1996 Toyota 4RUNNER

KNOWN DOCUMENTED ISSUES WITH TOYOTA 4RUNNER FRAME ROT. THIS PARTICULAR VEHICLE THE CONTROL ARM SUPPORT BRACKETS ARE SHOWING SIGNS OF RUST THROUGH WITH HOLES APPEARING IN THE BRACKETS. THIS IS DOCUMENTED WITH PHOTOS! THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED NEW BY MY FATHER IN 96, ALWAYS GARAGE KEPT ,IN 2006 I BOUGHT THE VEHICLE FROM HIM AND ALSO IS KEPT IN A DRY GARAGE NOT SITTING OUT OVER MOIST SOIL. THE 4RUNNER HAS NEVER BEEN IN A ACCIDENT. I AM A CERTIFIED MECHANIC WHO PERFORMS SAFETY INSPECTIONS AS I WORK FOR ENGINEERING UNIVERSITY. IT CAME TO MY ATTENTION WHEN I WAS HEARING AND READING STORIES OF THESE 3RD GENERATION 4RUNNERS HAVE STABILITY PROBLEMS DIRECTLY RELATED TO THE RUSTED OUT FRAME SUPPORT BRACKETS THAT HOLD THE CONTROL ARMS IN PLACE FOR THE REAR AXLE. THIS IS A MAIN FRAME COMPONENT , IF THE SUPPORT BRACKET BREAK FREE IT ALLOWS THE AXLE TO WANDER AROUND AS IT'S NOT BEING HELD IN PLACE, CAUSING LOSS OF STEERING STABILITY, IT IS A ROAD HAZARD THAT IS EVENTUALLY GOING TO KILL PEOPLE . I HAVE A 95 BLAZER THAT WAS PURCHASED SIX MONTHS BEFORE THE 4RUNNER AND I STILL HAVE IT! THE BODY ON THE BLAZER IS LITERALLY RUSTED EVERYWHERE HOWEVER,THE INTEGRITY OF THE FRAME IS STILL SOLID BUT THE FRAME IS RUSTED BADLY ! CONVERSELY, THE BODY ON THE 4RUNNER IS EXCELLENT ESPECIALLY FOR THE YEAR, HAVING A RUSTED OUT BODY IS A APPEARANCE ISSUE NOT A SAFETY RELATED ISSUE AS IN THE 3RD GENERATION TOYOTA 4RUNNER THAT RESIDE IN THE UPPER MIDWEST. TOYOTA HAS A A BUY BACK PROGRAM WITH TUNDRA PICKUPS THAT HAVE FRAMES THAT ARE SAFETY HAZARDS. I FEEL THESE 4RUNNERS ARE NO DIFFERENT THAN THE TUNDRAS, TOYOTA SHOULD HAVE THE FRAMES EITHER REPLACED OR BUY THE VEHICLE BACK! I TOOK GREAT CARE OF THIS 4RUNNER IT LOOKS GREAT ,HOWEVER I CAN NOT SELL IT DUE TO THE POSSIBILITY OF THE CONTROL ARM BREAKING FREE FROM THE FRAME CAUSED BY INSIDE FRAME ROT.

FRAME BROKE DUE TO RUST BY THE LOWER CONTROL ARM GOING STRAIGHT DOWN THE ROAD DOING ABOUT 30MPH ALMOST CAUSING ME TO GO OFF THE ROAD. HAD IT TOWED TO A LOCAL GARAGE TO FIND OUT IT WAS RUSTED THROUGH IN SEVERAL PLACES AND THE MECHANIC TOLD ME IT WAS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS YEAR OF 4RUNNER. IF THIS HAD HAPPENED GOING DOWN THE HIGHWAY IT COULD OF COSTED ME MY LIFE OR SOMEONE ELSE'S AND BEING AS COMMON OF A PROBLEM AS IT IS I FEEL IT SHOULD BE ADDRESSED THERE'S NO REASON A FRAME SHOULD RUST AS BAD AND AS QUICK AS THIS CONSIDERING IT HAS BEEN UNDERCOATED EVERY YEAR OF ITS LIFE

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1996 TOYOTA 4RUNNER. WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO WOBBLE UNCONTROLLABLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE FRAME ON THE DRIVER SIDE HAD COMPLETELY RUSTED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 224,000.

HI, THE FRAME IS EXTREMELY RUSTED. IT HAD A SMALL TEAR ON A WELD. NOW IT HAS A LARGE TEAR IN THE FRAME. IT APPEARS THAT IT IS RUSTING AT ALL THE WELD POINTS AT A ACCELERATED RATE AND OR THE FRAME ITSELF IS NOT THICK ENOUGH. I HAVE READ OF HUNDREDS OF OTHERS THAT OWN THIS CAR AND THE FRAME HAS RUSTED THROUGH. I KNOW THAT THE TACOMA HAS BEEN RECALLED AND IT HAS THE EXACT SAME FRAME-------PLEASE ADVISE AS THIS CAR IS NOT EVEN 20 YEARS OLD......THE CAR IS IN GREAT CONDITION OTHERWISE AND IN NO WAY SHOULD BE READY FOR THE JUNK YARD........

ON DECEMBER 31, 2014 WE WERE DRIVING IN HILLSBORO, OH AND NOTICED A POPPING AND CRACKING NOISE UPON STOPPING AND ACCELERATING. ON THE WAY HOME, WE NOTICED THAT THE NOISE SUBSIDED. ON JANUARY 1, 2015, WENT TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE JUST OUTSIDE OUR CORPORATION LIMIT AND NOTICED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS SWAYING BACK AND FORTH LIKE A BOAT OUT ON THE WATER, AND THOUGHT IT WAS JUST CAUSED BY EXCESSIVE WIND. ON JANUARY 2, 2015 WE WERE TRAVELLING ON US 35 TOWARDS CHILLICOTHE, OH AND HIT A RIPPLE IN THE ROAD AND THE FRONT END OF THE VEHICLE STARTED SWAYING VIOLENTLY AT ABOUT 45 MPH. WE PULLED THE VEHICLE OFF THE ROAD AND THOUGHT IT WAS IN THE FRONT END AND COULDN'T SEE ANYTHING. WE TOOK OFF AGAIN AND IT DID THE SAME THING AT ABOUT THE SAME SPEED AND PULLED OFF THE ROAD AND DECIDED TO TAKE IT TO GUSWEILER TOYOTA IN WASHINGTON C.H. OH APPROXIMATELY 3 MILES AWAY. A TECHNICIAN INFORMED US THAT THE FRAME WAS BROKEN WHERE THE LEFT REAR TORTION BAR HOOKS TO THE FRAME. HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED HOME AND UPON FURTHER INSPECTION WE FOUND THAT THE FRAME HAS CRACKS ALL THROUGH IT. WE PURCHASED THE VEHICLE IN SEPTEMBER 2013 FROM A USED CAR DEALER WHO BOUGHT IT FROM JOSEPH AIRPORT TOYOTA IN DAYTON OH. TO DATE WE ONLY PUT 5,169 MILES ON IT AND IT HAS BEEN JUST SITTING EVER SINCE.

I RECENTLY BOUGHT MY 1996 4RUNNER AT THE BEGINNING OF 2015. THERE WAS SOME RUST ON THE FRAME BUT NO NOTICEABLE DAMAGE FROM THE OUTSIDE. NOW, SIX MONTHS LATER I HAD IT LOOKED AT BECAUSE THE EXHAUST SYSTEM BECAME INCREASINGLY LOUD. THE MECHANIC LOOKED AT THE FRAME WHILE LOOKING AT THE EXHAUST SYSTEM AND HE FOUND THAT THE FRAME HAD ROTTED FROM THE INSIDE OUT. HE RECOMMENDED I DO NOT DRIVE IT ANYMORE AS IT IS UNSAFE. HE SAID HE WOULD NEVER ATTEMPT TO REPAIR DAMAGE SUCH AS MY 4RUNNER HAS. MY VEHICLE ONLY HAS 166,000 MILES ON IT. THERE IS NO REASON THE FRAME SHOULD BE AS DAMAGED AS IT IS OR TO HAVE IT RUSTED FROM THE INSIDE OUT.

I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY WITH MY SON IN THE CAR WHEN I HEARD A LOUD NOISE COMING FROM THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE TRUCK AND IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWED WITH A LOSS OF CONTROL. LUCKILY IT WAS IN THE AFTERNOON AND RUSH HOUR HAD YET TO HIT SO THE NEAREST CARS/TRUCKS WERE ABLE TO AVOID ME. I LIMPED TO THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY AND LOOKED UNDER THE TRUCK ONLY TO SEE THAT THE FRAME RAIL ON THE PASSENGER SIDE HAD COMPLETELY SNAPPED IN HALF. UPON FURTHER INSPECTION IT HAD CLEARLY RUSTED FROM THE INSIDE OUT. I HAVE KEPT THE TRUCK IN EXCELLENT SHAPE, REGULAR MAINTENANCE, ETC AND EVEN CHECKED FOR RUST SINCE I KNEW THIS WAS AN ISSUE. HOWEVER SINCE IT RUSTED FROM THE INSIDE OUT, I HAD NEVER EVEN NOTICED. GOT IT TOWED TO THE DEALER WHO WOULD PROCEED TO INFORM ME THAT THE ONLY FIX FOR IT WAS A NEW FRAME. PERFECT 4RUNNER, LOW MILES, WITH EXCELLENT CARE TAKEN TO MAKE SURE IT WOULD LAST 300K, AND NOW ITS WORTH LESS THAN A ROTTEN BANANA. TALK ABOUT A PUNCH TO THE FACE. IM JUST THANKFUL MY FAMILY AND I WERE NOT HURT IN THIS MESS. I'VE READ ABOUT THE CONSTANT RUST ISSUES WITH THESE TRUCKS AND I PRAY THAT IT DOESN'T HURT AN ENTIRE FAMILY SOMEWHERE IN THE FUTURE OTHER THAN THEIR WALLET. *TR