IllustrationCONSUMER WAS TRAVELING ON HIGHWAY AND THERE WAS WHITE SMOKE COMING FROM MUFFLER. HEAD GASKET BLEWOUT. THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN FIXED THROUGH A RECALL .*AK
1993 Toyota 4RUNNER
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1993 Toyota 4RUNNER do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 58.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all 4RUNNER 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: 12 of 51 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.
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 20 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 7 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Steering. Review the 6 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
4 crash reports2 fire reports4 injury reports
Engine And Engine Cooling complaints
20 reportsTHE ENGINE SHOULD HAVE BEEN COMPLETELY REPLACED ON RECALL. ONCE THERE IS A HEAD GASKET PROBLEM IT CANNOT BE PROPERLY REPAIRED. THIS IS THE THIRD AND LAST TIME I'VE HAD THIS PROBLEM. THE FIRST OCCURED 6 MONTHS AFTER THE INITIAL RECALL!! THE SECOND HAPPENED 2 YEARS LATER AND THE THIRD 1 YEAR AFTER THAT. MY COMPLAINT IS WHAT GOOD I…
Read full complaint
THE ENGINE SHOULD HAVE BEEN COMPLETELY REPLACED ON RECALL. ONCE THERE IS A HEAD GASKET PROBLEM IT CANNOT BE PROPERLY REPAIRED. THIS IS THE THIRD AND LAST TIME I'VE HAD THIS PROBLEM. THE FIRST OCCURED 6 MONTHS AFTER THE INITIAL RECALL!! THE SECOND HAPPENED 2 YEARS LATER AND THE THIRD 1 YEAR AFTER THAT. MY COMPLAINT IS WHAT GOOD IS A WARRANTY IF THE PROBLEM WAS NEVER CORRECTED TO BEGIN WITH!
HEAD GASKET FAILURE BOTH SIDES OF V-6 ENGINE REPLACED BY FACTORY RECALL. *AK
RECALL ON HEAD GASKETS-2 REPAIRS&1YR.LATER ENGINE FAILED-DEALER SAID NOT THEIR PROBLEM
FINALLY THERE IS SPACE TO DESCRIBE MY PROBLEM! BUT NO, THERE IS NO SPACE TO TYPE AND READ...AND RIETTA TOYOTA FALSELY REPORTED THAT THEY FIXED MY CAR, AFTER A TOYOTA RECALL CONONCERING THE HEAD GASKET. BUT, MY CAR WAS IN CALIFONRIA WHEN THEY CLAIMED TO HAVE DONE THE WORK IN PITTSBURGH. AS A RESULT, WHEN I BROUGHT MY CAR IN FOR S…
Read full complaint
FINALLY THERE IS SPACE TO DESCRIBE MY PROBLEM! BUT NO, THERE IS NO SPACE TO TYPE AND READ...AND RIETTA TOYOTA FALSELY REPORTED THAT THEY FIXED MY CAR, AFTER A TOYOTA RECALL CONONCERING THE HEAD GASKET. BUT, MY CAR WAS IN CALIFONRIA WHEN THEY CLAIMED TO HAVE DONE THE WORK IN PITTSBURGH. AS A RESULT, WHEN I BROUGHT MY CAR IN FOR SERVICE THE PALO ALTO DEALER THOUGHT THE WORK HAD BEEN DONE. SOON AFTER MY CAR OVERHEATED AND I BVLEW A HEAD GASKET. I WOULD LIKE AN INVESTIGATION OF THE FALSE REPORT IN MY RECORD. A SERVICE DEALERSHIP SHOULD NOT CLAIM TO DO RECALL WORK WHEN IT DIDN'T. *AK
FAN BLADE BROKE OFF FROM THE FAN CLUTCH.
ENGINE HEAD GASKET FAILED PRIOR TO/AFTER RECALL REPAIRS.
ENGINE HEAD GASKET BLEW OUT, GIVING OFF WHITE CLOUDS OF SMOKE. *AK
ENGINGE GASKETS FAILED WHILE DRIVING CAUSING LARGE CLOUD OF WHITE SMOKE. ALL GUAGES READ NORMAL AT TIME OF FAILURE.
ENGINE HEAD GASKET FAILED, CAUSING RADIATOR TO OVERHEAT. *AK
Official recalls
105V389000 · Steering:linkages:rod:relay:connecting
Sep 6, 2005
ON CERTAIN PICKUP TRUCKS AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, IF THE STEERING WHEEL IS REPEATEDLY TURNED UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS WHERE HIGH STEERING EFFORT AND POWER ASSIST ARE REQUIRED, FOR INSTANCE, WHEN FULLY TURNING THE WHEEL WHILE THE VEHICLE IS STOPPED, A FATIGUE CRACK MAY DEVELOP IN THE STEERING RELAY ROD.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: IF THE VEHICLE IS CONTINUED TO BE OPERATED IN THIS CONDITION, THE RELAY ROD MAY FRACTURE, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE STEERING RELAY ROD. THE RECALL BEGAN OCTOBER 5, 2005. OWNERS MAY CONTACT TOYOTA AT 1-800-331-4331.
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
2DP02002 · Rear Seat Belt Routing
Opened Mar 26, 2002 · Closed Aug 26, 2002
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Seat Belts:rear/other
No summary supplied.
SQ99003 · Corroded Brake Lines
Opened Jan 27, 1999 · Closed Apr 22, 1999
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Service Brakes, Hydraulic
TOYOTA IS CONDUCTING A SAFETY RECALL IN CANADA 98-253. CORRODED BRAKE LINES COULD FAIL RESULTING IN A PARTIAL BRAK SYSTEM LOSS AND INCREASED STOPPING DISTANCES