The Used Car Index

2004 Toyota 4RUNNER problems

NHTSA lists 678 complaints for the 2004 Toyota 4RUNNER, 28 of them mention a crash and 3 mention a fire. 16 complaints mention an injury, with 20 injuries and 0 deaths reported.

Data build 2026-10-08.

NHTSA lists this vehicle as TOYOTA 4RUNNER.

At a glance

Complaints
678
With crash
28
With fire
3
With injury (complaints)
16
Injuries
20
Deaths
0
Recalls
2
Do not drive recalls
0
Park outside recalls
0
Recall potential units (maximum)
1,363,244
Investigations
2
Open investigations
0
Manufacturer communications
235

Complaints per 100k sold unavailable. The required sales year is missing.

Where the complaints are

Top systems
SystemComplaintsShare of this vehicle's complaints
STRUCTURE31045.7%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER11617.1%
SUSPENSION11316.7%
SERVICE BRAKES578.4%
AIR BAGS375.5%
POWER TRAIN365.3%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL345.0%
STEERING324.7%
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING253.7%
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC233.4%
Top subsystems
SystemSubsystemComplaints
STRUCTUREBODY261
STRUCTUREFRAME AND MEMBERS26
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLINGEXHAUST SYSTEM18
AIR BAGSFRONTAL10
POWER TRAINAUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION9
POWER TRAINDRIVELINE6
TIRESPRESSURE MONITORING AND REGULATING SYSTEMS6
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLINGENGINE4
SEATSFRONT ASSEMBLY4
POWER TRAINTRANSFER CASE (4-WHEEL DRIVE)3

One complaint can name several systems, so shares can add to more than 100 percent.

Model-generated complaint tags: This model year has not been tagged.

Recalls

See new recalls and investigations this week.

2 recalls.

16V065000

Date: 2016-02-05. Systems: AIR BAGS.

Defect: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing (Toyota) is recalling certain model year 2003-2006 Toyota Land Cruiser and Lexus LX470, 2005-2006 Toyota Tundra and Sequoia, 2004-2006 Toyota 4Runner and Lexus GX470 vehicles equipped with side curtain-shield-air bags. The affected vehicles have an air bag control module that may be improperly programmed, causing the side curtain-shield-air bags to deploy (excerpt)

Consequence: If the side curtain-shield-air bags deploy unexpectedly, it can increase the risk of occupant injury. (excerpt)

Remedy: Toyota will notify owners, and dealers will replace the air bag control module with one that has improved programming, free of charge. The recall began on December 1, 2016. Owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-271-9371. Toyota's number for this recall is G0C and GLB. (excerpt)

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

11V113000

Date: 2011-02-24. Systems: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL.

Defect: TOYOTA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2008 THROUGH 2011 LEXUS LX570, 2003 THROUGH 2009 TOYOTA 4RUNNER, AND 2006 THROUGH 2010 RAV4 VEHICLES. THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL CAN GET STUCK IN THE WIDE OPEN POSITION DUE TO ITS BEING TRAPPED BY AN UNSECURED OR INCOMPATIBLE DRIVER'S FLOOR MAT.

Consequence: A STUCK OPEN ACCELERATOR PEDAL MAY RESULT IN VERY HIGH VEHICLE SPEEDS AND MAKE IT DIFFICULT TO STOP THE VEHICLE, WHICH COULD CAUSE A CRASH, SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH.

Remedy: THE REMEDY IS NOW AVAILABLE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN EARLY APRIL 2011. THE REMEDY WILL INVOLVE MODIFICATION OR REPLACEMENT OF THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL AND REPLACEMENT OF ANY TOYOTA ALL-WEATHER FLOOR MAT. OWNERS MAY CONTACT TOYOTA AT 1-800-331-4331 OR LEXUS AT 1-800-255-3987.

Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.

Investigations

2 investigations; 0 open.

DP18002

Opened: 2018-08-17. Closed: 2022-03-18.

Frame corrosion

On August 7, 2018, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) received a defect petition from Mr. Gary Weinreich alleging premature frame corrosion failure in model year (MY) 2002 - 2006 Toyota 4Runner vehicles. The petitioner based his request upon a corrosion-related front suspension failure he experienced in his MY 2005 Toyota 4Runner, a class action lawsuit settlement involving other Toyota pro

Systems: STRUCTURE.

Linked campaign numbers: None listed.

RQ10003

Opened: 2010-02-16. Closed: 2011-03-01.

Unintended and Uncontrolled Acceleration

On February 16, 2010, NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened RQ10-003 to determine whether the scope of prior Toyota recalls relating to potential unintended acceleration were sufficiently broad, including, among others, Toyota recalls 07E-082, 09V-388, 10V-017, and 10V-023.NHTSA also requested information regarding potential electronic causes of unintended acceleration in Toyota and

Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL.

Linked campaign numbers: 11V112000, 11V113000, 11V115000.

Manufacturer communications

235 manufacturer communications.

Communications by system
SystemCount
EQUIPMENT83
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM41
STRUCTURE29
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING15
POWER TRAIN15
ENGINE13
TIRES13
VISIBILITY12

11012742

Date: 2024-12-06. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: STRUCTURE.

Acid rain results from rainwater or other airborne moisture that become acidic due to industrial chemical impurities in the atmosphere. If these acidic compounds settle on an exposed vehicle, especially the horizontal areas such as the hood, roof, and decklid, significant damage to the painted surfa

11012743

Date: 2024-12-06. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: STRUCTURE.

To prevent brake rotor rust from forming during transportation and storage, wheel film will be used instead of a cardboard type of anti-rust cover. The purpose of the wheel film is to shield the disc brake rotor from weather elements and initial rust before the vehicle is delivered to the customer.

11012744

Date: 2024-12-06. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: STRUCTURE.

The condition known as acid rain is caused by airborne chemicals or particles in the atmosphere, which mix with rainwater, nighttime dew, or high humidity to form acidic compounds. If these contaminants settle and remain on a painted vehicle surface, especially the horizonal areas of the hood, roof,

11012735

Date: 2024-12-05. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: STRUCTURE.

Toyota vehicles are currently protected with RapgardTM protective film designed to protect the horizontal painted surfaces. This material protects from acid rain, environmental fallout, and rail contamination. Follow the Removal Procedure in this bulletin to remove the RapgardTM protective film wi

11012727

Date: 2024-12-03. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: STRUCTURE.

Vehicles may occasionally be subjected to contamination by airborne iron particles shed from railroad tracks, train wheels, exposure to heavy machinery facilities, grinding, welding, etc. This type of contamination can be identified by the presence of small, red or brown particles on the paint surfa

11006150

Date: 2024-07-12. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: STRUCTURE.

To prevent brake rotor rust from forming during transportation and storage, wheel film will be used instead of a cardboard type of anti-rust cover. The purpose of the wheel film is to shield the disc brake rotor from weather elements and initial rust before the vehicle is delivered to the customer.

11006151

Date: 2024-07-12. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: STRUCTURE.

The condition known as acid rain is caused by airborne chemicals or particles in the atmosphere, which mix with rainwater, nighttime dew, or high humidity to form acidic compounds. If these contaminants settle and remain on a painted vehicle surface, especially the horizonal areas of the hood, roof,

11007443

Date: 2024-07-12. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: STRUCTURE.

Acid rain results from rainwater or other airborne moisture that become acidic due to industrial chemical impurities in the atmosphere. If these acidic compounds settle on an exposed vehicle, especially the horizontal areas such as the hood, roof, and decklid, significant damage to the painted surfa

11007444

Date: 2024-07-12. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: STRUCTURE.

To prevent brake rotor rust from forming during transportation and storage, wheel film will be used instead of a cardboard type of anti-rust cover. The purpose of the wheel film is to shield the disc brake rotor from weather elements and initial rust before the vehicle is delivered to the customer.

11007445

Date: 2024-07-12. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: STRUCTURE.

The condition known as acid rain is caused by airborne chemicals or particles in the atmosphere, which mix with rainwater, nighttime dew, or high humidity to form acidic compounds. If these contaminants settle and remain on a painted vehicle surface, especially the horizonal areas of the hood, roof,

Notes on this record

  • Complaints from the API and bulk file are merged and deduplicated by ODI number; the API alone misses records.
  • System and subsystem counts are numbers of distinct complaints, recalls or communications that name them. One record can name several systems, so shares across systems can add to more than 100 percent; a single share never exceeds 100 percent.
  • Recalls are counted once per campaign, investigations once per action and manufacturer communications once per NHTSA id, even when NHTSA lists several model names for the same record.
  • A sales denominator is a calendar-year proxy, not the population of vehicles still in use. Rates are copied from verified pipeline output.

Other names NHTSA uses

None listed.

Matched NHTSA models

Matched labels and complaints
NHTSA model labelComplaints
4RUNNER678

Same model, other years

All model years | All Toyota models

Other Toyota models, 2004

Sources

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