NHTSA Complaint #11436010 — 2004 TOYOTA 4RUNNER
SUSPENSION issue reported to NHTSA
Complaint Details
| ODI Number | 11436010 |
| Vehicle | 2004 TOYOTA 4RUNNER |
| Component | SUSPENSION |
| Date of Incident | |
| Date Filed | |
| Mileage | N/A miles |
| Crash | No |
| Fire | No |
| Injuries | 0 |
| Deaths | 0 |
| Vehicle Towed | No |
| State | KY |
Consumer Description
My steering became very loose with a lot of movement in the steering wheel. The universal joint in the steering column shaft was bad. Upon further investigation, both lower control arms on the front wheels were rusted through, (from the inside out), with one of them bent because of the lack of metal support that rusted away, which caused my wheels to be misaligned and hard to control. Upon additional inspection, the frame has rusted out in multiple places which could allow it to break in half. (pictures of one portion of the frame are attached.) I have had the steering column and lower control arms replaced but multiple body and frame shops state the frame is rusted too much to repair. I know Toyota recalled several models for frame rust issues but have not included the 4Runner, which I cannot understand. This rust has been noticed for several years on my vehicle with attempts to keep it clean and rust free. However, the rusting process is occurring from the inside of the frame toward the outside, so you can't tell how bad it really is until you see the holes protruding through the frame. This model should be included in a class action suit requiring Toyota to compensate the owners for this defect and removing these models from service to avoid potential accidents and casualties caused by inferior iron products that were used in their manufacture.
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