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 1998 Toyota 4Runner submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 16 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
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 TOYOTA 4RUNNER. DURING DECELERATION, THE VEHICLE STALLS AND ACCELERATES BOTH AT THE SAME TIME. THE DEALER REPLACED THE IDLE SWITCH VALVE TWICE, WHICH CORRECTED THE FAILURE FOR A FEW MONTHS. ON AUGUST 21, 2008 WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH, THE VEHICLE SHUT DOWN. THE CONTACT WILL TAKE THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR A DIAGNOSIS. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 72,100 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 90,000.
I WAS DRIVING ON HWY. 45 ABOUT 65 MPH. MY SISTER AND NEPHEW WERE IN THE VEHICLE WITH ME. ALL OF A SUDDEN, WE HEARD A LOUD POP. I FELT THE POWER GO OUT OF THE VEHICLE AND PROCEEDED TO PULL OVER TO THE SHOULDER OF THE FREEWAY - ALMOST HITTING ANOTHER VEHICLE. MY NEPHEW SAID IT SOUNDED LIKE WE GOT A FLAT TIRE. THEN WE NOTICED SMOKE COMING OUT FROM UNDER THE HOOD OF THE VEHICLE. WHEN WE GO TOUT, WE NOTICED OIL ON THE GROUND -UNDER THE VEHICLE. WE LIFTED THE HOOD - AND NOTICED A HOLE IN THE ENGINE BLOCK. THE VEHICLE HAD TO BE TOWED TO A GAS STATION, AND THEN PICKED UP THE NEXT DAY BY THE REPAIR SHOP. THE VEHICLE IS UNDER WARRANTY WITH GAP INSURANCE. THE REPAIR SHOP IS TELLING ME THE WARRANTY DOES NOT COVER IT, AND THAT IT IS NOT A MANUFACTURE MALFUNCTION. I ALSO HAD JUST WITHIN LESS THAN A MONTH AGO, HAD TO HAVE THE STARTER REPLACED, PRIOR TO THIS HAPPENING.
WITH 50 000 MILES, CONNECTING ROD BROKE WHILE DURING NORMAL USE, SHOT OUT THE ENGINE BLOCK, FLUID SPILLED, ENGINE SEIZED AND CATASTROPHIC DAMAGE TO ENGINE BLOCK; NEW ENGINE REQUIRED. *JB
WE WERE ON VACATION DRIVING FROM ATLANTA, GA TO DAMARISCOTTA, ME. ON THE MORNING OF SATURDAY AUGUST 7, WE BEGAN OUR SECOND DAY OF TRAVEL JUST OUTSIDE OF HARRISBURG, PA. WE WERE ENTERING THE INTERSTATE WHEN WE HEARD A LOUD POP AND THE CAR BEGAN TO SHAKE BADLY. WE IMMEDIATELY TOOK THE CAR, A 1998 TOYOTA 4RUNNER WITH FEWER THAN 60,000 MILES ON IT, TO HARRISBURG TOYOTA. THE DEALER EVENTUALLY TOLD US WE HAD A BROKEN ROD AND NEED A SHORT BLOCK REPLACEMENT, FOR WHICH WE WERE CHARGED $5500, INCLUDING $3900 IN PARTS.*AK
CONSUMER STATED WHILE TRAVELING AT ANY SPEED AND WITHOUT ANY INDICATION VEHICLE WOULD STALL. VEHICLE WAS SERVICED, TECHNICIAN NOTICED A MOUSE HAD CRAWLED INTO THE MASS AIR FLOW . *AK
THERE WAS AN UNFAMILIAR RATTLING NOISE COMING FROM THE ENGINE. *DT *JB
WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE WAS LEAKING EXHAUST FUMES INSIDE THE VEHICLE. DEALER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. TS
CONSUMER STATED THAT THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON DUE TO OXYGEN SENSOR FAILURE. *YH
WHILE CONSUMER WAS DRIVING ON A MOUNTAIN/COMING DOWN AND EXITING, VEHICLE COMPLETELY SHUTDOWN, THIS HAS HAPPENED TWICE. CONSUMER WAS TOLD BY DEALER THAT VEHICLE WAS FINE. IT JUST NEEDS TO GET USED TO MOUNTAIN DRIVINGB (NOTE: THE VEHICLE HAS A SUPERCHARGER THAT THE DEALER ADDED WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS NEW, ITS A TRD SUPERCHARGER). *AK *YH
WHILE ACCELERATING 55 MPH ENGINE SEIZED UP, LOSING COMPLETE POWER. OWNER DRIFTED TRUCK OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. DEALERSHIP STATED THAT ENGINE THREW A ROD. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS. *AK
THE VEHICLE WAS GOING 15MPH ON WET PAVEMENT AND SUDDENLY BROKE INTO A 360 SPIN. THE ENGINE STALLED CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO LOSE ALL POWER, LOCKING THE BRAKES UP. THE DEALER WAS NOTIFIED. NLM *TT
ENGINE FAILED TWICE WITHIN TWO MONTHS FOR NO REASON. BOTH TIMES SLOWING DOWN WHEN GOING TO TURN. NO ONE WAS HURT./// LOST CONTROL OF 4 RUNNER WHILE SLOWING DOWN FOR EXIT RAMP AT 35 MPH AND WET ROAD. SPEED WAS NOT EXCESSIVE FOR CONDITIONS. CAR SPUN HIT GUARD RAIL AND THEN HIT AND DID A 360. 4 DAYS LATER, DRY FREEWAY AT 70 MPH CAR SUDDENLY VEERED TO LEFT, SPUN 360 THEN INTO GRASS MEDIAN 360 , THEN 360 BACK ONTO FREEWAY AND CAME TO STOP, ONLY GOD COULD HAVE PREVENTED THIS FROM BEING A DISASTER. TWO PASSENGERS, NO ONE WAS HURT. CAR COVERED WITH GRASS. *AK( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: 16 )
WHILE DRIVING 20 MPH VEHICLE BEGAN TO LOSE POWER, ENGINE CONTINUED TO RUN, AND THE INSTRUCTMENT PANEL LIGHTS REMAINED ILLUMINATED. CAUSE UNKNOWN. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
VEHICLE EXPERIENCING ENGINE KNOCKING AND STALLING. YH
ENGINE STALLS WHILE DRIVING ,LOSS OF ENGINE POWER. DEALER CANNOT DETERMINE DEFECT. *AK
VEHICLE IN HEAD ON COLLISION, FIRE ERRUPTED IMMEDIATELY. (QCAW)
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 .