IllustrationWIRING WITHIN THE VEHICLE ATTRACKS MICE, WHICH HAVE BEEN CREATING PROBLEMS WITH COMPONENTS.
1997 Toyota 4 Runner
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1997 Toyota 4 Runner do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 96.5.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all 4 Runner years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 21 of 122 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Suspension. Review the 30 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 22 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Tires. Review the 15 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
23 crash reports0 fire reports10 injury reports
What owners actually said
122 reportsOWNER NOTICED PROBLEMS WITH BRAKES FROM DELIVERY. BRAKE PEDAL IS SOMETIMES HIGH AND STIFF WHILE OTHER TIMES IT FEELS SOFT AND MUSHY AND GOES FARTHER DOWN BEFORE IT SEEMS TO BE EFFECTIVE. FINALLY BRAKES FAILED COMPLETELY, PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR AND THE ABS ACTIVATED.
OWNER HAS ABS BRAKES. WHILE APPLYING THE ABS BRAKES PEDAL WENT TO FLOOR OF VEHICLE, CAUSING VEHICLE NOT TO STOP. OWNER HAS TAKEN VEHICLE TO DEALERS FOR PROBLEM . DEALERS CAN NOT DUPLICATE PROBLEM. *AK
BLOWN HEAD GASKET.
ANTI RATTLE SPRING BROKE, CAUSING NOISE.
CONSUMER WAS DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH , WENT TO SLOW DOWN, APPLIED BRAKES ,VEHICLE KEPT ROLLING. HEARD LOUD NOISE COMING FRONT END, PUSH PEDAL TO FLOOR. DEALERSHIP CANNOT FIND PROBLEM. *AK
CONSUMER WAS INVOLVED IN A 60 MPH FRONTAL COLLISION DIRECTLY HITTING A TREE IN WHICH THE DRIVER'S OR PASSENGER'S AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
VEHICLE CONTINUES TO VIBRATES AFTER MULTIPLE TIRE AND WHEEL REPLACEMENTS.
REAR SUSPENSION DROPS WHEN REAR OF VEHICLE IS OCCUPIED..
WHILE DRIVING IN EMERGENCY STOPPING THE ABS SYSTEM FIRST DID NOT ENGAGE THEN FRONT WHEELS LOCKED UP. *AK
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.