1997 Toyota 4RUNNER problems
The 1997 Toyota 4RUNNER has 363 complaints on file with NHTSA. The largest share (26%) concerns suspension. Next are body & structure (21%) and brakes (9%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 363 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Suspension 26% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 55 and 2
- Injuries and deaths
- 36 and 9
- Typical mileage
- 168,000 miles 197 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 6 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 2 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 3 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 9 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 6 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 14 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 22 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 29 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 29 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 23 |
| 200k+ miles | 54 |
What the data shows
Of the 197 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 168,000 miles. For suspension specifically, the median reported mileage is about 169,000 miles (60 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 55 complaints mention a crash; 2 complaints mention a fire; 36 injuries reported; 9 deaths reported. Its complaints are more severe on average than those of 86% of model years in our database.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 1997 ranks 10th most-complained-about out of 35 model years of the Toyota 4RUNNER with enough data (92 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 1 safety recall campaign.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
While driving the vehicle at 45 MPH, the vehicle had a frontal collision, resulting in 1 fatality, 3 occupants injuried because both driver's and passenger' side airbags did not deploy.
Tl* the contact was loaned a 1997 toyota 4runner. The contact mentioned the vehicle was loaned from a used dealer (mcfarland auto sales located at 231 frontage rd mc, mcfarland, ca 93250). The contact stated while her husband was driving 65 MPH, the vehicle veered to the right independently causing the driver to lose control of the vehicle. As a result, the driver crashed into a guard rail, a wooden post, a fence and came to a stop at a tree.
My fiance and I werw driving a borrowered 1997 toyota 4runner. We were driving at 65 m and all I remember just gettin on the freeway.and blanking out.. When I woke up I sadly discoverd that my fiance lost control and veered to the right and hit a guardrail then a post sign and then rested on a tree..he passed away on impact. I suffered a t1 to t3 spine fracture.my left wrist fractured.a broken nose. As I woke up from my 3 week coma. I realised he passed away. Now the truck was borrwed, not lended or bought.
At 317,800 miles the front end was rebuilt. Within a week the right front ball joint separated from its mounting resulting in a low speed single vehicle accident. I suspect counterfeit bolts, but unfortunately saved no parts. This was a falcon k90262 right lower ball joint. At 322,055 miles a second low speed accident occurred, the falcon k90263 left lower ball joint failed catastrophically pulling the ball from the socket.
Sway bar broke off from chasis. Upon examination from our mechanic, it is determined that the whole chasis is rusted. It is not repairable and I had to sell to the junk yard. Couldn't believe toyota would use such a chasis on a 30k SUV.