ENGINE CHECK LIGHT COMES ON. WHEN VEHICLE IS IN PARK, AND IT IDLES AT 1500 RPMS. DEALER HAS SEEN VEHICLE 14 TIMES, AND PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. *AK
1990 Toyota 4Runner complaints
Owner reports filed with NHTSA about this vehicle, newest first and reproduced as filed. They are unverified accounts: one proves nothing, and a pattern across many is the thing worth reading. Back to the full 1990 record →
ROD THROWN, ENGINE DESTROYED. WARRANTY HEAD WORK DONE LAST OCTOBER AFTER RECALL POSSIBLY RELATED. MASSIVE OIL LOSS SOMETIME IN LAST WEEK, POSSIBLY AT TIME OF ENGINE FAILURE.
WHILE DRIVING WITH CRUISE CONTROL ON. TAPPED BRAKES TO RELEASE CRUISE CONTROL. VEHICLE MAINTAINED SPEED. AN INTERMITTENT PROBLEM. THIS CAUSED ENGINE TO REV UP RPMS. SHIFTED TO NEUTRAL CAUSED REVVING. FLOORED PEDAL & CRUISE CONTROL WAS RELEASED. WILL BE TAKING VEHICLE TO DEALER. *AK
THE CONSUMER WAS DRIVING TRUCK, AND SHE NOTICED THAT THERE WAS NO PRESSURE WHEN SHE HIT THE GAS PEDAL AND SHE SMELLED FUEL. ALSO SHE HAD A NEW ENGINE PUT IN JULY, THE MILEAGE WAS 75000 ON THE TRUCK. THE SHORT BLOCK WAS REPLACED . THEN THE TRUCK BURST INTO FLAMES. THE CAR WA STOWED TO THE DEALER FOR FURTHER INVESTIGATION. *AK
BRAKES FAILED CAUSING ACCIDENT. OHIO STATE POLICE REPORT.
VEHICLE EXPERIENCED SUDDEN ACCELERATION RESULTING IN A VEHICLE COLLISION.
WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE ABOUT 20 MPH AND APPYLING BRAKE PRESSURE 2 OUT OF 3 BRAKE LINES BROKE, CAUSING NO BRAKING ABILITY. DRIVER WAS ABLE TO AVOID A CRASH. THE BRAKE LINES HAVE BEEN REPLACED BY DEALERSHIP. *AK
POWER DOOR LOCKS FAILED, ALSO DOORS COULD NOT BE OPENED MANUALLY, PASSENGERS WERE TRAPPED.
ENGINE THERMOSTAT FAILED TWICE, ENGINE FAILED DUE TO COLLANT LEAK.
DRIVETRAIN CONSTANTLY JUMPS IN AND OUT OF OVERDRIVE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS CAUSING LOSS OF CONTROL.
DRIVETRAIN CONSTANTLY JUMPS IN AND OUT OF OVERDRIVE AT APPROXIMATELY ONE SECOND INTERVALS WHEN DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, CAUSING LOSS OF CONTROL.
WHILE MAKING A LANE CHANG ETO THE LEFT AND WHEN ATTEMPTING TO TURN THE STEERING WHEEL TO THE RIGHT, THERE WAS NO RSPONSE FROM VEHICLE. LOST CONTROL, RESULTING IN A COLLISION. *AK
TRANSMISSION/OVERDRIVE CYCLES ON AND OFF DURING HIGHWAY DRIVING, RESULTING IN LOSS OF GAS MILEAGE. ALSO ABS BRAKES LOCK UP, CAUSING VEHICLE TO SLIDE.
WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 50 MPH, SWITCHING LANES THE VEHICLE WOBBLED AND SPUN OUT OF CONTROL, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO ROLLOVER, INJURING THE DRIVER. *AK
CLUTCH MOUNTING BRACKETS HAVE TORN TO THE POINT THAT THE CLUTCH WILL NOT RELEASE.
DRIVER HIT THE BRAKES AND ABS BRAKES FAILED TOYOTA TRUCK, 4-RUNNER LOST CONTROL/ROLLED OVER, A BABY AND ADULT DRIVER FELL OUT OF THE CAR, RESULTING IN 2 INJURIES AND A FATALITY. *AK
ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRE, CONSUMER WAS DRIVING UNDER NORMAL CONDITONS AND NOTICED LCK OF RESISTANCE FROM THE HYDRAULIC CLUCTH AND THE VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT, THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS UNABLE TO FIND THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE. *AK
OWNER STATES THAT VEHICLE HAD ROLLED OVER BUT HE WAS ABLE TO EXIT VEHICLE WITHOUT PUSHING THE RELEASE BUTTON, HE IS CONCERNED ABOUT HIS SAFETY. *AK
THE STRUCTURE OF THE BODY IS CRACKING, CAUSING THE BRAKE CLUTCH BRACKET TO FAIL, TOOK TO DEALER, SAID IT WAS A BAD DESIG, NEEDS A NEW BRACKET, CONSUMER TO PAY FOR THE WELD . *AK
BOLT THAT HOLDS THE HEAD ON THE ENGINE GASKETS IS BROKEN. *AK
FIREWALL CRACKED, CAUSING PEDALS TO 'ROLL'. *SD
ELECTRONIC DOOR LOCKS JAMMMED, PREVENTING OCCUPANTS FROM EXITING THE VEHICLE. *AK
POWER DOOR LOCKS STICK. *SD
TRUCK WENT UP IN FLAMES FOR NO REASON. PLEASE DESCRIBE. TT
CONSUMER WAS DRIVING 40 TO 45 MPH THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE REAR AXLE CAME OFF CAUSING THE TRUCK TO ROLLOVER TRUCK WAS TOTOALED . TT
TAILGATE ELECTRIC DOOR FAILED AND CANNOT OPEN GATE. TT
THE ENGINE HEAD IS BAD . TT
REPLACED ENGINE BELTS.
Reading these
NHTSA publishes every complaint as the owner wrote it and investigates only a fraction. Spelling, capitalisation and judgement are the filer’s own. What carries weight is repetition: the same component failing the same way across many filings, and whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
Full record for the 1990 Toyota 4Runner → · Every 4Runner year → · How the figures are calculated →