2001 Toyota 4RUNNER

2001 TOYOTA 4 RUNNER 4WD WHILE SPEED 30 TO 40 MPH DRIVING IN A SLOW RIGHT BANK ( NOT A CURVE) HEAR LOW BEEP NOISE SKID LITE ICON COMES ON AND AS IF TRUCK TOOK OVER I LOST STEERING , BRAKES AND POWER . BRAKES WERE ACTIVATING ON THEIR OWN AND THE TRUCK PROCEDED ACROSS YELLOW LINE INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC!!! TOYOTA PULL CODES NOTHING SAID I MUST HAD PUT TRUCK IN A SKID . NO I DIDNOT PUT TRUCK INTO SKID. HAPPEN AGAIN THIS TIME WIFE FOLLOWING ME AND SHE WITNESS IT ALSO . SHE SAID IT WAS AS IF I WAS STEERING IT INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC. *TR

THE FRONT AND REAR BUMPERS ON MY 2001 TOYOTA 4RUNNDER ARE COMPLETELY RUSTED OUT (FROM THE INSIDE OUT). THE REST OF THE VEHICLE IS IN EXCELLENT CONDITION. NEVER BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT. ANYONE WALKING BY THE VEHICLE COULD ACCIDENTALLY BRUSH BY THE BUMPERS AND GET CUT FROM THE JAGGED EDGES; ALSO NOT SURE WHAT GOOD THEY WOULD DO IN CASE OF ANY IMPACT. *TR

MY 2001 4 RUNNER WITH ONLY 125,000MILES HAS A RUSTED OUT REAR DIFFERENTIAL. THIS WAS SHOCKING TO ME BECAUSE MY TRUCK IS IN OTHERWISE EXCELLENT CONDITION AND HAS ABSOLUTELY NO RUST ON THE BODY. I TOOK IT TO TOYOTA WHO SAID THEY CAN REPLACE IT FOR $2200 PLUS TAX. I TOOK IT TO MY HUSBAND'S MECHANIC TO REPAIR/PATCH IT IF POSSIBLE. HE SAID HE HAS SEEN MANY VEHICLES WITH MORE MILES THAN MINE IN MUCH WORSE CONDITION THAT HAVE NO RUSTED OUT REAR DIFFERENTIALS. HE FOUND IT VERY UNUSUAL. HE SAID THE METAL HOUSING IS VERY THIN (FROM THE FACTORY THAT WAY) WHICH IS THE ROOT OF THE PROBLEM. THE MECHANIC WELDED A PATCH OVER THE HOLE; HOWEVER THIS IS NOT A GOOD PERMANENT FIX FOR THE PROBLEM. IT ALSO MAKES MY 4 RUNNER HAVE NEXT TO NOTHING FOR TRADE IN VALUE FOR A TRUCK THAT OTHERWISE WOULD HAVE A NICE TRADE IN VALUE. THIS MAKES IT A DOUBLE INSULT. AFTER TALKING TO MANY PEOPLE AND VISITING THE WWW.4RUNNERFORUM.COM WEB SITE IT SEEMS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM IN 4RUNNERS YEARS 1999 TO 2002. I WOULD IMAGINE MORE PEOPLE HAVE THE PROBLEM THAN HAVE REPORTED IT TO THE WEBSITE. I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF THERE IS ANYTHING TOYOTA CAN/WILL DO TO RECTIFY THE PROBLEM AS IT SEEMS TO BE CAUSED BY A MANUFACTURING DEFECT. OTHER THAN THIS PROBLEM, MY 4 RUNNER HAS BEEN A GREAT VEHICLE. TOYOTA HAS A HISTORY OF GREAT VEHICLES. I KNOW THEY RECALLED THE TACOMA TRUCKS FROM THE LATE ' 90'S FOR FRAME RUSTOUT AND GAVE THE OWNERS 2 X THE TRADE IN VALUE TOWARDS A NEW TOYOTA. BECAUSE OF THIS RECALL, I KNOW TOYOTA IS WILLING TO STAND BEHIND THEIR VEHICLES. TOYOTA OFFERING A REPLACEMENT OF THE DEFECTIVE PART OR "TRADE IN VALUE" TOWARDS A NEW TOYOTA WOULD BE A GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE AND WOULD GO A LONG WAY TOWARDS KEEPING LOYAL CUSTOMERS. IF THEY DO NOTHING, IT MAKES ME HESITANT TO PURCHASE ANOTHER TOYOTA NOT KNOWING IF THE METAL HOUSINGS ON THE REAR DIFFERENTIALS ARE MANUFACTURED ANY BETTER IN 2010.. *TR

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.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 TOYOTA 4RUNNER. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH, SHE NOTICED A NOISE AND THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHO STATED THAT THE MOTOR WAS THE ROOT OF THE FAILURE; HOWEVER, THEY DIDN'T PROVIDE AN EXPLANATION WHY THE FAILURE OCCURRED. THE DEALER OFFERED A $5,000 REBUILT MOTOR AT THE OWNERS EXPENSE. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE APPROXIMATELY 67,000.

[XXX] JUST DRIVING ALONG A LOUD NOISE WAS FOLLOWED BY EXCESSIVE VIBRATION AND A CONNECTING ROD BECAME DISCONNECTED FROM THE CRANKSHAFT FOR NO EXPLAINABLE REASON, NO CRASH OCCURRED BUT EASILY COULD HAVE AS THE OIL PAN WAS PUNCTURED AND OIL SPILLED OUT ON THE HIGHWAY. I HAVE DISCOVERED FIVE OUT OF WARRANTY CASES IDENTICAL TO MINE IN 5VZ-FE ENGINES WHERE JUST DRIVING ALONG A LOUD NOISE WAS FOLLOWED BY EXCESSIVE VIBRATION AND A CONNECTING ROD BECAME DISCONNECTED FROM THE CRANKSHAFT FOR NO EXPLAINABLE REASON AND IN EACH CASE NO OTHER SERVICE ISSUE WAS IDENTIFIED: 1999 4RUNNER, FAILED AT 78,000 MILES IN 2003 1999 4RUNNER, FAILED AT 98,000 MILES IN 2006 2000 4RUNNER, FAILED AT 78,000 MILES IN 2006 2001 4RUNNER, FAILED AT 103,000 MILES IN 2008 2001 TACOMA, FAILED AT 92,000 MILES IN 2007. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR