1998 Toyota 4RUNNER problems
The 1998 Toyota 4RUNNER has 303 complaints on file with NHTSA. The largest share (26%) concerns body & structure. Next are suspension (21%) and tires (11%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 303 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Body & structure 26% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 26 and 5
- Injuries and deaths
- 25 and 1
- Typical mileage
- 161,000 miles 155 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 | 2 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 3 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 4 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 9 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 15 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 10 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 11 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 18 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 19 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 20 |
| 200k+ miles | 44 |
What the data shows
Of the 155 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 161,000 miles. For body & structure specifically, the median reported mileage is about 170,000 miles (57 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 26 complaints mention a crash; 5 complaints mention a fire; 25 injuries reported; 1 death reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 1998 ranks 11th most-complained-about out of 35 model years of the Toyota 4RUNNER with enough data (87 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.
Tl* the contact previously owned a 1998 toyota 4runner. The contact stated that his son was drving the vehicle 55 MPH and the vehicle suddenly loss control and rolled over into the median. The accident was fatal and the driver died. A police report was filed. The vehicle was completely destroyed. The failure and current mileages were 60,000.
I was in an auto accident july 6, 2002. I drove a 98' toyota 4 runner. There were four persons who sustained minor injuries. The airbag seemed to perform as intended, however, to this date I have horrifying plastic material coming from the inside... And outside of my cheeks. It has caused very visible patterns to protrude from the skin, constant pain, and desperate efforts to get answers. Though I have been to many doctors, I have failed to escape the research evasive realities of my providers.
While driving 45 MPH down a city road in va. Beach a car on our right hand side entered the intersection making a left hand turn. The car entered the intersection approx. 20-25 feet ahead of us. I immediatley hit the brakes and turned the car to the left as to try and avoid a collision. We ended up t-boning the oncoming vehicle. Our 4-runner was claimed a total lose due to a bend frame. The front end damage was estimated at 4-6 thousand dollars. The full front end and passenger fender were destroyed.
Frame is rotting away on right side of vehicle. I have noticed this on multiple toyota 4runners of this era. This makes it impossible to service the vehicle as well since it is no longer safe to raise with a vehicle lift that lifts at the frame. When accelerating to 20-25 MPH and letting off the rear of the vehicle sways tremendously and is greatly amplified when trying to accelerate back up to speed.
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 toyota 4runner. While driving 25 MPH, the vehicle shook violently without warning. It was diagnosed that the chassis and control arm were rotted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 180,000.