2016 Toyota 4RUNNER electrical problems

Filed Feb 24, 2025 · Electrical · TX

I drive for a living and yesterday I was driving while this happened 3 separate times. I was going 70 mph on the highway when my radio, usb ports blower motor and dash cluster power went out. I was terrified that my car would shut off while driving. Upon checking the car over, I noticed the battery mount was broken/missing pieces. The upper portion had become lose due to the broken parts and had stuck itself to my positive battery terminal. Lots of sparks when I tried to remove it. I finally got it broke loose using a piece of wood instead of my hands. Very scary.

Filed Feb 25, 2024 · Electrical, Seats · UT · fire

Picked up a Gal to go out on a date. Turned the vehicle on and got about 1 mile down the road when I started to smell , like a hot , burning electrical smoke . My Date , sitting in the passenger seat says Her seat is get warm , then says , it's getting really hot ! I looked at the seat warmer switch and noticed and said , weird , the switch isn't even on . Then the smoke became very apparent as we got onto the Freeway and we were compelled to pull over as the electrical components or wiring were on the verge of catching fire , where the Electic Seat switch is located .

Filed Mar 31, 2023 · Electrical · 29,922 miles · FL

The contact owns a 2016 Toyota 4Runner. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was discovered that rodents had chewed through the soy-based wiring. The electrical wiring was replaced out of pocket; however, the failure had recurred twice. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 29,922.

Filed Aug 12, 2021 · Electrical · TN

Toyota has a major safety issue (that they know about) relating to door lock actuators on their 4runners. Both of mine (passenger and driver side) failed within the first 55,000 miles, and there are a LOT of others who have had the same problem. The forums are littered with people reporting. However, Toyota has discouraged people from reporting the problem to them by charging an exorbitant amount for repair of such an inexpensive item (about $800 per side). When that becomes known to owners, people will just repair the items themselves. This is obviously unethical. Door lock actuators pose an obvious safety issue, both if the door remains unlocked when it is supposed to be locked, and when the door remains locked when it is supposed to be unlocked. In the latter case, following an accident where a passenger is incapacitated and the door lock cannot be reached by hand (and there's no external key slot), the only way to unlock the door is via the electronic fob. If the door lock actuator is broken, then that incapacitated passenger will be trapped in the vehicle. For the former case - and this has personally happened to me - when the door was supposed to be locked, I had an individual actually open my passenger side door and enter into my vehicle. (He was under the influence of something, and fortunately nothing happened other than a very tense situation). But the safety issue remains. I expect that the post-accident scenario is more relevant to the federal safety agency's interests, however, since a KNOWN design defect could very easily lead to the death of an individual trapped in a vehicle.

Filed Jul 8, 2021 · Driver assistance, Electrical · CO

Rear view camera cuts out and screen goes black. Similar to the RAV4 complaints.

Filed Jun 21, 2021 · Electrical · AL

The door lock actuator on the passenger side door is going out. This is clearly a common problem with this make and year model. Several reviews I have read state that this has been an issue specifically with the front driver and passenger doors. I'm not sure why there has not been a recall on this issue. This is obviously a manufacturer issue vs a owner/user issue. Toyota really needs to consider a recall because this is not a cheap fix.

Filed Jan 5, 2021 · Electrical · TX

Door lock/unlock actuators are going out. Driver's side and now front passenger's side. This appears to be a prevalent issue on line, and nothing has been done. Replacing one costs $550.

Filed Aug 28, 2020 · Electrical · 99,000 miles · MI

Driver door actuator does not work, preventing the remote locking and unlocking of the door.

Filed May 14, 2020 · Electrical · 53,000 miles · FL

The SUV does not lock when I use the remote or when I try to lock it manually. I replaced the actuator in the driver side door which was the door that stays unlocked however to no avail. I am out a lot of money however I now believe there may be a bigger problem with something called bcm. I do not want to spend more money getting the issue diagnosed and repaired. This feels unfair to me that the locking system is broke and I risk the vehicle being stolen at such a young age of the vehicle.

Filed Feb 13, 2019 · Electrical · 40,000 miles · CA

Rodent chewed main engine wiring harness