Page 4 of 4 · complaints 151–163 of 163

2011 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 2011 record →

Steering
Filed Feb 17, 201316,324 milesPR

STEERING WHEEL VIBRATES LIGHTLY AT 60 MPH OR MORE, ONCE THE SPEED LOWERS TO 59 MPH OR LESS IT STEADY. I ASK THE DEALER FOR THE SITUATION AND THEY SAID THAT THE STEERING ALIGNMENT IS PERFECT. TIRES WERE ROTATED BUT DIDN'T WORKED. *TR

Engine
Filed Jan 8, 20139,000 milesTX

JUST AS I PUT MY NEW TOYOTA 4-RUNNER IN REVERSE IN A CROWDED PARKING LOT, THE ENGINE RACES WILDLY. FORTUNATELY MY FOOT WAS FIRMLY ON THE BRAKE, AND I WAS ABLE TO GET IT BACK INTO "PARK" - WHEREUPON THE ENGINE RACED EVEN MORE WILDLY, UNTIL I TURNED OFF THE IGNITION. I CHECKED TO MAKE SURE THAT NOTHING WAS AGAINST THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL - AND THERE WASN'T... I CHECKED TO MAKE SURE THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS IN ITS CORRECT POSITION AND WORKING FREELY - AND IT WAS. SO I RESTARTED THE CAR, IT SEEMED FINE, AND DROVE HOME - AND A LITTLE BIT YESTERDAY (MONDAY) MORNING - THE DAY AFTER THE INCIDENT. ALL WAS FINE... BUT, BUT, THIS WAS A VERY CROWDED PARKING LOT WHERE THE INCIDENT TOOK PLACE - LITERALLY HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE - INCLUDING CHILDREN - WALKING AROUND, AND MANY HUNDREDS OF OTHER CARS AND TRUCKS NEARBY... I AM A LIFE-LONG TOYOTA OWNER - AND THIS WILL NOT CHANGE THIS. BUT, CLEARLY THIS "UNCONTROLLED ACCELERATION" PROBLEM WITH TOYOTA'S OF LATE, STILL EXISTS AND MUST BE CORRECTED IMMEDIATELY!!! *TR

Service Brakes
Filed Jan 4, 201314,611 milesMA

BRAKES APPLIED AT 45 MPH,VSC ACTIVATED,REAR BRAKES LOCKED ON AND WOULD NOT RELEASE. VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO A SAFE LOCATION OFF THE HIGHWAY AND WAS TRANSPORTED TO OWNERS HOME VIA FLATBED. THE REAR BRAKES WERE VERY HOT AND GRABBING AS I EXITED THE HIGHWAY. THE PARKING BRAKE LIGHT IN THE CONSOLE LIT. AND THE AUDIO BEEPER SOUNDED CONTINUOUSLY. INCIDENT WAS REPORTED TO THE TOYOTA DEALER. THEY DID NOT REQUEST TO INSPECT THE VEHICLE. *TR

Steering
Filed Nov 10, 201215 milesPA

STEERING WHEEL WILL START VIBRATING/SHAKING AT SPEEDS BETWEEN 60-68. BROUGHT IT TO THE DEALER THE DAY AFTER I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE, THEY COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG. SAID TOYOTA WAS AWARE BUT DIDN'T HAVE ANY SOLUTION. ISSUE WILL OCCUR ABOUT 98% OF THE TIME AND WILL LAST UNTIL YOU DRIVE BELOW 59 MPH. *TR

Vehicle Speed Control
Filed Nov 9, 201238,500 milesWV

WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS SITTING AND IDLING THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON ALONG WITH VSE LIGHT AND EXPERIENCED ROUGH IDLING AND ERRATIC THROTTLE RESPONSE. WHEN MY WIFE TRIED TO PUT IN REVERSE AND BACK OUT NO THROTTLE WAS PRODUCED TO MOVE VEHICLE. SHE TURNED CAR OFF AND RESTARTED ENGINE LIGHT REMAINED ON ALONG WITH VSE LIGHT. SHE WAS ABLE TO MAKE IT HOME WITH ROUGH IDLING AND EXTREMELY ERRATIC THROTTLE RESPONSE. THIS HAPPENED ONE OTHER TIME WITHIN A FIVE DAY WINDOW UNTIL WE WERE ABLE TO GET TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR SERVICE APPOINTMENT. DEALERSHIP CONTENDS THROTTLE BODY IS BAD AT 39,000 MILES DUE TO THE THREE PROBLEMS CODES PULLED FROM VEHICLE. ALTHOUGH SCHEDULED PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE WAS PERFORMED @ 30,000 MILES WITH THROTTLE BODY CLEANING THIS PART STILL FAILED. THE ERRATIC THROTTLE RESPONSE FROM THIS PART IS VERY DANGEROUS FOR ANYONE THAT EXPERIENCES THIS WHILE DRIVING. *TR

Wheels
Filed Aug 9, 20124,900 milesUT

ON THIS VEHICLE'S VERY FIRST TIRE ROTATION, AT A REPUTABLE TIRE SHOP, THREE LUG STUDS BROKE OFF. IF YOU RUN A NET SEARCH, YOU WILL SEE A NUMBER OF SIMILAR REPORTS WHERE TOYOTA 2010 AND NEWER (5TH GENERATION) 4RUNNERS HAVE LUG STUD PROBLEMS--INCLUDING AT EARLY MILEAGE. *TR

Steering
Filed Feb 14, 20122,000 milesOK

STEERING WHEEL STARTED JERKING ABNORMALLY IN THE AM OR AFTER IT HAS NOT BEEN DRIVEN FOR A WHILE. NOW IT CAN HAPPEN AT ANY TIME BUT NOT ALL THE TIME AND IT OCCURS BETWEEN 60 AND 70 MPH. I HAVE TAKEN IT TO THE DEALER EIGHT TIMES. THEY REPLACED THE TIRES BUT IT DIDN'T CORRECT THE ISSUE. I HAVE BEEN TOLD TOYOTA IS AWARE BUT THEY HAVE NOT BEEN ADVISED ME OF THAT. TOYOTA IS TAKING CARE OF THE LEXUS AND THE GX MODELS FIRST.

Visibility
Filed Dec 19, 20118,000 milesMD

EASY TO CHIP WINDSHIELD GLASS. WEAK WINDSHIELD GLASS. *TR

Power Train
Filed Dec 3, 20119,300 milesWV

PURCHASED VEHICLE NEW AND THE 5 SPEED AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION OPERATED SMOOTHLY. AROUND 9,300 MILES THE TRANSMISSION STARTED SHIFTING GEARS HARSHLY. THE HARSHNESS IS INTERMITTENT BUT HAPPENING MORE FREQUENTLY. ALSO, WHILE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS GOING DOWNHILL, THE RPMS BOUNCE EVERYWHERE FROM 1500 RPMS TO 3000 RPMS. ITS ALMOST AS IF THE TRANSMISSION IS CONFUSED AND DOESN'T KNOW WHAT GEAR TO CHOOSE ANYMORE. I ALSO FEEL AS IF THE BRAKES AREN'T RELEASING. WHEN SITTING AT A RED LIGHT GOING DOWN HILL, ONCE I RELEASE MY FOOT OFF THE BRAKE AND BEFORE I ACCELERATE, WHILE COASTING, I FEEL A "THUD" IN THE REAR END AFTER ABOUT TWO ROTATIONS OF THE WHEELS. I DRIVE IN BUMPER-TO-BUMPER TRAFFIC DAILY IN PITTSBURGH AND THIS SHIFTING IS AWFUL - BY FAR THE WORST TRANSMISSION IN A VEHICLE I HAVE EVER OWNED. I MENTIONED THIS ISSUE DURING MY LAST SERVICE VISIT AT THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN HAD NOT BEEN ISSUED YET. THIS NEEDS ADDRESSED ASAP. THIS CAN'T BE THE WAY TOYOTA INTENDED FOR THIS VEHICLE TO OPERATE - ESPECIALLY SINCE IT DIDN'T ALWAYS OPERATE THIS WAY. *TR

Air Bags
Filed Nov 23, 2011TX

TO FINISH THE COMPLAINT OF ODI 10436894, YOU ARE GOING TO NEED: A CHEMICAL ANALYSIS-HAZ MSDS BEEN FILED AT OHSA? - IMMEDIATE SHUTDOWN WITH CHEMICAL SAFETY A PART ANALYSIS DEFENSE HAS EXTERNAL TO THE BUSINESS IN THE FORM OF FIRST ARTICLE TEST-USUALLY THE BASE THAT JUST ORDERED THE NEWEST VEHICLE FLEET IN THE MOTOR POOL. THIS IS A SUBPENOABLE FILE EXTERNAL TO THE BUSINESS. NEED THE ORDER UP NUMBER FROM ALL RECEIPTS AT AUTOLIV TO GET MSDS THAT THE SUPPLIERS FILE WITH OSHA. THAT'S THE MIX. SAMPLE PRODUCT WILL BE DIFFICULT TO DATE AS THEY MARK SERIAL #'S WITH NO MANUFACTURE DATE. THIS USUALLY PROMPTS TESTING WITH EACH ORDER UP NUMBER CHANGE FOR REPLACEMENT PARTS. EVERYTHING RETURNED TO THE PLANT GOES OUT WITH A NEW SERIAL NUMBER. LAST YEAR WE CAUGHT THIS ADVERTISED ON E-BAY TO START YOUR HOME BASE BUSINESS. WITH THE CLOSURE OF DELCO, PLANT RETURNS ARE GOING TO THE SECOND HAND PART STORE IN PEOPLE'S HOME. NO MENTION IN THIS NEW SCHEME FROM AUTOLIV THAT AN EXPLOSIVES LICENSE AND REGULATORY COMPLIANCE IS NECESSARY EXTERNAL TO THE VEHICLE ONLY. MEANWHILE WE REFUSE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THIS IS A CHEMICAL AND NUCLEAR LOAD IN THE FRONT SEAT. WE NEED DISPOSAL SITES IN 50 TO KEEP THE RETURNS FROM GOING BACK OUT TO THE PUBLIC. THERE WAS A FIRE SUPPRESSANT SYSTEM THAT WAS IN DEVELOPMENT THAT SPRAYS FUEL NEUTRALIZER "IN FRONT OF THE FIREWALL AND OVER THE GAS TANK". WE NEED THE CURRENT DRAWING BOARD THROUGH BANKRUPTCY NEVER TO PRODUCE AGAIN AND THE NEW PRODUCT START UP. WE NEED PRODUCTION OF NEW DOO

Power Train
Filed Sep 7, 20116,015 milesME

SUDDEN RAPID ACCELERATION, ENTERING A PARKING SPOT, BOTH FEET ON BRAKES, STILL ACCELERATION, PUT IN NEUTRAL THEN PARK, STILL ACCELERATION, HAD TO BACK UP, WAS IN A BAD POSITION, NEVER TOUCHED THE GAS THRU THIS WHOLE INCIDENT. RELINED VEHICLE, STILL ACCELERATION, PUT IN PARK AND TURNED IT OFF. TOYOTA HAS HAD IT SINCE, 9-2-2011, TODAY IS 9-7-2011. WHAT ARE MY OPTIONS. I PICK UP MY GRAND KIDS ALL THE TIME LET ALONE ON THE ROAD SHOPPING, ERRANDS, ETC. THE FLOOR MATS WERE NOT THE PROBLEM. *TR

Vehicle Speed Control
Filed Jul 21, 20115,600 milesNC

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 TOYOTA 4RUNNER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE CRUISE CONTROL WAS SET TO 70 MPH, AND WHEN THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO TRAVEL DOWNHILL, IT ACCELERATED TO SPEEDS OF 80 TO 85 MPH. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS OPERATING AS INTENDED AND THE VEHICLES SPEED WOULD EXCEED WHATEVER THE CRUISE CONTROL WAS ENGAGED TO WHEN TRAVELING DOWNHILL. THE CONTACT WAS ALSO INFORMED THAT THE SPEED WAS SUPPOSED TO VARY BY 3 TO 8 MPH. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE VEHICLE WAS OPERATING AS DESIGNED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 5,600.

Seats
Filed Jun 28, 2011400 milesTX

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 TOYOTA 4RUNNER SR5. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS AND WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS NOT MOVING, HE NOTICED THAT THE LUMBAR SUPPORT ON THE DRIVERS SEAT WOULD CRACKLE AND MAKE NOISE WHENEVER HE MOVED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INSPECTED BY A DEALER NOR HAD IT BEEN REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 400 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 1,500.

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 2011 Toyota 4Runner → · Every 4Runner year → · How the figures are calculated →