I was backing into my driveway. I stopped the vehicle. I then shifted into forward for about 1 foot and then shifted into reverse (I was maneuvering my car). When I shifted into reverse the engine went to maximum power (instantly). I jammed on the brake and the rear tires started to spin and the rear of the car was bouncing up and down as the tires were spinning. I immediately shifted into park and shut off the engine. The car was sent to the dealership where the service department did not find a problem.. My car has to remain at the dealership for 2 weeks because a toyota factory rep has to visit the dealership to inspect the car.
2004 Toyota 4RUNNER acceleration complaints
Page 2 of 2: complaints 11 to 34 of 34, newest first, as owners wrote them.
I experienced a terrifying "acceleration problem" this past week as I was parking my car at a local store. I'd already slowed down to almost a halt, but as I put my foot on the brake to come to a complete stop, it suddenly lurched forward with shocking speed. I instinctively threw the gear into park; it stopped as it crashed into the steps leading to the store entrance. The cause had nothing to do with a floor mat (I don't have any) nor "sticking" gas pedal (the car had already come almost to a halt before it suddenly accelerated). The brakes were useless and felt like they were disengaged; acceleration may have occurred after depressing the brake pedal (this is still cloudy in my mind). I bought the car new, in 2004. This is the first time I've had any problem. I wondered what I might have done to cause the problem after so many years without any. I realized I'd never used the cruise control feature, until recently, only in the past few months. I was not using the cruise control feature when the incident occurred, but the sudden forward surge felt exactly like what happens when the car is on cruise control and drops beneath the speed at which it's set; it surges forward, on "its own." I believe there's a causal relationship. My concern is two-fold: fixing a potentially deadly problem in my own toyota, and helping identify the cause of the problem so it can be fixed by toyota before another tragedy.
Driving on the highway going straight at 55 MPH, with my foot on the accelerator only (with no loss of stability or control and no wet conditions), suddenly and simultaneously a beeping noise from the dashboard occurs along with the 4runner pulling real hard to the left. (almost as if I pulled the steering wheel abruptly to make a left turn...). Also feels like brake is applied during all of this to the front left tire causing me to lose acceleration - regardless of having my foot on the accelerator. I took my car to the dealer a year ago when this happened and they said nothing was wrong. It happened again this morning and I took it to the toyota dealer. Both instances nearly caused an accident.
While driving, the cel (check engine light) came on and the vsc trac and vsc off lights came on as well. Apparently toyota disables vsc when the cel is triggered. In my case, the 2 times it has occurred has been due to emissions related failures (1st time the cat failed, 2nd time one of the o2 sensors failed). In the 1st case, I immediately took the vehicle to the dealership as I was approaching the end of the emissions warranty. They made the repairs and cleared all the codes so wasn't aware that the vsc system was actually disabled. The 2nd time (o2 failure) I replaced the failed o2 sensor, the cel has cleared, however the vsc lights are still on and vsc is disabled. I have serious concerns that toyota disables key safety systems due to emissions related failures especially given the inherent stability problems with SUV's. If I'm on a trip with my family and an o2 sensor fails, or a catalytic converter fails, or the gas cap fails, key safety systems that help keep my family and I safe should not be disabled! I think this deserves an investigation.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 toyota 4runner. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30-35 MPH, the accelerator pedal became jammed and caused the vehicle to accelerate to 65 MPH. The contact was able to release the pedal as the vehicle resumed normal operation. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where they advised that they were unable to diagnose the failure. The manufacturer was contacted and they advised the contact that due to her having aftermarket floor mats, they were not liable for the failure. The failure and the current mileages were 67,200.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 toyota 4runner. The contact stated that the floor mat became trapped under the accelerator pedal and caused the vehicle to unintentionally accelerate. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for repairs under the federal safety agency campaign id number: 11v113000 (vehicle speed control: accelerator pedal). The dealer did not perform the recall because the contact wanted the vehicle floor mat replaced. The manufacturer was contacted and they advised that only the all weather floor mat was replaced with the accelerator pedal recall. The failure and the current mileage was 170,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 toyota 4runner. While driving 30 MPH, the contact stated she applied pressure to the accelerator pedal when it extended to the floor and remained stuck. She applied pressure to the brakes; however, the vehicle did not stop. She activated the emergency brake and shifted into neutral gear and the vehicle came to a stop. She was able to restart the vehicle; however, it would not accelerate. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where she was informed that the rear differential had locked and failed. No repairs were performed. The current and failure mileage was 67,262.
2004 toyota 4 runner. Consumer writes in regards to national safety recall complaint *tgw the consumer stated the dealer wanted him to sign an arbitration agreement as a condition to address the recall. The consumer stated he signed the agreement, but he also wrote it was under protest/duress.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 toyota 4-runner. The contact was driving 2 MPH uphill when the vehicle suddenly accelerated and crashed into a tree. There were no warnings prior to the failure. The contact was injured but there was no police report filed. The vehicle was inspected but no technician was able to explain what caused the crash. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The current mileage was approximately 110,000 and the failure mileage was 87,643.
I leased a 2004 toyota 4 runner in 2004 for five years and turned the vehicle back into toyota in 2009. During the time I had the vehicle, the accelerator became stuck on the freeway which resulted in my entire family almost being killed. Fortunately, we were not hurt, but our brakes were ruined during our efforts to bring the vehicle to stop. At the time, we had the brakes replaced and our mechanic felt that somehow, the floor mat caused the problem, rather than some mechanical issue. Early in 2011, I became aware of a recall of 2004 toyota 4 runners because of this exact problem. I have requested reimbursement for the brake repair, but toyota has told me that they will not reimburse me, as "brakes are not covered under the recall notice". I find this extremely disturbing and feel that toyota is avoiding taking responsbility. I have complained to their customer relations department, who have been totally uncooperative. Is this something that you can look into or help me with. It seems silly that toyota would not accept responsbility for something that was an obvious defect, for which they admit..
This morning I stopped at the end of my driveway to wait for the garage door to go up. I stepped on the brake and stopped. After I was stopped my 4runner accelerated hard and I had to use both feet on the brake to hold it. I shifted in to neutral and the engine continued to race. It eventually stopped and I was able to pull in to the garage and park. It was very frightening. I was in 4 wheel drive mode due to snow and ice on the roads. After I parked in the garage, I shifted back to two wheel drive.
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 toyota 4runner. While driving at approximately 50 MPH, the contact applied the brakes but the vehicle surged forward. The contact depressed the brake pedal again but the vehicle would not stop. He was able to pull over and turn the vehicle off. Upon restart, the engine revved so the contact shut the vehicle off again. The vehicle was towed to an authorized dealership where the contact was informed that the brakes were slightly warped but could not find the cause for the acceleration. The current and failure mileages were approximately 78,500.
I have a 2004 toyota 4 runner, which I believe is not subject to a recall, and on three occasions the accelerator has become stuck. Each time it occurred when I accelerated more than normal, and each time once my foot went off the pedal the car kept accelerating. Each time I was able to stop it by braking. Two of the occasions occurred back to back less than a minute apart. I am somewhat afraid to drive the car and certainly afraid to accelerate hard. There was a floor mat and I have removed it.
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 toyota 4runner. While driving 55 MPH on a highway without his foot on the accelerator pedal, and making a right turn but the vehicle keeps going at about the same speed. Contact states that he has to brake very hard to get the car to slow down to make the turn. Failure mileage was 71,000 and the current mileage is 72,000. Contact has not called the dealer.
I have a 2004 toyota 4-runner. About 2 years ago as I was driving down a local highway at about 45 MPH, my 4-runner suddenly took off as if the cruise control engaged. However, the cruise control was not on. This is the one & only time this happened. I feel like this incident should be noted since toyota has not recalled any 4-runners. Maybe there have been other similar complaints on the same vehicle as mine.
Sudden acceleration , where the brakes have to be applied to stop vehicle. This has happened numerous times since vehicle was purchased new in 2004.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 toyota 4runner. While driving approximately 5 MPH into a parking space with her foot on the brake pedal, the vehicle accelerated on its own without warning. She applied extreme pressure to the brake pedal; however, the vehicle failed to stop and crashed into another vehicle. The front end of the vehicle was damaged and repaired. The mechanic test drove the vehicle, experienced the failure and advised the contact that they would not release the vehicle since it was too dangerous to drive. The dealer was notified and advised the contact that an inspector within their legal department would diagnose the failure since it was involved in a crash. The failure and current mileages were 40,400. Updated 03/04/10
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 toyota 4 runner. While driving approximately 15 MPH on normal road conditions; proceeding to a stop signal pressure was applied to the brake pedal, followed by an unintended and forceful acceleration. The driver was able to come to a complete stop. The failure occurred intermittently. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for inspection. The technician was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle has not been repaired. The failure mileage was 50,000. The current mileage was 111,000. Updated 02/18/10
I have a 2004 toyota 4runner and a few months ago the accelerator pedal got stuck under the rubber floor mat. I purchased the rubber floor mat from a toyota dealer and it was made specifically for the 4 runner. When the pedal got stuck, the engine was running wide open. I managed to get the vehicle in neutral and stopped before hitting anything. It was very frightening. It appears like the mat slid forward and that was what caused the pedal to get stuck. I had recently cleaned the mat and may not have had it positioned properly when I reinstalled it. I think the design of the mat is not safe due to the thickness of the mat at the front near the pedal. Future incidents are likely if the mat is loose and slides forward. I did have a carpeted mat under the rubber mat. The carpeted mat came with the 4runner when I bought the vehicle. This likely contributed to the rubber mat coming loose and sliding forward. If not installed properly, it appears like the carpeted mat could also slide forward and may cause the accelerator to get stuck.
Dirt road, moderate braking, slight skid, ABS/trac/vsc lights illuminated, second time happened. Reset the first time manually by tricking computer to reset. Second time, no go. Vsc/ABS/trac computer may be bad.
Problems with the bottom of the seats moving around as if not in the locked position. The vehicle accelerated up to 5 MPH although the consumer's foot was not on the accelerator. At times while shifting form drive to neutral and then reverse, the engine could be heard revving up then the vehicle would jerk backwards. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer who test drove the vehicle. The technician concluded that the vehicle was performing as designed and refused to provide further assistance.
Vibration (from drivetrain) that is felt through the gas pedal accompanied by a low-pitch humming/droning noise. This phenomenon is most obvious/noticeable between 1500 to 2000 RPM at all speeds and less noticeable above 2000 rpms.
Driver seat would shift around while driving and once in gear vehicle would accelerate on its won without any pressure applied to the gas pedal. *ph mechanic test drove vehicle, but failed to find out the cause of the problem.
Driveline vibration centerd at approximately 1700 rpms. Is worst in 5th gear. Problem began at about 400 miles and has gotten slightly worse with additonal mileage. Dealer response to complaint was "characteristic of the vehicle - no poblem found at this time."
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