Toyota 4Runner
Owners filed 5,858 complaints across 37 model years of the Toyota 4Runner. The 2003 drew the most (695); the 2026 the fewest (7).
Model years37
Complaints5,858
Recalls156
Fires59
Deaths17
Every Toyota 4Runner model year compared
Complaints per year| Year | Complaints | Relative volume | Recalls | Fires | Crashes | Most reported | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 7 | 2 | — | — | Power Train | Routine | |
| 2025 | 57 | 1 | 2 | 3 | Service Brakes | Routine | |
| 2024 | 8 | 1 | — | 1 | Electrical System | Routine | |
| 2023 | 32 | 1 | 1 | 6 | Unknown or Other | Routine | |
| 2022 | 39 | 3 | 1 | 5 | Unknown or Other | Routine | |
| 2021 | 36 | 1 | 1 | 3 | Steering | Routine | |
| 2020 | 33 | 1 | — | 4 | Unknown or Other | Routine | |
| 2019 | 65 | 4 | 1 | 5 | Unknown or Other | Routine | |
| 2018 | 58 | 5 | 1 | 7 | Steering | Routine | |
| 2017 | 36 | 5 | 1 | 3 | Unknown or Other | Routine | |
| 2016 | 79 | 8 | 1 | 6 | Electrical System | Routine | |
| 2015 | 86 | 9 | — | 10 | Air Bags | Routine | |
| 2014 | 77 | 7 | 1 | 5 | Electrical System | Routine | |
| 2013 | 36 | 6 | — | 1 | Unknown or Other | Routine | |
| 2012 | 96 | 8 | 1 | 5 | Air Bags | Routine | |
| 2011 | 163 | 10 | 1 | 4 | Air Bags | Routine | |
| 2010 | 145 | 12 | 2 | 6 | Air Bags | Routine | |
| 2009 | 22 | 6 | 1 | 4 | Power Train › Automatic Transmission | Routine | |
| 2008 | 96 | 5 | 2 | 10 | Power Train | Routine | |
| 2007 | 154 | 5 | 3 | 7 | Structure › Body | Routine | |
| 2006 | 381 | 5 | 3 | 28 | Structure › Body | Above average | |
| 2005 | 424 | 5 | 3 | 19 | Structure › Body | Above average | |
| 2004 | 678 | 2 | 3 | 28 | Structure › Body | Above average | |
| 2003 | 695 | 3 | — | 18 | Structure › Body | Above average | |
| 2002 | 224 | 3 | 3 | 19 | Structure › Body | Above average | |
| 2001 | 185 | 3 | 1 | 10 | Structure › Body | Routine | |
| 2000 | 483 | 2 | 1 | 30 | Structure › Body | Fatalities reported | |
| 1999 | 330 | 2 | 5 | 30 | Structure › Body | Above average | |
| 1998 | 250 | 4 | 5 | 18 | Structure › Body | Fatalities reported | |
| 1997 | 261 | 4 | 2 | 35 | Suspension | Fatalities reported | |
| 1996 | 161 | 5 | 1 | 17 | Suspension | Fatalities reported | |
| 1995 | 172 | 4 | — | 14 | Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine | Fatalities reported | |
| 1994 | 64 | 4 | 2 | 11 | Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine | Fatalities reported | |
| 1993 | 51 | 3 | 2 | 4 | Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine | Routine | |
| 1992 | 53 | 3 | 2 | 6 | Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine | Fatalities reported | |
| 1991 | 43 | 2 | — | 3 | Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine | Routine | |
| 1990 | 78 | 2 | 6 | 10 | Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine | Fatalities reported |
Which Toyota 4Runner years should you avoid?
On raw complaint volume the 2003 is the weakest year on record, with 695 complaints concentrated in the structure › body. It carries 3 recalls.
Read these numbers with sales volume in mind. A model year that sold in huge numbers naturally accumulates more reports than a rare one, and older cars have had more years to fail. The stronger signal is the severity columns and whether the same component keeps coming up year after year.
Data: NHTSA complaint and recall files, September 2026. Complaints are unverified owner reports.