2004 Toyota 4RUNNER problems
The 2004 Toyota 4RUNNER has 923 complaints on file with NHTSA. The largest share (34%) concerns body & structure. Next are suspension (12%) and brakes (9%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 923 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Body & structure 34% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 39 and 6
- Injuries and deaths
- 24 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 120,000 miles 622 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 | 67 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 19 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 43 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 59 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 70 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 52 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 84 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 86 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 55 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 44 |
| 200k+ miles | 43 |
What the data shows
Of the 622 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 120,000 miles. For body & structure specifically, the median reported mileage is about 137,000 miles (198 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 39 complaints mention a crash; 6 complaints mention a fire; 24 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2004 ranks 2nd most-complained-about out of 35 model years of the Toyota 4RUNNER with enough data (172 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 2 safety recall campaigns.
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.
Dt*: the contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the vehicle was involved in a collision with a guardrail. There was a 5 second delay in the deployment of the air bag, causing the contact and a passenger to hit the windshield. Both occupants incurred head injuries, lacerations, muscular injuries, and the contact incurred ocular injuries. The vehicle was considered a total loss, and a police report was taken. The vehicle was not inspected by a service dealer or private repair shop.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 toyota 4runner. The contact stated that while driving 25 MPH and attempting a left turn, the vehicle crashed head on into another vehicle. The air bags did not deploy. The contact sustained injuries to the chest and knee. A passenger was also reported injured. The vehicle was destroyed. A police report was available. The manufacturer was not contacted to report the failure. The contact stated that the air bags should have deployed in the type of frontal crash he was involved in.
I was driving my children to school and a car coming in the opposite direction tried to make a left hand turn in front of me, she did not have time to make the turn( I didn't even have time to put on brakes) which ended up in a head on collision. I was going around 45MPH and my airbag did not deploy. No one was seriously hurt but my head and upper body did get bruised and banged up pretty bad. I do have a police report and I'm waiting to get the copy.
My 2004 toyota 4runner has extreme amounts of rust on the frame to the point where there are actual holes forming. This is a major structural issue for the vehicle and incredibly unsafe. I worry that this may cause an accident or render my vehicle inoperable in the future.
Takata recall frame is completely rusted. Causing all the undercarriage to rust out and make the vehicle very dangerous to drive. Even the body is starting to rust away. Only has 116,000 miles on it which is crazy.