITELY A HAZARD! *LN

I INITIALLY CONTACTED MAGIC AUTO CENTER AND WAS DEALING WITH [XXX] REGARDING A 2001 TOYOTA LAND ROVER THAT I WAS INTERESTED IN. [XXX] TOLD ME HE COULD GIVE ME $1000 FOR MY TRADE AND USE THAT FOR MY DOWN PAYMENT. WHEN I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP ON FRIDAY THE 29TH, I SPOKE WITH [XXX]. [XXX] INFORMED ME THAT THE VEHICLE I WAS INTERESTED IN HAD BEEN SOLD BUT THEY HAD A 2001 TOYOTA 4RUNNER PRICED SIMILARLY. AT THAT POINT, I SUBMITTED ALL OF MY CREDIT INFORMATION BY E-MAIL TO [XXX] ADDRESS ABOVE. ANTHONY CONTACTED ME BACK AND SAID THAT THE OWNER WANTED $1000 CASH AND WOULD GIVE ME $500 FOR MY TRADE. I AGREED TO THAT, EVEN THOUGH IT WOULD CAUSE ME A FINANCIAL HARDSHIP BECAUSE I NEEDED A MORE RELIABLE VEHICLE THAN WHAT I HAD. I ARRIVED AT THE DEALERSHIP A BIT BEFORE 8PM ON THE 29TH AND ADVISED THEM THAT I WAS IN A HURRY AS I NEEDED TO PICK MY DAUGHTER UP BY 9PM. WHEN I ARRIVED, I WAS THEN ASKED TO PROVIDE $750 CASH, $250 ON 11/2/2010 AND AN ADDITIONAL $500 ON 11/18/2010, PLUS MY TRADE. I HAD SPECIFICALLY ASKED THAT EVERYTHING BE IN ORDER BEFORE MY ARRIVAL SINCE THEY ARE LOCATED FAR FROM MY RESIDENCE. I WAS GIVEN THE RUN AROUND UNTIL ALMOST 8:30 PM. I DID NOT TEST DRIVE THE CAR (MY FAULT) BECAUSE I WAS SO RUSHED, BUT WAS ASSURED THAT IT WAS IN EXCELLENT RUNNING CONDITION BY BOTH [XXX] AND[XXX]. I SIGNED THE PAPERWORK, PROVIDED THEM WITH A CHECK FOR $500 DATED 11/18/2010 AND AGREED THAT I WOULD BRING $250 ON 11/2/2010. I TRANSFERRED MY BELONGINGS FROM MY TRADE TO THE TOYOTA 4RUNNER, WITH MY SON\S HELP, TOOK THE 4RUNNER, MY SON, AND OUR DOGS AND HEADED FOR THE FREEWAY. WE GOT ON THE 170 SOUTH, TO THE 101 SOUTH, AND THE GAS LIGHT CAME ON...WE GOT OFF THE FREEWAY AND PUT GAS IN THE VEHICLE, IT WAS ALREADY AFTER 9 AT THIS POINT. WE GOT BACK ON THE FREEWAY AND INADVERTENTLY GOT ON THE 10 FREEWAY WEST, AT THAT POINT A LOUD POP CAME FROM UNDER THE HOOD, FOLLOWED BY A HUGE PUFF OF STEAM, THE ENGINE OVERHEATED. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *

WITH ENGINE RUNNING AND WHILE STOPPED AT INTERSECTION, BRAKE PEDAL IS RELEASED, THEN ACCELERATOR PEDAL IS PRESSED, VEHICLE BEGINS MOVING, ALL CHECK ENGINE LIGHTS TURN ON, CAR STALLS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE INTERSECTION (WITH ONCOMING TRAFFIC). THIS SITUATION HAS OCCURRED 3 TIMES AND MAY HAVE LEAD TO AT LEAST ONE FENDER BENDER WHERE THE VEHICLE IN QUESTION WAS HIT FROM BEHIND BECAUSE FOLLOWING CAR THOUGHT THAT MY CAR WAS ACCELERATING THROUGH THE INTERSECTION. AFTER STALLING, ALL 3 CHECK ENGINE LIGHTS MAY OR MAY NOT STAY ON. AFTER PUTTING CAR IN NEUTRAL AND RESTARTING ENGINE, CAR ACCELERATES ON RUNS NORMALLY UNTIL NEXT STALLING EVENT. SINCE JANUARY 2010, I HAVE BEEN TO THE TOYOTA DEALER SERVICE DEPARTMENT 4 TIMES. I HAVE HAD 2 GAS CAPS REPLACED, OXYGEN METER REPLACE, BREAK/ACCELERATOR PEDAL CHECKED, CHARCOAL CANISTER REPLACED, NEW BATTERY, AND SEVERAL OIL CHANGES. THE PROBLEM STILL PERSISTS. THIS UPCOMING WEEKEND THEY SAID THEY WILL CHANGE THE THROTTLE BODY ASSEMBLY. *TR

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

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2001 TOYOTA 4RUNNER. THE DRIVER WAS TRAVELING 45 MPH WHEN SHE WAS INVOLVED IN A CRASH WITH ANOTHER VEHICLE. BOTH VEHICLES WERE DESTROYED. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. FOUR PASSENGERS WERE INJURED. A POLICE REPORT WAS AVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE CONTACT WAS NOT IN THE VEHICLE AT THE TIME OF THE CRASH. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 92,000.

THE SUSPENSION RECALL ON MY 2001 TOYOTA 4RUNNER WAS DONE AT AROUND 60K MILES. IT NOW HAS 116K MILES AND THE PROBLEM IS BACK,I CAN TURN MY STEERING WHEEL ABOUT 1/2" IN EITHER DIRECTION AND NOT HAVE THE WHEELS MOVE,WHEN DRIVING THE STEERING WANDERS AND OCCASIONALLY GRABS IN WHAT FEELS LIKE A FLAT SPOT..THE CAMPAIGN NO IS 05V225000. *TR