1997 Toyota 4RUNNER suspension problems
96 complaints about suspension have been filed for the 1997 Toyota 4RUNNER, which is 26% of all its NHTSA complaints. It is the most reported problem area for this model year.
At a glance
- Complaints
- 96 26% of this year's complaints
- Typical mileage
- 169,000 miles 60 complaints with mileage
- Crashes and fires
- 10 and 0
- Injuries and deaths
- 4 and 1
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
When suspension problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 1 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 0 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 3 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 1 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 0 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 5 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 5 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 10 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 9 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 5 |
| 200k+ miles | 21 |
What the data shows
Of the 60 suspension complaints that report mileage, the median is about 169,000 miles, and 7% were reported before 60,000 miles.
These complaints mention 10 crashes, 4 injuries, 1 death.
What owners wrote
My daughter was involved in a rollover accident with a 1997 toyota 4-runner. She was ejected from the vehicle and the police have evidence to suggest that she was wearing her seat belt. I have taken the vehicle in to toyota twice to replace the rear suspension for a toyota recall. Both before the recall and after the recall the rear end was sagging and was not stable. It is my opinion that the seat belt was defective and the rear suspension was defective. Both conditions contributed to her death.
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.
Other problems reported for the 1997 Toyota 4RUNNER
- Body & structure 77 complaints
- Brakes 33 complaints
- Drivetrain & axles 26 complaints
- Tires 20 complaints