2005 Toyota 4RUNNER problems
The 2005 Toyota 4RUNNER has 574 complaints on file with NHTSA. The largest share (33%) concerns body & structure. Next are suspension (13%) and brakes (6%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 574 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Body & structure 33% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 25 and 3
- Injuries and deaths
- 18 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 110,000 miles 400 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 | 34 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 22 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 34 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 43 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 35 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 45 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 36 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 49 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 39 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 29 |
| 200k+ miles | 34 |
What the data shows
Of the 400 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 110,000 miles. For body & structure specifically, the median reported mileage is about 129,000 miles (123 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 25 complaints mention a crash; 3 complaints mention a fire; 18 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2005 ranks 4th most-complained-about out of 35 model years of the Toyota 4RUNNER with enough data (118 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 5 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.
I was in a 4 car pile up and hit the car in front and was also rearended. Myhood wentup fromthe impact and my head hit the dash or steeringwheel. The doors were jammed shut and I had to be pried out by the fire dept.
Toyota 4runner was stopped at red light and was rearended by a chevrolet s10 and caused the 4runner to slam into the chrysler SUV in front at light. The 4runner and s10 were both totaled. The 4runner front airbags did not deploy and both occupants suffered cuts and bruises along with whiplash and minor neck injuries.
Driver's air bag failed to deploy following a direct front collision having extensive damage to bumper and motor on a 2005 toyota 4runner.
The rear axle rusted so badly that it started flaking apart. The frame is rusted severely in the areas where the rear suspension components attach. The gas tank skid plate rusted until it began to fall off while driving down the road and all of the areas where it was bolted to the frame completely rusted out. The exhaust also rusted through behind the muffler causing it to fall off while driving down the road. There are holes in multiple areas of the frame.
Looked under truck to check for rust, found multiple spots with under-body frame rot (rust, could potentially rust through). The rust could potentially cause a major accident. Unsure if previous owner used "fluid film" or similar product to protect the under-body - I recently found out about pervasive rust rot in the under-body of the 4th gen 4runners. This is most likely caused by the salt solution placed on roads to help prevent ice and snow formation.