Owner-reported complaints naming the engine system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1993 Toyota 4Runner submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 20 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
I JUST BOUGHT THIS CAR LESS THEN A MONTH AGO. IT HAS NOTHING BUT PROBLEMS. NOW WHEN YOU START DRIVING IT WILL SHUT OFF AFTER 10 MINUTES. I WAS TOLD ITS EITHER A FLY WHEEL OR THE ENGINE HAS SEIZED. I PAID CASH AND HAVE NO MONEY TO PAY FOR ANY REPAIRS. IM 5.5 MONTHS PREGNANT TOO. *TR
MY 1993 TOYOTA 4-RUNNER HAS GONE THROUGH FOUR HEAD GASKETS IN THE LAST SEVEN YEARS. AND NOW IT NEEDS A FIFTH! TOYOTA ACTUALLY REPLACED THE FIRST TWO AT NO COST. TOYOTA HAD ISSUED A RECALL ON THE HEAD GASKET (THOUGH I RECEIVED NO NOTIFICATION OF THE RECALL EVEN THOUGH I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE NEW FROM THE DEALER). SO THE FIRST HEAD GASKET WAS REPLACED AT NO CHARGE, THEN IT FAILED WITHIN NINE MONTHS, SO THEY PAID FOR THE SECOND. BUT THEY HAVE NOT PAID FOR THE THIRD, FORTH, NOR NOW NOT THE FIFTH. *TR
93 4RUNNER HEAD GASKET BLOWN AGAIN. THEY REPLACED IT THE FIRST TIME IN 2001, BUT THE DESIGN OF THE GASKET WAS STILL FLAWED. TOYOTA SHOULD HAVE TO REPAIR ALL DEFECTIVE PARTS. IF A PART IS RECALLED, "FIXED", AND THEN CONTINUES TO BE DEFECTIVE THEN TOYOTA HAS NOT FIXED THE PROBLEM. THEY SHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE LITERAL THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE OUT THERE IN MY SAME SHOES. *TR
I OWN A 1993 TOYOTA 4RUNNER 3.0 L WITH APPROXIMATELY 150K MILES ON IT. ABOUT A WEEK AGO, I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM WORK AND MY HEAD GASKET BLEW CAUSING THE ENGINE TO SEIZE. I WAS STUCK ON THE 395N IN WASHINGTON, DC IN THE COLD FOR 3 HOURS BEFORE THE TOW TRUCK CAME WITH MY 1 YEAR OLD SON. I DID SOME RESEARCH AND FOUND OUT THAT THE 3.0 ENGINES HAD A RECALL ON IT FOR THE HEAD GASKETS BACK IN 1996. I CALLED TOYOTA AND GAVE THEM MY VIN ONLY TO FIND OUT THAT MY CAR ISN'T ELIGIBLE. I THINK THAT IT IS UNFAIR TO PAY OUT OF MY POCKET FOR THESE REPAIRS FOR SOMETHING THAT THE MANUFACTURER IS AT FAULT. PLEASE HELP ME, I AM AN E-4 IN THE NAVY WITH A 1 YEAR OLD SON. I CAN'T AFFORD TO PAY $1500 IN REPAIRS.*AK
THE HEAD GASKETS LEAKED ANTIFREEZE INTO THE OIL WHICH CAUSED THE CRANKSHAFT TO FAIL. *PH TOYOTA WOULD NOT ASSIST THE CONSUMER. *SC *JB
1993 TOYOTA 4 RUNNER ENGINE FAILURE. *MR THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN IN FOR A HEAD GASKET RECALL, BUT WHEN IT WAS RETURNED, LOW OIL PRESSURE AND ENGINE FAILURE OCCURRED IMMEDIATELY. TOYOTA REFUSED TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE FAILURE EVENTHOUGH MANY TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETINS REFER TO THE ENGINE DAMAGE DUE TO THE LEAKING HEAD GASKETS. *SC
SECOND HEAD GASKET HAS NOW FAILED AND ENGINE IS RUINED. FIRST HEAD GASKET WAS REPLACED AT ABOUT 70,000 MILES. NOW, AT 130,000, THE HEAD GASKET IS GONE AND THE ENGINE MUST BE REPLACED. PERHAPS THE REPLACEMENT WAS AS FAULTY AS THE ORIGINAL?
HEAD GASKET FAILURE. MR THE CONSUMERS HEAD GASKET WAS REPLACED UNDER A SPECIAL SERVICE CAMPAIGN, HOWEVER THE PROBLEM WAS NOT REMEDIED BECAUSE THE HEAD GASKET FAILED AGAIN LESS THAN 50 MILES AFTER THE ORIGINAL REPAIR WAS DONE. *JB
VEHICLE SHUTS DOWN. DEALER NOTIFIED. PH
VEHICLE OVERHEATED WHILE DRIVING. VEHICLE TAKEN TO A REPAIRS SHOP AND INFORMEDD THAT ENGINE HAD A BLOWN HEAD GASKET. DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOTIFIED. FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK
CONSUMER WAS TRAVELING ON HIGHWAY AND THERE WAS WHITE SMOKE COMING FROM MUFFLER. HEAD GASKET BLEWOUT. THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN FIXED THROUGH A RECALL .*AK
THE ENGINE SHOULD HAVE BEEN COMPLETELY REPLACED ON RECALL. ONCE THERE IS A HEAD GASKET PROBLEM IT CANNOT BE PROPERLY REPAIRED. THIS IS THE THIRD AND LAST TIME I'VE HAD THIS PROBLEM. THE FIRST OCCURED 6 MONTHS AFTER THE INITIAL RECALL!! THE SECOND HAPPENED 2 YEARS LATER AND THE THIRD 1 YEAR AFTER THAT. MY COMPLAINT IS WHAT GOOD IS A WARRANTY IF THE PROBLEM WAS NEVER CORRECTED TO BEGIN WITH!
HEAD GASKET FAILURE BOTH SIDES OF V-6 ENGINE REPLACED BY FACTORY RECALL. *AK
RECALL ON HEAD GASKETS-2 REPAIRS&1YR.LATER ENGINE FAILED-DEALER SAID NOT THEIR PROBLEM
FINALLY THERE IS SPACE TO DESCRIBE MY PROBLEM! BUT NO, THERE IS NO SPACE TO TYPE AND READ...AND RIETTA TOYOTA FALSELY REPORTED THAT THEY FIXED MY CAR, AFTER A TOYOTA RECALL CONONCERING THE HEAD GASKET. BUT, MY CAR WAS IN CALIFONRIA WHEN THEY CLAIMED TO HAVE DONE THE WORK IN PITTSBURGH. AS A RESULT, WHEN I BROUGHT MY CAR IN FOR SERVICE THE PALO ALTO DEALER THOUGHT THE WORK HAD BEEN DONE. SOON AFTER MY CAR OVERHEATED AND I BVLEW A HEAD GASKET. I WOULD LIKE AN INVESTIGATION OF THE FALSE REPORT IN MY RECORD. A SERVICE DEALERSHIP SHOULD NOT CLAIM TO DO RECALL WORK WHEN IT DIDN'T. *AK
FAN BLADE BROKE OFF FROM THE FAN CLUTCH.
FUEL GAUGE FAILED TO WORK PROPERLY. 20 OR SO MILES AFTER FILL UP, GAUGE GOES TO ZERO. ALSO OIL LEAK.
ENGINE HEAD GASKET BLEW OUT, GIVING OFF WHITE CLOUDS OF SMOKE. *AK
ENGINGE GASKETS FAILED WHILE DRIVING CAUSING LARGE CLOUD OF WHITE SMOKE. ALL GUAGES READ NORMAL AT TIME OF FAILURE.
ENGINE HEAD GASKET FAILED, CAUSING RADIATOR TO OVERHEAT. *AK
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
Data on this page last refreshed .