LOW FUEL LIGHT COMES ON WITH AROUND 5-6 GALLONS OF FUEL REMAINING AND GAS HAND GOES FROM FULL TO HALF AFTER ONLY 70 MILES.
1999 Toyota 4RUNNER
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most 4RUNNER years
Owner complaints for the 1999 Toyota 4RUNNER are substantially higher than 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
180 reports with mileage · 40 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.
- Structure. Review the 111 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Suspension. Review the 61 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 17 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
Unknown Or Other complaints
34 reportsFRAME RUST, REAR PASSENGER SIDE OF INSIDE FRAME IN FRONT OF REAR WHEEL HAS A HOLE RUSTED THROUGH THE FRAME, SIGNS OF RUST OVER ENTIRE FRAME. MY MECHANIC INFORMED ME THAT THIS IS A SAFTY HAZARD AND COULD BE LIFE THREATENING.
THERE IS EXTENSIVE RUST ON THE FRAME JUST LIKE THE SAME ISSUE WITH THE TOYOTA TACOMAS THAT WERE RECALLED WITH FRAME RUST ISSUES. THE AREAS OF RUST ARE SIMILAR TO THE TACOMAS AS WELL. SOME PLACES THERE ARE HOLES WHERE YOU CAN FIT YOUR HAND THROUGH. I HAVE HAD OLDER VEHICLES THAT HAD MORE MILEAGE THAT DOES NOT HAVE FRAME RUST THIS…
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THERE IS EXTENSIVE RUST ON THE FRAME JUST LIKE THE SAME ISSUE WITH THE TOYOTA TACOMAS THAT WERE RECALLED WITH FRAME RUST ISSUES. THE AREAS OF RUST ARE SIMILAR TO THE TACOMAS AS WELL. SOME PLACES THERE ARE HOLES WHERE YOU CAN FIT YOUR HAND THROUGH. I HAVE HAD OLDER VEHICLES THAT HAD MORE MILEAGE THAT DOES NOT HAVE FRAME RUST THIS BAD.
THE 3RD GENERATION 4RUNNER FRAME IS FALLING APART DUE TO RUST ISSUES AND IS MAKING VEHICLE UNSAFE TO DRIVE. DRIVERS SIDE TRAILING ARM MOUNT RUSTED THROUGH AND WAS DISCONNECTED FROM VEHICLE. I HAD TO HAVE THE FRAME PATCH WELDED AT GREAT EXPENSE TO MYSELF.
I BOUGHT MY 1999 4RUNNER LESS THAN A YEAR AND A HALF AGO AT 150,000 MILES ON IT. MY SISTER WAS DRIVING IT ON THE HIGHWAY GOING 60-70 MPH AND SUDDENLY THE CAR STARTED SWERVING LEFT SO SHE IMMEDIATELY GOT OFF AND WENT TO OUR MECHANIC WHO THEN TOLD US THAT MY FRAME IS COMPLETELY CRACKED, HE SAID THAT I COULD NOT DRIVE MY CAR HOME A…
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I BOUGHT MY 1999 4RUNNER LESS THAN A YEAR AND A HALF AGO AT 150,000 MILES ON IT. MY SISTER WAS DRIVING IT ON THE HIGHWAY GOING 60-70 MPH AND SUDDENLY THE CAR STARTED SWERVING LEFT SO SHE IMMEDIATELY GOT OFF AND WENT TO OUR MECHANIC WHO THEN TOLD US THAT MY FRAME IS COMPLETELY CRACKED, HE SAID THAT I COULD NOT DRIVE MY CAR HOME AND THAT THE FRAME WAS TOO RUSTED SO THERE WAS NOTHING I COULD DO SO ITS TOTALED. I BARELY GOT TO 200,000 MILES AND HAD IT FOR SUCH A SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME. NOT TO MENTION THE FACT THAT THE CAR COULD HAVE FLIPPED AT ANY SECOND MY MECHANIC SAID "ONE MORE BUMP AND IT WOULD HAVE FLIPPED". I AM 19 YEARS OLD AND A NANNY SO I CONSTANTLY HAVE KIDS IN MY CAR, WE COULD HAVE BEEN EXTREMELY HURT OR DIED!! I CALLED TOYOTA BUT THEY HAVE NO RECALL AND CANT DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT SO NOW I HAVE TO BUY A NEW CAR. DISAPPOINTING TO SAY AT THE LEAST, I WAS UNDER THE IMPRESSION THAT TOYOTA'S LASTED FOR AN EXTREMELY LONG AMOUNT OF TIME.
THE FRAME ON THESE VEHICLES RUST EXCESSIVELY, EVEN WITH CONTINUED MAINTENANCE AND CLEANING AND RUST PROOFING. OTHER TOYOTA TRUCKS HAVE BEEN RECALLED FOR SUCH ISSUE (RUSTING OUT QUICKLY) BUT THESE HAVE NOT TO DATE. I MAINTAIN VEHICLE CAREFULLY SO IT RUNS AND OPERATES WELL INTO HIGH MILEAGE; HOWEVER, THE FRAME RUSTING CREATES AN U…
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THE FRAME ON THESE VEHICLES RUST EXCESSIVELY, EVEN WITH CONTINUED MAINTENANCE AND CLEANING AND RUST PROOFING. OTHER TOYOTA TRUCKS HAVE BEEN RECALLED FOR SUCH ISSUE (RUSTING OUT QUICKLY) BUT THESE HAVE NOT TO DATE. I MAINTAIN VEHICLE CAREFULLY SO IT RUNS AND OPERATES WELL INTO HIGH MILEAGE; HOWEVER, THE FRAME RUSTING CREATES AN UNKNOWN SAFETY CONCERN. TOYOTA BUILT A VEHICLE THAT IS DESIRED BY ITS CLIENTS, OPERATES FOR A LONG LIFE, BUT APPARENTLY PROVIDED A FRAME COMPONENT THAT FAILS OR PREMATURELY FAILS. TOYOTA SHOULD PROVIDE SOME ASSISTANCE TO PURCHASERS (I'M ORIGINAL OWNER) TO ADDRESS IF THERE IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND TO ADDRESS IT. OPTIONS INCLUDE FRAME AMENDEMENT, DISPOSING OF VEHICLE, ASSISTING IN HOW TO RESOLVE FRAME RUST, FRAME/SAFETY DIAGNOSIS, ETC.. OTHERWISE, IT IS AN UNKNOWN. A MOTOR FAILING IS ONE THING A FRAME OR STRUCTURE COMPONENT FAILING IS SOMETHING ELSE.
FRAME IS ROTTED THROUGH ON THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE INTERIOR OF THE FRAME NEAR THE REAR LOWER CONTROL ARM ATTACHMENT. THERE HAS NOT BEEN AN INCIDENT, JUST A VERY BAD CONDITION EXISTS THAT I WILL HAVE TO REPAIR BEFORE DRIVING AGAIN. IT IS AN UNSAFE CONDITION. WHY DID THIS PART OF THE FRAME ROT THROUGH BUT NOT THE REST OF IT, NOT…
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FRAME IS ROTTED THROUGH ON THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE INTERIOR OF THE FRAME NEAR THE REAR LOWER CONTROL ARM ATTACHMENT. THERE HAS NOT BEEN AN INCIDENT, JUST A VERY BAD CONDITION EXISTS THAT I WILL HAVE TO REPAIR BEFORE DRIVING AGAIN. IT IS AN UNSAFE CONDITION. WHY DID THIS PART OF THE FRAME ROT THROUGH BUT NOT THE REST OF IT, NOT EVEN CLOSE TO THE AMOUNT THAT THIS PART OF THE FRAME IS ROTTED, SEEMS LIKE A DESIGN FLOW TO ME. I DID SOME RESEARCH AND FOUND THAT THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE WITH THE SAME ISSUE IN THE EXACT SAME PLACE ON THE FRAME.
MY MECHANIC TOLD ME THAT THE FRAME IS COMPLETELY RUSTED BEYOND REPAIR. HE ALSO SUGGESTED NOT DRIVING IT BECAUSE IT IS SO UNSAFE.
THE FRAME IS RUSTING INTO ON MY 4RUNNER. THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD FOR MY FAMILY.
PER MECHANIC FRAME IS RUSTED THROUGH
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.
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