2003 Toyota 4 Runner

I PRESENTLY HAVE MY 2003 4 RUNNER V8 LIMITED IN FOR THE SECOND TIME IN LESS THEN A YEAR FOR AIR SUSPENSION PROBLEMS. IN BOTH CASES THE AIR SUSPENSION STAYS IN THE FULLY INFLATED POSITION. THEY REPLACED THE COMPRESSOR THE FIRST TIME IN (21 DAYS TO GET PARTS), AND THIS TIME THEY TELL ME IT?S THE AIR RELEASE PORTION OF THE COMPRESSOR. WHICH MEANS THEIR REPLACING THE COMPRESSOR AGAIN (7 DAYS AND COUNTING WAITING FOR PARTS). I ALSO HAD THE VEHICLE IN FOR A WOBBLING SOUND, THE PROBLEM WAS A DRIVESHAFT THAT WAS INSTALLED BACKWARDS ON THE ASSEMBLY LINE. TOYOTA INDICATED THAT THIS OCCURS ONCE IN A WHILE DURING ASSEMBLY. *AK

WHEN COMING TO A STOP AND/OR ACCELERATING FROM A STOP THE CAR WILL JERK FORWARD WITH A THUD. SOMETIMES TWO OR THREE THUDS ARE FELT AND HEARD. THE DEALER WITNESSED THIS PROBLEM AND OURISMAN TOYOTA IN CHANTILLY, VA REPLACED THE TRANSMISSION AT 14,500 MILES. THE PROBLEM SEEMED TO GO AWAY FOR A WHILE. I RETURNED TO THE SAME DEALER WITH THE SAME COMPLAINT AT 32,000 MILES AND THEY REPLACED THE DRIVE SHAFT. I RETURNED AGAIN ON 11/30/04 AND THE SERVICE MANAGER WITNESSED THE SAME PROBLEM WITHIN 200 FEET OF DRIVING. THE SERVICE MANAGER INDICATED HE BELIEVES THIS IS NORMAL (EVEN THOUGH THIS WAS NOT A PROBLEM TILL ABOUT 12,000 MILES). HE IS GOING TO DISCUSS THIS WITH THE TOYOTA REP WHO IS IN TOWN THIS WEEK.*AK I

FROM THE DATE OF PURCHASE THERED HAS BEEN A LOUD "THUD" NOISE WHEN RELEASING THE BRAKE PEDAL. THIS DOES NOT OCCUR ON A CONTINUAL OR PREDICTABLE BASIS. THE TOYOTA DEALERSHIP EXAMINED THE 4RUNNER AND DIDN'T FIND THE BRAKES TO BE FAULTY; HOWEVER THE SOUND AND A SURGE ARE STILL PRESENT IT REMINDS ME OF THE "THUD" SOUND THAT WAS INHERENT IN THE T-100 PICK-UP TRUCK WHEN IT WAS STARTED IN REVERSE. I HAVE AN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION IN MY VEHICLE AND WONDER IF FAILURE IS IMMINENT THERE OR IN THE DRIVE SHAFT. IN EITHER CASE THIS IS AN OBVIOUS FLAW AND MUST BE ADDRESSED BY TOYOTA. MY DAUGHTER OWNED A 2002 TOYOTA PICK-UP TRUCK AND SAID IT MADE THE SAME SOUND FOR AS LONG AS SHE OWNED IT. *AK

WHEN COMING TO A STOP OR EVEN WHEN STOPPED, A LOUD THUD IS HEARD AND FELT AS IF TORQUE CONVERTER IS STILL DOWN SHIFTING. WHEN BRAKES RELEASED, THUD IS HEARD AND FELT AGAIN AS CAR ACCELERATES. DEALER SAYS BRAKES ARE FINE! I'M CONCERNED AS THIS IS NOT A NORMAL SOUND AND RECENTLY CAR ACTUALLY FELT LIKE IT WANTED TO MOVE FORWARD AS THUD WAS FELT AND HEARD. (THIS IS UNRELATED TO THE CAR WANTED TO LURCH FORWARD AT STOP WHEN A/C IS ON!)*JB

THIS CONDITION COULD BE RELATED TO ITEM 2. THIS CONDITION STARTED LAST WINTER AND IS GETTING WORSE.) AFTER BEING AT A STOP AND RELEASING THE BRAKES, I GET A HARD SHAKE/THUD FROM THE DRIVELINE/BRAKES. THIS OCCURS IN 90% OF STOPS/STARTS. (E.G., IF IT WAS NORMAL, IT WOULD DO IT ALL THE TIME TO SOME DEGREE.) THERE IS NO METAL ON METAL NOISE, JUST THE SHAKE/THUD LIKE THE BRAKES ARE RELEASING TOO HARD OR THE DRIVELINE HAS TOO MUCH LASH IN IT. (CONDITION IS WORSE IF YOU COME TO A HARD STOP, BEFORE STARTING AGAIN.) 2) SOMETIMES (ABOUT 20% OF THE TIME) AFTER COMING TO A COMPLETE STOP AT A STOP SIGN OR RED LIGHT, THE TRANSMISSION GOES INTO FIRST GEAR HARD AND/OR THE CONVERTER/TORSEN DIFFERENTIAL IS UNLOCKING/LOCKING INCORRECTLY. IT WILL ACTUALLY ROCK THE VEHICLE FORWARD. SOMETIMES IT GIVES THE SAME SENSATION AS IN ITEM 3. (ACTUALLY, ON A FEW OCCASIONS I GET ITEM 2 PROBLEM FOLLOWED BY AN ITEM 1 PROBLEM. *AK

GATED SHIFTER, ON 2003 TOYOTA 4 RUNNER, ALLOWS YOU TO SHIFT THE VEHICLE PAST NEUTRAL (INTO REVERSE OR EVEN PARK) WHILE DRIVING, WITH OUT DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL. IF YOU PUSH STRAIGHT UP ON THE SHIFTER IT LOCKS IT OUT (AGAINST THE STAGGERED PLASTIC OF THE GATED SHIFTER). BUT IF YOU ACCIDENTALLY HIT THE SHIFTER ON AN ANGLE, IT CAN SLIDE PAST NEUTRAL AND INTO REVERSE OR EVEN PARK!*AK

VIBRATION IN STEERING WHEEL ,FLOORBOARDS, DRIVELINE AND DRONING NOISE. THIS IS AN UPDATE TO ID# 10060725. LEXUS OF TOYOTA HAS ANNOUNCED A TSB FOR THE GX 470 WHICH HAS THE SAME MECHANICALS AS THE TOYOTA 4RUNNER. THIS TSB ADDRESSES THE INDICATED PROBLEM THAT IS IN BOTH VEHICLES. IT IS :"STEERING ST004-04" "STEERING VIBRATION AND DRIVELINE VIBRATION/DRONE". UNFORTUNATELY THE FIX CAN ONLY BE APPLIED TO THE LEXUS VEHICLES PER DEALER.*AK

2003 TOYOTA LIMITED 4-RUNNER V8- AWDFRONT-END VIBRATION PROBLEM FIRST PRESENTED THE VIBRATION PROBLEM AT 5048 MILES TO MY DEALER THE LAST WEEK OF AUGUST! IT IS MOSTLY FELT THROUGH THE STEERING WHEEL AND THE ACCELERATOR AND OCCURS AT VARIOUS SPEEDS. THERE IS ALSO A DRONING NOISE ASSOCIATED WITH THE VIBRATION AND IS MOST NOTABLE UNDER LOAD. THEY TRIED BALANCING THE WHEELS WITH NO IMPROVEMENT. THEY AGREED THE PROBLEM WAS THERE AND NOTIFIED CORPORATE. THEIR TECHNICAL STAFF HAD THEM REMOVE THE FRONT AXELS AND RETEST. THE VIBRATION, WHICH STARTED AT 22 MPH, WENT TO 32MPH 42, 55, AND 62MPH NOW DISAPPEARED! THE DEALER WAS ADVISED THAT THERE WAS AN ANGLE PROBLEM WITH THE FRONT DRIVE SHAFT. A WEEK LATER A TECHNICAL REPRESENTATIVE MET WITH ME AND MENTIONED THAT SEVERAL SIMILAR VEHICLES IN PHOENIX HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. HE SUGGESTED IT PROBABLY WOULD TAKE ABOUT TWO MONTHS TO GET A FIX. HE FELT THAT TOYOTA WOULD PROBABLY JUST REPLACE THE WHOLE UNIT RATHER THAN PUTTING IN DIFFERENT PARTS. TWO MONTHS LATER I TALKED TO THE TECH. REP. AGAIN AND HE MENTIONED THAT THE ENGINEERING GROUP HAD DETERMINED THE PROBLEM TO BE INTERFERENCES IN THE SPIDER GEAR ASSEMBLY IN THE FRONT DIFFERENTIAL, THEY WERE TRYING TO CORRECT THE CONDITION WITH THRUST WASHER SHIMS AND OTHER THINGS. THEY CLAIMED THAT THE PROBLEM WAS NOT A SAFETY FACTOR; I WONDER THOUGH WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF THE FRONT END WERE TO FREEZE-UP SINCE ITS IN 4WD ALL THE TIME! I HAVE PRESENTED MY CLAIM TO THE TOYOTA CUSTOMER SUPPORT GROUP. I HAVE CALLED THEM REGULARLY ONCE A MONTH AND HAVE HAD NO SUCCESS AT FINDING WHAT THEIR SCHEDULE IS FOR THE FIX, --ONLY TO SAY WE ARE WORKING ON IT AND YOUR DEALER WILL NOTIFY YOU. IVE SINCE HEARD FROM MY DEALER STAFF THAT THEY HAVE A NUMBER OF LEXUS GX470'S AS WELL AS 2004S 4-RUNNERS INVOLVED. IM BEGINNING TO FEEL THAT THEY HAVE SO MANY VEHICLES INVOLVED IT MIGHT BE A LONG TIME BEFORE WE SEE A FIX! I HAUL A POP-UP TRAILER AND DOES IT MAGNIFY THE PROBLEM! *AK