2004 TOYOTA 4RUNNER Power Train Problems

2004 Toyota 4Runner SR5 - Frame rust: currently not drivable due to complete breakage from the rust. Driving 2 hours home on the highway I almost lost control, pressing/releasing the brake and/or gas pulls the steering side to side and sways the truck (fish tail) due to damage from the frame rust/breaking. There is no control of the rear end. Truck was in great condition prior to the frame snapping. Vehicle has been inspected by multiple mechanics (including Firestone, Welding/fabricating Auto Repair shops and small owned mechanic shops), possibly won’t be able to weld due to the amount of rust. Firestone won’t perform any service if the vehicle needs to go in the air (tires, oil..etc) due to frame rust. This has been a huge problem with Toyota, they addressed other models around the same year but excluded the 4Runner for unknown reasons. The dealership will not address the issue...

TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT SHIFT IN MOTION LEAVING FROM A STOP SIGN. I LATER FOUND OUT MY TRANSMISSION LINES HAD CORRODED AWAY LEAKING A LARGE AMOUNT OF TRANSMISSION FLUID. AFTER REPLACING BRAKES AND ADDING BRAKE FLUID I NOTICED THE BRAKE FLUID HAD LEAKED FROM BOTTOM. I HAD TO REPLACE ALL BRAKE LINES AND FITTINGS DUE TO CORROSION.

EXCESSIVE FRAME RUST. REPLACED COMPLETE REAR END IN 2013. TOLD BY HYANNIS TOYOTA THAT IT WAS UNSAFE TO DRIVE BECAUSE OF EXCESSIVE RUST. THE REAR END IS NOW RUSTED OUT AGAIN IN 2019 AND NEEDS REPLACING. IN APRIL 2019 COULD NOT HAVE SUSPENSION REPLACED UNTIL FRAME WELDING WAS COMPLETED. ADDITIONAL WORK OF CUTTING OUT REAR UPPER TRAILING ARM BRACKETS AND WELD IN PLACE AND FABRICATE FUEL TANK STRAP MOUNT AND WELD IN PLACE. COMPLETE FRAME AND UNDERSIDE OF THIS VEHICLE IS COMPLETELY RUSTED OUT. WE HAD THIS WORK DOWN BECAUSE THE GAS TANK WAS FALLING OUT AND WE COULD NOT DRIVE THIS VEHICLE.

RUMBLE WHEN OVER 20 MPH AND TURNING SLIGHTLY RIGHT ON ANY SURFACE.

TAKATA RECALL FRAME IS COMPLETELY RUSTED. CAUSING ALL THE UNDERCARRIAGE TO RUST OUT AND MAKE THE VEHICLE VERY DANGEROUS TO DRIVE. EVEN THE BODY IS STARTING TO RUST AWAY. ONLY HAS 116,000 MILES ON IT WHICH IS CRAZY.

TRANSMISSION FAILED DUE TO RUSTED TRANSMISSION LINES. LEADS UP TO FINDING OUT THAT FRAME IS COMPLETELY RUSTED OUT. UNABLE TO FIX IT DUE TO FRAME RUST. SUSPENSION ARE OF FRAME RUSTED AS WELL...BARELY HOLDING ON. TRAVELING FROM TN TO PA WHEN ALL THIS HAPPENED.

PARTS OF THE VEHICLES EXTERIOR AND INCLUDING FRAME AND SUBFRAME COMPONENTS ARE EXCESSIVELY RUSTED. PARTS ARE OF THE SUSPENSION AND OTHER HARD PARTS ARE HAVING TO BE REPLACED DUE TO CORROSION.

OIL LEAKING FROM TRANSFER CASE ACTUATOR MOTOR ASSEMBLY POWERTRAIN TRANSFER CASE. VEHICLE IS STATIONARY

RUST EAT MY FRAME INTO

I HAVE AN ONGOING PROBLEM WITH OUR 2004 TOYOTA 4RUNNER. IT STARTED ABOUT 4 YEARS AGO WHEN THE MARYLAND STATE EMMISSION TEST FACILITY PLUGGED INTO MY ODBI2 PORT. ALL THE DASH LIGHTS WERE ON AND I WENT IN TO THE OFFICE AND COMPLAINED. I FILED A FORM WITH EMISSIONS. I WORK OUT OF TOWN, MY WIFE IS A TEACHER AND WE HAVE TWO SMALL KIDS. GOING TO THE DEALER WAS NOT AN OPTION UNTIL SCHOOL WAS OUR. IN THE MEAN TIME THE TRUCK DROVE FINE OTHER THAN NO FOUR WHEEL DRIVE AND THE TIRES SPINNING IF YOU HIT THE PEDDLE TO HARD (NO TRACTION CONTROL OR STABILITY CONTROL. TOOK THE TRUCK TO THE DEALER OVER THE SUMMER AND THEY HAD TO RESET THE VALUES FOR $110.00 THE FOUR WHEEL DRIVE WOULD NO LONGER ENGAGE. TOYOTA DEALER SAID ALL THE VALUES BEING ERASED WAS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THAT YEAR AND...

THERE IS EXCESSIVE RUST/CORROSION ON THE FRAME OF THE TRUCK. THE SKID PLATES COMPLETELY RUSTED OFF THE TRUCK IN 2010. THE TRANSMISSION LINES HAVE CORRODED TO THE POINT THEY HAVE TO BE REPLACED. THE ENGINE OIL COOLER AND RADIATOR SUPPORTS HAVE RUSTED THROUGH. THE EXHAUST RUSTED OFF THE TRUCK IN 2010 AS WELL. CURRENTLY THERE IS EXTENSIVE CORROSION ON THE FRAME OF THE TRUCK AND THE SUSPENSION COMPONENTS. THESE ISSUES APPEARED IN 2010 AND I HAVE BEEN FIGHTING THEM EVER SINCE. MECHANICALLY THE TRUCK RUNS GREAT, NEVER A PROBLEM, HOWEVER THE VEHICLE'S FRAME IS DISINTEGRATING DUE TO CORROSION.

I WAS GOING 5 MPH AND HIT MY BRAKES. THE CONTROL ARM WAS RIPPED FROM THE FRAME DUE TO ROT/RUST. TOYOTA IS AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM FOR 4RUNNERS, BUT HAS ONLY OFFERED ASSISTANCE ON THE TACOMA AND TUNDRAS. THE BODY OF MY VEHICLE HAS NO RUST ANYWHERE, AND THE MILEAGE IS EXTREMELY LOW. I CANNOT EVEN FIND A MECHANIC TO FIX IT, BECAUSE THE FRAME IS SO BAD. I WAS TOLD, IF IT GETS FIXED, ANOTHER PART OF THE FRAME MAY FAIL WHEN I'M CRUISING ON THE HIGHWAY AND PEOPLE COULD GET HURT OR KILLED. NO MECHANIC WANTS THIS LIABILITY IN DOING A REPAIR.

DRIVING DOWN THE LOCAL HIGHWAY, SMELLED TRANSMISSION FLUID BURNING. PULLED OVER TO FIND TRANSMISSION FLUID LEAKING FROM UNDER THE RADIATOR AREA. I WAS NEAR THE GARAGE THAT WORKS ON THE VEHICLE AND WAS ABLE TO DRIVE THERE. SKID PLATE WAS REMOVED AND THE TRANSMISSION LINES THAT RUN ALONG THE RADIATOR SUPPORT FRAME RUSTED THROUGH. THE MECHANIC SERVICING THE VEHICLE SAID I WAS LUCKY, THAT THIS COULD HAVE CAUSED TRANSMISSION FAILURE AND OR FIRE IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT WHILE DRIVING. TOYOTA DEALER WAS CONTACTED, SAID, THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THESE VEHICLES, BUT NO RECALL OR NOTIFICATIONS SENT THE OWNERS TO INSPECT THIS ITEM FOR RUST THROUGH. WHEN THIS PROBLEM WAS FOUND, THE FRAME UNDER THE RADIATOR WAS FOUND TO BE RUSTED THROUGH ALSO. ( LISTED IN ANOTHER COMPLAINT.) *TR

FRONT SUPPORT FRAME UNDER RADIATOR RUSTED THROUGH. THE LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER TOLD ME THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM AND THERE IS NO FIX. THE VEHICLE IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE AND THE QUESTION IS HOW WOULD THIS HOLD UP IN A FRONTAL CRASH. THE VEHICLE HAS A LITTLE OVER 85,000 MILES AND THIS HAPPENS. IT IS IN A AREA WHERE SALT IS USED. MANY OF THESE VEHICLES ARE ON THE ROAD, MANY LIKE ME WOULD NOT HAVE KNOWN OF A BROKEN FRAME UNLESS THE SKID PLATE WAS REMOVED.THERE WAS ALSO AN ISSUE WITH THE TRANSMISSION LINES RUNNING ALONG THE FRAME LISTED IN ANOTHER COMPLAINT. *TR

I OPENED THE PASSENGER SIDE DOOR TO PLACE MY BAG DOWN. THE CAR ROLLED OUT OF GEAR DOWN MY DRIVEWAY WITH MY DAUGHTER IN THE FRONT SEAT. THEN I HAD TO JUMP INTO THE ROLLING CAR TO PUT IT BACK INTO PARK AND THE KEYS WERE NOT IN THE IGNITION. *TR

DRIVE SHAFT IS CLANGING, BANGING, CAUSING SLAMMING WITH THE BRAKING ACTION SURGING FORWARD SEVERAL FEET BEFORE STOPPING. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 TOYOTA 4-RUNNER. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 15 MPH, THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO ENGAGE THE 4-WHEEL DRIVE BUT IT WOULD NOT ENGAGE. THE VEHICLE WAS BROUGHT TO A STOP AND SHE THEN ATTEMPTED TO ENGAGE THE 4-WHEEL DRIVE AGAIN BUT TO NO AVAIL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE SHE WAS ADVISED THAT THE TRANSFER HOSE WAS FRACTURED AND BOTH REAR AXLES WERE LEAKING. THE FAILURE WOULD ONLY OCCUR WHEN ATTEMPTING TO ENGAGE THE 4-WHEEL DRIVE. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 112,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 113,000. UPDATED 1/5/12*CN

FOUR MONTHS AGO I PURCHASED A 2004 TOYOTA 4RUNNER LIMITED WITH APPROX. 82,000 MILES. A MONTH OR SO LATER, I APPROACHED A STOP SIGN AND AS I BRAKED, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED. I STEPPED AS HARD AS I COULD ON THE BRAKE AND FORTUNATELY, THE VEHICLE STOPPED. AT THE TIME, I WAS SCARED BUT THOUGHT THAT MAYBE BY MISTAKE, MY FOOT WAS SPANNING BOTH PEDALS (I DIDN'T THINK SO BUT COULDN'T BE 100% POSITIVE). YESTERDAY, I APPROACHED ANOTHER INTERSECTION WITH MY FOOT CLEARLY ON THE BRAKE PEDAL AS I WAS COMING TO A CONTROLLED STOP WHEN, SUDDENLY, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED AGGRESSIVELY. AGAIN, I WAS ABLE TO SLOW THE VEHICLE DOWN BY ALMOST STANDING ON THE BRAKE PEDAL, THOUGH NOT ENOUGH TO STOP ME FROM GOING THROUGH THE INTERSECTION WITHOUT STOPPING. THIS TIME THERE WAS NO DOUBT - THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED ON ITS OWN. THE PEDAL DID NOT STICK AS MY...