Tl* the contact owns a 1997 toyota 4runner. While driving approximately 45 MPH, the rear of the vehicle started swaying left and right. The contact was able to drive home. Upon parking the vehicle, the contact inspected underneath and found rust on the rear driver side frame. The vehicle was not taken to an independent mechanic or dealer for diagnostic testing or repairs. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact found recalls for other toyota vehicles for frame rust, but not for the 4runner. The failure mileage was approximately 190,000. *tt
1997 Toyota 4RUNNER body complaints
Page 2 of 4: complaints 11 to 40 of 76, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Extensive rust , frame will not pass inspection.
Frame rusted out where the rear axle arm attaches. Arm mount broken loose from frame. Vehichle is undriveable and virtually not repairable. (frame replacement) ridiculous toyota!!! You know about this problem, make it right to your customers!. Myself and fmaily own 7 toyotas. Might reconsider ever buying another!
My 1997 4runner only has 116,xxx miles and its frame is starting to rot. Making it dangerous to drive and it's also on other 4runners. I guess it happened over the years but it is near the back by the rear part of the frame.
I am the only owner of this 1997 toyota which I've planned to keep for ever. However, this weekend while replacing a shock absorber I found that the frame, by the muffler has rusted through, the gash is approximately 18 inches long. There are other areas far beyond what can be considered normal rust due to aging. The damage looks unsafe. I found the damage on the below stated date but this kind of damage must to have taken years.
Going down road at 50mph car let loose very hard to handle pulled me into burm of road swaying back and fourth. Had car taken to be inspected frame broke loose totally rotted from inside out looks like cookie crumbles. Frame has always been taken care of as this is 22nd 4runner owned with same problem this time almost severe accident. Contacting a lawyer as this issue is being neglected research done and this is very common in 4runners and a very good class action law suit.
I came to a stop light and heard a pop like something had broken. Proceeded to get on interstate on ramp and within a mile the vehicle was very hard to control, the rear of the vehicle was swerving back and forth. Luckily I only had to go about a mile to my exit. Once home I had discovered that part of the frame had rusted into at a very critical area of the frame. It was on the drivers side in front of the rear axle and was a part where a rod mounted to it that keeps the rear axle aligned. This should not have happened to a vehicles frame regardless of it being 19 years old. The vehicle is not driveable and toyota somehow doesn't feel the need to recall what is a huge issue for lots of owners of these vehicles.
Tl* the contact owns a 1997 toyota 4runner. The contact stated that the vehicle's frame was corroded on the rear driver side. The vehicle was taken to a body repair shop, but was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 175,000.
Re: 1997 toyota 4runner - I am original owner of this defective vehicle.the frame rail on the passenger side has severe rust perforation in the back where the rear control arm bracket is welded to the frame rail. An independent certified mechanic has stated that the vehicle is unsafe to drive and should have been recalled as this is a manufacturer design/material defect and a common issue although previously unknown to me. Upon further research I have learned that many other owners of this generation of thetoyota 4runner have reported this issue. Please note there a great many of these vehicles still in service whose owners are unaware of this issue and are in serious danger of harming themselves and other innocent people. Must the federal safety agency wait for someone to die before toyota is held accountable by the federal safety agency for this defect?
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 toyota 4runner. The contact stated that while driving at an unknown speed, the vehicle swayed from left to right and became hard to control. The contact stated that after the vehicle was parked, it was discovered that the rear passenger side bracket that holds the stabilizer bar to the frame was fractured. In addition, the contact noticed that the whole rear frame was rusted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 263,514.
Tl* the contact owns a 1997 toyota 4runner. When the vehicle was taken to have the tires replaced, the technician noticed that the frame of the vehicle was corroded. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 160,000.
To whom it may concern: thank you for your immediate attention to this concern. I just purchased a 1997 toyota 4runner with 173,000 miles on it. I was made aware before buying the vehicle that there is some rust underneath and so I examined the problem and determined that it is not major and is repairable. After purchasing the vehicle, I found that the problem is quite larger than I initially assessed. I realize that this makes me responsible for a bad decision but I also think that it is important for the safety of the general public to bring these rust issues to the attention of the federal safety agency with the hope that enough complaints will affect a response that will hold the manufacturer responsible. I realize that this vehicle is 15 years old and has high mileage but at the same time, I don't believe that the rotting frame is an acceptable defect in an 18 year old vehicle that was clearly very well maintained by it's original owner, and by the number of submitted and unsubmitted complaints, this is a common problem with this particular vehicle which points to a defect in manufacturing. In addition, this rotting frame problem must have started when the vehicle was much younger because the frame is rotted through in two places and it doesn't take a scientist to know that this kind of damage takes time. The main frame on my 4runner is rotted completely through in front of and behind the left rear wheel. I cannot drive the vehicle that I just bought because of the safety concerns and I'm concerned that there are less mechanically inclined persons out there who are unaware of this issue and unknowingly putting themselves and the general public at risk. Please take immediate action to hold the manufacturer accountable for this defect. Thank you.
Purchased with 165,000 miles. Almost new for a modern vehicle. Took it to the mechanic and was notified the frame was rusted out, the rear end was ready to collapse, and it was unsafe to drive. Took it to a body shop for a second opinion and notified the same thing. Toyota manufacturer customer support line contacted and notified me there is no recall on this vehicle for this. This vehicle was registered its entire life in kentucky, not michigan. Rusting out at 165k is unheard of for a modern vehicle in these conditions. Deeply disappointed in toyota for not standing behind their product. I will probably have to sell it to the junkyard. What a waste of money I don't have.
Tl* the contact owns a 1997 toyota 4 runner. The contact stated that the rear frame fractured. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 261,909. The VIN was not available.
The rear end part that connects to frame broke free from weld on frame caused serious swearving on road at 65 MPH my kids were scared to death could of caused a roll over but kept it on road
Drive down the road and the part from rear end that connects to frame rusted and broke off. Violent shaking occurred and forced me off the road. Frame looks good everywhere else but the same location on both side.
The frame is completely rusted threw in multiple parts of the frame. Someone has already tried welding some plating to keep rear suspension components of the lower four link attached to the frame. Extremely unsafe.
Cars real end started to sway when driving, took it to the mechanics and was told the frame was rusted through, that it was unsafe to drive. Contacted toyota and was told no recall issued,nothing they could do!!!!. This toyota only has 121,000 miles on it!! It should be going for another 100,000, that's why people buy toyotas!! My son bought this car 3 years ago, took all his money now he has no car to drive or money to buy a new one. Toyota should issue a recall. Since this happened I found that many other toyota 4runner owners have this same issue. They recalled the tacoma for the same reason.. Same years. Need a recall on the 4runner!!!
The frame has prematurely rusted through in front of the right, rear trailing arm. My shop tells me the frame is too rusted to repair it.
I have a 1997 4runner that is catastrophically rusted through the frame and has been a danger since purchasing. The amount of rust has completely evaporated my investment.
1997 toyota 4 runner frame rot and rust: I noticed rust debris in my driveway. I inspected under the vehicle and found that the inside of driver-side frame was completely rotted with extensive rust along entire length of adjacent fuel tank. Holes large enough to put four fingers in and crumble. It is clear that the rot has almost gone entirely through the frame as there are several small holes on outside of frame as well. The rust has also seriously compromised the weld seam on the suspension component attached to the frame. Rust and rot of this severity on this vehicle is isolated only to this area of the frame. The rest of vehicle frame shows typical surface rust as expected with age of vehicle.
I heard a noise toward the rear of the vehicle, so I took it to the garage to have it checked. They informed me that the left rear frame was completely rusted into and the frame on the right side was almost as bad. I was told to take it home and park it before a bad accident happened.
Found clunking sound from front of vehicle and found chassis rusted through in several places. Toyota dealership contacted and said vehicle not affected by any warranty or recall.
Tl-the contact owns a 1997 toyota 4runner. The contact stated as he replaced the front tie rod he noticed the rear subframe area and the rear lower control arm were severely corroded. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made notified of the failure. The failure and current mileage were 144,216. Rk
Original owner, bought new. Kept vehicle very well maintained with regular inspections on a lift and no evidence of frame rust or other problems. Then on above date an inspection showed many spots of rust on the frame - it had been rotting from the inside out. Multiple body experts said it was too far gone to repair and not safe to drive. Fortunately it did not fail when my family and I were on the highway, potentially killing us and anyone around us. Toyota customer "experience" reps refused even to acknowledge a problem - and I escalated this as far as I could. They had no answer for why they bought back tacomas, tundras and sequoias (which have the same frame) but did not even issue a maintenance advisory for the 4runners. If they won't pay attention to this, the government should force a recall. The rest of these vehicles are built well and the frame may well fail first, which no one expects.
Rear frame is rusted badly where the rear suspension connects.
Having complained about a clunking noise in the rear of the vehicle for quite some time to the toyota dealer, I was sold a number of repairs over the last 15,000 miles, including rear stabilizer links and rear shocks. However, the noise persisted. After spending hundreds and hundreds of dollars on repairs, I have now discovered the rear drivers side portion of the frame in the area under the rear seat has totally rotted away and the lower rear control arm weldment is no longer attached to the frame, leaving the vehicle unstable (swaying side to side) and unsafe. The dealership never advised me of any problem, leading me to spend the money on these other repairs. This frame design has been recognized as a problem by toyota a few years back. Toyota provided relief for the same issue on the tacoma. Obviously the 4runner suffers the same problem and should be evaluated as this is a very serious safety issue.
The vehicle had a bad muffler in it so I took into to the muffler shop and as they fixed the muffler they found that the entire frame of the car is rusted out. There are several holes in the frame. I drive my children in this car everyday ( 4 years old and 1 year old) car is not safe and I am currently out a vehicle and cannot afford another one. Still trying to figure out a solution. The entire frame is damaged.
Rust. The frame has almost completely rusted through, as has the rear fender. 1997 toyota 4runner with major rust issues.
Extensive rust on frame around weld of the control arm of the rear driver's side wheel. This caused the control arm to detach making the vehicle unsafe to drive. It appears there are quite a few complaints about frame rusting for toyota 4runners.
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