2005 Toyota 4Runner Engine Problems

The contact owns a 2005 Toyota 4Runner. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle briefly hesitated and was unable to accelerate, prompting the contact to discontinue driving the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the catalytic converter. The contact was also made aware that the mechanic discovered excessive corrosion covering the entire subframe of the vehicle. The contact was advised not to drive the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 205,000.

NHTSA ID

11678278

Incident

Aug 4, 2025

Mileage

205,000 mi

When I first saw the pictures on the internet, I noticed that the front underside appeared to have rust issues. (Frontal shot) I contacted that sales person and he blew me off when I requested photos of the underbody. After several attempts, he finally sent a couple of pictures. The pictures obviously did not show the major rust issues as I have provided. The pictures were carefully fabricated not to show the major rust issues. It was apparent that the vehicle was taken off the internet while they hid the rusty underbody by applying some coating. A short time later, the dealership reposted the vehicle on their website. The vehicle was not properly advertised as having this major rust issue. I asked the salesman if his family was driving the vehicle, would he feel safe. He replied, "Absolutely". With this said, I decided to purchase the vehicle. Also, my signature is not on the "We owe". Also, the vehicle has an exhaust leak from the manifold area. It makes a loud ticking noise. This is going to cost approximately $1,500 to fix. The air conditioner is not blowing cold and either has a leak or in need of freon. This is another repair out of my pocket. This is what kind of pre-owned vehicle they sold me. This vehicle should have never been listed for sale.

NHTSA ID

11669643

Incident

May 15, 2024

The contact owns a 2005 Toyota 4Runner. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the radiator boiled over without warning. The contact stated that the failure was due to the head gasket. The contact called the local dealer however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacture was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 170,000.

NHTSA ID

11432876

Incident

Apr 1, 2021

Mileage

170,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 TOYOTA 4RUNNER. WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED, THE CHECK ENGINE INDICATOR ILLUMINATED AND REMAINED LIT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO ACKERMAN TOYOTA (314-351-3000, LOCATED AT 2020 HAMPTON AVE, SAINT LOUIS, MO 63139) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE AIR SWITCHING VALVES NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD AND THE AIR SWITCHING VALVES WERE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 172,000.

NHTSA ID

11242005

Incident

Aug 8, 2017

Mileage

172,000 mi

SEVERE CORROSION OF FRAME AT THE REAR BODY MOUNT LOCATION. THE BODY OF THE VEHICLE IS NO LONGER SECURED TO THE FRAME AT THIS LOCATION DUE TO THE SEVERE RUST. SIGNIFICANT RUST ALSO ON THE FRONT CROSS FRAME MEMBER WHICH HAS THE TOW MOUNTS RENDERING THEM USELESS AND UNSAFE. CRACKED EXHAUST MANIFOLD CAUSING EXCESSIVE ENGINE NOISE AND EXHAUST FUMES. THIS IS A TIME CONSUMING AND COSTLY REPAIR.

NHTSA ID

11231033

Incident

Jul 11, 2019

Mileage

192,000 mi

THE TOYOTA SECONDARY AIR SYSTEM HAS FAILED RENDERING MY CAR WITHOUT TRACTION CONTROL... AND OTHER LIGHTS. THERE IS NO PREVENTATIVE MEASURES FOR THIS PART AND TOYOTA USED THE EXACT SAME SYSTEM ON THE TUNDRA'S AND SEQUOIA'S WITH THE SAME PROBLEM I'M HAVING. THIS NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED AS THE REPAIR FOR THE SYSTEM IS ROUGHLY 4000.00 ALMOST HALF THE COST OF MY CAR... PLEASE MAKE THEM FIX THIS ON ALL CARS WHERE THE SAME SYSTEM WAS USED.

NHTSA ID

11139921

Incident

Oct 12, 2018

Mileage

136,000 mi

I'M A RETIRED MASTER MECHANIC TURNED AEROSPACE ENGINEER. ON AUG 24, WHILE MY FOOT WAS ON THE BRAKE, THE ENGINE REVVED TO FULL THROTTLE, SQUEALING THE REAR TIRES. THIS EVENT WAS CLEARLY CAUSED BY A FAULTY ELECTRONIC THROTTLE CONTROL CIRCUIT. I SHUT OFF THE TRUCK. WHEN I STARTED IT AGAIN, THE SITUATION WAS STILL THERE. I SHUT IT OFF AND WAITED 10 SECONDS, THEN STARTED IT AND IT IDLED NORMALLY. I CONCLUDED THAT THERE WAS A SOFTWARE GLITCH. THIS HAPPENED ONCE BEFORE ABOUT TWO YEARS AGO. IN BOTH CASES, MY TRUCK WAS LUCKILY STOPPED IN A PARKING LOT WITH THE TRANSMISSION IN DRIVE.

NHTSA ID

11122854

Incident

Aug 24, 2018

Mileage

110,000 mi

THE SECONDARY AIR INJECTION PUMP IS SENDING ERROR MESSAGES AND THE VEHICLE IS NOW IN LIMP MODE. THE VEHICLE WILL NOT GO OVER 30MPH.

NHTSA ID

11120779

Incident

Aug 15, 2018

Mileage

100,000 mi

OIL LEAK IN #6 CYLINDER AFTER 182,505 MILES REQUIRING AN VALVE JOB.

NHTSA ID

11112340

Incident

Jun 18, 2018

Mileage

182,505 mi

HEAD GASKETS LEAKING ANTI -FREEZE INTO PISTON CYLINDER. DASHBOARD LIT UP , ALL LIGHTS ON.

NHTSA ID

11053662

Incident

Dec 1, 2017

Mileage

112,000 mi

SECONDARY AIR PUMP FAILURE DUE TO DEFECTIVE DESIGN. TOYOTA HAS ACKNOWLEDGED THIS AS A DEFECTIVE INSTALLATION ON THE SEQUOIA AND TUNDRA MODELS WITH AN IDENTICAL ENGINE INSTALLATION AS THE 4RUNNER; BUT REFUSES TO REPAIR/RETROFIT THE 4RUNNER DEVICE. RESULT IS LOSS OF POWER WHICH COULD RESULT ON VEHICLE ACCIDENT

NHTSA ID

11041539

Incident

Oct 22, 2017

Mileage

150,000 mi

2005 TOYOTA 4RUNNER 4.7L V8. "CHECK ENGINE" AND VSC TRAC. CODES 1441, 1444 AND 2440.TOYOTA KNOWS THEY PUT A FAULTY SECONDARY AIR INJECTION SYSTEM IN THE V8 ENGINES FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS, AND NOW THEY WANT $2200 TO FIX THE PROBLEM. IF THE FAULTY VALVE STICKS OPEN, THE VEHICLE WILL AUTOMATICALLY GO INTO "LIMP MODE" WITH A MAXIMUM SPEED WELL BELOW SAFE TRAVEL SPEEDS ON HIGHWAYS AND INTERSTATES, CREATING A SAFETY HAZARD FOR OCCUPANTS AND OTHERS ON THE ROAD. TOYOTA DID A RECALL ON OTHER MODELS WITH THE SAME ENGINE, BUT NOTHING FOR THE 4RUNNER. THIS IS A KNOW ISSUE WITH THE V8 ENGINE, AND THEY ARE COVERING THE REPAIR FOR SEQUOIAS AND TUNDRAS WITH THE SAME ENGINE.

NHTSA ID

11030304

Incident

Sep 20, 2017

Mileage

102,000 mi

2005 TOYOTA 4RUNNER 4.7L V8. "CHECK ENGINE" AND VSC TRAC. CODES 1441, 1444 AND 2440 VEHICLE WENT INTO LIMP MODE ON THE HIGHWAY AND I WAS UNABLE TO ACCELERATE ABOUT 20 MPH ON A 70 MPH HIGHWAY. MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE. THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH THE TOYOTA V8 BUT TOYOTA IS NOT COVERING THE 4RUNNER BUT IS COVERING THE SAME ENGINE PART IN THE TUNDRA. THE MECHANIC KNEW EXACTLY WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS AND SEES IT ALL THE TIME. REPAIR IS $2,000 WITH NO REIMBURSEMENT FROM TOYOTA

NHTSA ID

11010205

Incident

Jul 22, 2017

Mileage

125 mi

LEAKING EXHAUST MANIFOLDS DUE TO FAULTY DESIGN THIS IS ON THE V8 4RUNNER. EXHAUST WILL GO INTO THE CABIN OF THE VEHICLE AND SMELL LIKE ROTTEN EGGS. TOYOTA WILL NOT HELP IN THE REPLACEMENT OF THESE MANIFOLDS. THE CHARGE IS 2500 TO REPLACE. THERE IS A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN ON THIS ISSUE. IT IS HARD TO DRIVE WITH EXHAUST LEAKING IN THE CAB SOMETIMES GETTING SICK.

NHTSA ID

10926264

Incident

Dec 11, 2013

Mileage

75,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 TOYOTA 4RUNNER. WHILE DRIVING 70 MPH, THE VEHICLE LOST POWER. IN ADDITION, THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED, BUT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO ACCELERATE. THE CHECK ENGINE AND VSC WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTO STORE WHERE A TECHNICIAN PULLED UP DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODES. THE CONTACT SPOKE WITH A LOCAL DEALER WHO STATED THAT, BASED ON THE CODES PROVIDED, THE VEHICLE WOULD BE REPAIRED UNDER NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 05V123000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING). THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 103,000.

NHTSA ID

10865106

Incident

May 15, 2016

Mileage

103,000 mi

STATIONARY ON STARTUP - MY 2005 TOYOTA HAS BEEN RENDERED WORTHLESS BECAUSE OF A FACTORY DEFECT IN THE BLOWER FAN THAT ONLY RUNS WHEN COLD STARTING THE ENGINE. IT TRIGGERS THE "LIMP HOME" MODE IN THE VEHICLE WHICH OVERRIDES TRANSMISSION SHIFTING AND MAKES THE VEHICLE UNSAFE TO DRIVE. THE ERROR CODE FOR THIS PROBLEM IS P0418 SECONDARY AIR INJECTION SYSTEM RELAY. THIS IS A WELL-KNOWN PROBLEM AND HAS OCCURRED IN MANY, MANY OF THE TOYOTA 4.7 L ENGINES IN DIFFERENT VEHICLES. TOYOTA IS AWARE OF THIS DEFECT IN THIS/THESE PART(S). THIS COULD NOT BE PREDICTED OR PREVENTED BY SERVICING THE VEHICLE AT REGULAR INTERVALS, OR ANY OTHER METHOD OF TYPICAL CONSUMER MAINTENANCE. THE PRICE FOR REPAIR IS IN THE $3-THOUSAND DOLLAR RANGE. THIS WAS NOT A CONSUMER NEGLECT ITEM. TOYOTA HAS A PART IN THEIR ENGINE THAT IS DEFECTIVE, AND THEY KNOW THAT. I DO NOT HAVE THAT KIND OF MONEY FOR THIS VEHICLE, SO I USE A COMPUTER TO RESET THE CODE UNTIL THIS GETS RESOLVED, OR THE VEHICLE COMPLETELY SHUTS DOWN.

NHTSA ID

10855340

Incident

Jan 1, 2016

Mileage

146,000 mi

FOR 3 DAYS THE CAR WOULD START WITH ENGINE ROUGHNESS, LASTING 15 SECONDS OR SO (SOMETIMES WITH A CLOUD OF SMOKE FROM THE EXHAUST). ON THE 3RD DAY THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, VSC, AND TRAC LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. AN ANALYSIS AT AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP FOUND A COMPUTER CODE OF P0306 (ENGINE MIS-FIRE ON CYLINDER 6). A BORESCOPE VIDEO OF THE CYLINDER SHOWS SMALL AMOUNTS OF COOLANT ENTERING THE CYLINDER, INDICATING A HEAD GASKET LEAK. SEARCHING THIS VEHICLE ONLINE AND IN THIS DATABASE SHOWS A HIGH NUMBER OF REPORTS OF HEAD GASKETS LEAKING INTO CYLINDER 6. I AM LOOKING AT QUOTES BETWEEN $2500-5000 FOR REPAIRS.

NHTSA ID

10820687

Incident

Jan 16, 2016

Mileage

121,000 mi

MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON ALONG WITH VSC TRAC. AFTER TAKING VEHICLE TO DEALERSHIP I WAS TOLD THAT THE REPAIR WOULD COST $2,048.73 DUE TO THE AIR PUMP BEING STUCK IN OFF POSITION. WHILE TOYOTA IN RESPONSE TO REPORTS OF AIR INDUCTION PUMP ASSEMBLIES AND/OR AIR INJECTION SWITCHING VALVES ISSUES ON THEIR 2007-2010 TUNDRA AND 2008-2010 SEQUOIA MODELS, TOYOTA HAS DECIDED TO INCREASE ITS WARRANTY ON THESE PARTS AND IS EVEN OFFERING A REIMBURSEMENT IF YOU ALREADY HAD THIS ISSUE FIXED. MY VEHICLE HAS THE IDENTICAL ENGINE OF THE ABOVE-NAMED VEHICLES BUT TOYOTA DOES NOT OFFER ANY HELP WITH THE 4RUNNER. IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT IF I DO NOT GET THE PROBLEM FIXED IT BECOMES A HUGE PROBLEM WITHIN FEDERALLY MANDATED EMISSIONS REQUIREMENT. *TR

NHTSA ID

10654328

Incident

Oct 13, 2014

Mileage

108,953 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 TOYOTA 4RUNNER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED AND FAILED TO SLOW DOWN WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT AFTER SHIFTING IN NEUTRAL THE VEHICLE SLOWED DOWN. THE VEHICLE WAS THEN MANEUVERED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WHERE THE ENGINE WAS SHUT OFF. THE VEHICLE FAILED TO RESTART. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC AND THEN TO THE DEALER. THE MECHANIC NOTICED METAL FRAGMENTS IN THE ENGINE OIL. THE CONTACT WAS MADE AWARE THAT THE VEHICLE WAS INCLUDED IN RECALL NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 11V113000 (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL). HOWEVER, THE CONTACT DID NOT RECEIVE A RECALL NOTIFICATION PRIOR TO THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 120,000.

NHTSA ID

10622555

Incident

Aug 1, 2014

Mileage

120,000 mi

ENGINE LOOSING COOLANT. VEHICLE BROUGHT TO AN INDEPENDENT SERVICE STATION WHICH DETERMINED THAT THE VEHICLE HAS HEAD GASKET FAILURE. 3.0 V6 ENGINE. COOLANT BEING LOST THROUGH EXHAUST SYSTEM WITH USUAL SYMPTOMS OF THIS PROBLEM. VEHICLE HAS JUST OVER 100K MILES. APPEARS THIS IS AROUND THE MILEAGE THAT GASKET FAILURES OCCUR. THIS IS A PROBLEM FOR WHICH TOYOTA PREVIOUSLY IDENTIFIED A LIMITED NUMBER OF VEHICLES FOR A RECALL. HOWEVER IN REVIEWING THIS WEBSITE IT APPEARS THE PROBLEM WAS ONGOING BEYOND THE VEHICLES IDENTIFIED. ALTHOUGH THIS IS AN OLDER VEHICLE, IF IT HAD BEEN RECALLED AND FIXED I MOST LIKELY WOULD NOT HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM. TOYOTA NOTIFIED BUT IS DENYING ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR FAULTY GASKETS BEYOND IDENTIFIED VEHICLES. *TR

NHTSA ID

10466960

Incident

Jul 3, 2012

Mileage

100,150 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 TOYOTA RUNNER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE CONTACT WAS ADVISED THAT THE AIR INDUCTION PUMP FAILED. IN ADDITION, THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE SECONDARY AIR INJECTION SWITCH WAS ALSO DAMAGED AS A RESULT OF THE AIR INDUCTION PUMP FAILURE. THE AIR INDUCTION PUMP WAS REPLACED BUT THE FAILURE PERSISTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE WHO ADVISED THE CONTACT THAT THERE WERE NO RECALLS FOR THE FAILURE AND OFFERED NO FURTHER ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 90,000.

NHTSA ID

10441663

Incident

Dec 1, 2011

Mileage

90,000 mi

2005 TOYOTA 4 RUNNER EXHAUST MANIFOLD CRACKS. *TR

NHTSA ID

10360563

Incident

Jan 1, 2010

Mileage

80,000 mi

OIL LEAK CAUSED FIRE MELTING SERPENTINE BELT. *TR

NHTSA ID

10239568

Incident

Aug 21, 2008

Mileage

25,100 mi

IF THE BACK WINDOW IS OPEN AND THE AIR HANDLER IS ON RECURCULATE EXHAUST GETS PULLED INTO THE CAR. *TR

NHTSA ID

10228789

Incident

May 23, 2008

V8, 4WD. IDLE RPM IS WAY TOO HIGH. WHEN A/C COMPRESSOR KICKS IN IDLE CAN BE AS HIGH AS 1500 RPM. HAVE TO BE VERY CAREFUL PULLING INTO GARAGE, AS THE BRAKE IS VERY DIFFICULT TO MODULATE AT THAT RPM. TWICE INTO DEALER FOR THIS AND TOLD "...IT IS NORMAL". WIFE AFRAID TO DRIVE INTO THE GARAGE AND I HAVE TO BE VERY AWARE WHEN A/C IS ON. HAVE NEVER SEEN A VEHICLE IDLE AT THIS HIGH AN RPM. DIFFICULT TO HOLD AT STOP SIGN AND WILL IDLE AWAY AT A GOOD PACE WITH NO ACCELERATOR APPLIED. *JB

NHTSA ID

10182811

Incident

Feb 16, 2007

Mileage

10 mi