2001 Toyota 4RUNNER problems
The 2001 Toyota 4RUNNER has 240 complaints on file with NHTSA. The largest share (35%) concerns body & structure. Next are suspension (12%) and drivetrain & axles (11%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 240 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Body & structure 35% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 12 and 3
- Injuries and deaths
- 13 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 122,000 miles 193 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 | 8 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 5 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 6 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 6 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 20 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 37 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 35 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 23 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 12 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 18 |
| 200k+ miles | 23 |
What the data shows
Of the 193 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 122,000 miles. For body & structure specifically, the median reported mileage is about 130,000 miles (75 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 12 complaints mention a crash; 3 complaints mention a fire; 13 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2001 ranks 28th most-complained-about out of 35 model years of the Toyota 4RUNNER with enough data (37 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 owned a 2001 toyota 4runner. The driver was traveling 45 MPH when she was involved in a crash with another vehicle. Both vehicles were destroyed. The air bags did not deploy. Four passengers were injured. A police report was available. The manufacturer offered no assistance. The contact was not in the vehicle at the time of the crash. The failure mileage was approximately 92,000.
On thursday, january 21, 2010, while driving the 2001 toyota 4 runner, the steering wheel locked up causing my son to drive completely off the road crashing and flipping the SUV into a creek. The vehicle is in the process of being totaled. I did a recall research on the vehicle to find a steering loss, recall dated 2005. I purchased this vehicle in 09/07, from infinity of south atlanta. Apparently the recall had not been done by the dealership before selling to me.
With engine running and while stopped at intersection, brake pedal is released, then accelerator pedal is pressed, vehicle begins moving, all check engine lights turn on, car stalls in the middle of the intersection (with oncoming traffic). This situation has occurred 3 times and may have lead to at least one fender bender where the vehicle in question was hit from behind because following car thought that my car was accelerating through the intersection.
Vehicle frame is rusting to the point of perforation. I discovered today two holes, one on each the driver and passenger side, inner frame rails just behind the rear crossmember. My concern is it may be rotting from the inside out. Is the manufacturer going to issue a recall on these frames as they have done on tacomas and tundras? This car is in excellent condition otherwise and I had planned to drive it for much longer due to its handling and safety.
The frame on my 2001 rotted very quickly from the inside out. It is the same exact frame used on the tacoma (which was recalled) and on the 2002 4runner, which is currently under investigation. If I didn't get the necessary frame repairs it easily could have cracked in half when on the road. The main areas of rot are located at the rear control arm (which I had professionally repaired), and up front near the suspension and axle.