IllustrationLOSS OF SPEED/POWER, ENDED UP WITH BLOWN HEAD GASKET, HAD IT REPAIRED, HAPPENED AGAIN WITHIN 3 MONTHS. WAS TOLD IT WAS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM IN THIS TYPE OF VEHICLE, YOU SHOULD DO SOMETHING!!!!! *TR
1995 Toyota 4RUNNER
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1995 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
00–25K
025–50K
050–75K
575–100K
19100–150K
13150K+
37 reports with mileage · 10 unknown
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 30 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine. Review the 8 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 3 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
3 crash reports0 fire reports0 injury reports
What owners actually said
47 reportsBLOWING WHITE SMOKE FROM THE EXHAUST AND WAS LOSING POWER, LOSING COOLANT, THEN A FEW DAYS LATER, BLOWN HEAD GASKET. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1995 TOYOTA 4RUNNER. WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH, THE HEAD GASKET FAILED. THE CONTACT DROVE HOME AND THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A MECHANIC. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 168,000.
CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, NOTICED LOSS OF POWER, ROUGH IDLING AND POOR PICKUP(STUMBLES). THEN RECENTLY WHILE DRIVING HOME AFTER WORK AT 3AM, TEMP. GAUGE RAPIDLY ELEVATED AND ENGINE OVERHEATED. SAW WHITE SMOKE COMING OUT OF EXHAUST AND HOOD. LEFT ME STALLED ON THE HIGHWAY AT 3AM, TOWED HOME. NOW I FIND OUT BLOWN HEAD GASKET. TR…
Read full complaint
CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, NOTICED LOSS OF POWER, ROUGH IDLING AND POOR PICKUP(STUMBLES). THEN RECENTLY WHILE DRIVING HOME AFTER WORK AT 3AM, TEMP. GAUGE RAPIDLY ELEVATED AND ENGINE OVERHEATED. SAW WHITE SMOKE COMING OUT OF EXHAUST AND HOOD. LEFT ME STALLED ON THE HIGHWAY AT 3AM, TOWED HOME. NOW I FIND OUT BLOWN HEAD GASKET. TRUCK HAS ONLY 80,000 MILES, WELL MAINTAINED, AND IN EXCELLENT CONDITION(WAS ANYWAY). NEVER HAD A MAJOR PROBLEM BEFORE. WILL TAKE TO MAUI TOYOTA ON MONDAY. NOT SURE HOW MUCH THIS WILL COST ME! *TR
1995 TOYOTA 4RUNNER HEAD GASKET FAILURE.*AK
1995 TOYOTA 4RUNNER, 3.0V6, COOLANT LOSS, WHITE SMOKE FROM TAIL PIPE, ROUGH IDLE. IT APPEARED LIKE SO MANY OTHER 4 RUNNER OWNERS THE HEAD GASKET HAS BLOWN EVEN THOUGH TOYOTA SAID. THEY FIXED THE PROBLEM ON THE 1995 MODELS. THIS SEEMSEDTO BE A CONSTANT PROBLEM ON THIS VEHICLE IN THIS YEAR RANGE. TOYOTA NEEDED TO STEP UP AND TAKE…
Read full complaint
1995 TOYOTA 4RUNNER, 3.0V6, COOLANT LOSS, WHITE SMOKE FROM TAIL PIPE, ROUGH IDLE. IT APPEARED LIKE SO MANY OTHER 4 RUNNER OWNERS THE HEAD GASKET HAS BLOWN EVEN THOUGH TOYOTA SAID. THEY FIXED THE PROBLEM ON THE 1995 MODELS. THIS SEEMSEDTO BE A CONSTANT PROBLEM ON THIS VEHICLE IN THIS YEAR RANGE. TOYOTA NEEDED TO STEP UP AND TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS CONTINUING ISSUE. NHTSA NEEDED TO HOLD TOYOTA RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS PROBLEM SINCE IT SEEMED TO BE AN INHERENT PROBLEM WITH THIS MOTOR AND THEY SUPPOSED TO FIX WHAT WAS NOT WORKING. NO VEHICLE SHOULD BLOW HEAD GASKETS REGULARLY AT 100,000 MILES. *AK
BLOWN ENGINE HEAD GASKET. *AK
CUSTOMER STATES THAT AFTER MOVING TO ITALY HE RECEIVED A RECALL AND WHEN HE TOOK THE CAR IN FOR REPAIRS HE WAS TOLD THAT HE COULD NOT GET THE CAR FIX BECAUSE HE DIDN'T BUY THE CAR IN ITALY**CC THE CONSUMER HAS PROVIDED A COPY OF THE RECALL FOLLOW-UP NOTICE. THE CONSUMER WANTS TO KNOW HOW HE WOULD BE ABLE TO GET THE VEHICLE FIXE…
Read full complaint
CUSTOMER STATES THAT AFTER MOVING TO ITALY HE RECEIVED A RECALL AND WHEN HE TOOK THE CAR IN FOR REPAIRS HE WAS TOLD THAT HE COULD NOT GET THE CAR FIX BECAUSE HE DIDN'T BUY THE CAR IN ITALY**CC THE CONSUMER HAS PROVIDED A COPY OF THE RECALL FOLLOW-UP NOTICE. THE CONSUMER WANTS TO KNOW HOW HE WOULD BE ABLE TO GET THE VEHICLE FIXED IF HE DOES NOT RESIDE IN THE AREA WHERE THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1995 TOYOTA 4RUNNER. THE CONTACT LOST COOLANT, WHEN IT WAS COLD A WHITE VAPOR COMING FROM THE MUFFLER. AAA TESTED THE VEHICLE, AND FOUND 800 HYDROCARBONS IN THE RADIATOR. TOYOTA WAS NOTIFIED, AND STATED THAT THE HEAD GASKET, AND A DEFECTIVE SPARK PLUG WAS THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE MOST RECENT FAILU…
Read full complaint
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1995 TOYOTA 4RUNNER. THE CONTACT LOST COOLANT, WHEN IT WAS COLD A WHITE VAPOR COMING FROM THE MUFFLER. AAA TESTED THE VEHICLE, AND FOUND 800 HYDROCARBONS IN THE RADIATOR. TOYOTA WAS NOTIFIED, AND STATED THAT THE HEAD GASKET, AND A DEFECTIVE SPARK PLUG WAS THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE MOST RECENT FAILURE OCCURRED JANUARY 15, 2007. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 102,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 103,200. *AK UPDATED 05/23/07. *JB
MY 95 TOYOTA 4RUNNER IS LEAKING FROM THE HEAD GASKET, AND THOUSANDS OF OTHERS WITH THE SAME VIN NUMBER ARE DOING THE EXACT SAME THING. THERE WAS A RECALL ON MOST OTHER 4RUNNERS OF THE SAME MODEL BUT, NOT ON MINE. THERE IS A 4 RUNNER WITH THOUSANDS OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS VERY PROBLEM AND ALL SAY TOYOTA WILL NOT BAT AN EYELASH…
Read full complaint
MY 95 TOYOTA 4RUNNER IS LEAKING FROM THE HEAD GASKET, AND THOUSANDS OF OTHERS WITH THE SAME VIN NUMBER ARE DOING THE EXACT SAME THING. THERE WAS A RECALL ON MOST OTHER 4RUNNERS OF THE SAME MODEL BUT, NOT ON MINE. THERE IS A 4 RUNNER WITH THOUSANDS OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS VERY PROBLEM AND ALL SAY TOYOTA WILL NOT BAT AN EYELASH AT THE PROBLEM. I AND OTHERS WANT SOMETHING DONE ABOUT THIS! *JB
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
1SQ99003 · 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