1999 Toyota 4RUNNER

OUR 1999 4RUNNER RECENTLY WENT TO THE DEALER FOR AN INSPECTION, WHERE WE LEARNED THAT THE FRAME ON THE TRUCK WOULD NOT PASS INSPECTION BECAUSE THERE ARE SOFTBALL SIZE HOLES IN IT. THE TRUCK IS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE AS A RESULT. THERE HAS BEEN A SIMILAR ISSUE ON THE TUNDRA FRAMES, WHICH WERE PART OF A BUY BACK PROGRAM FROM TOYOTA. WE WERE TOLD WE COULD HAVE A NEW FRAME PUT ON, BUT IT WOULD COST MORE THAN THE TRUCK IS WORTH AND THE TRUCK WOULDN'T BE THE SAME AGAIN. OUR TOYOTA DEALER HAS GIVEN US A PHONE NUMBER (AND WE HAVE A CLAIM NUMBER) FOR TOYOTA AND WE HAVE MADE OUR CASE WITH THEM, BUT NO ACTION HAS BEEN TAKEN AND THE DEALER HAS BASICALLY SAID THERE IS NOTHING FURTHER HE CAN DO. *TR

INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) I HAVE A 1999 TOYOTA 4RUNNER. BACK IN SEPTEMBER 2009 THE GAS PEDAL GOT STUCK AT FULL THROTTLE WHILE I WAS DRIVING IT. I APPLIED THE BRAKES - PULLED OVER AND TURNED OFF THE KEY. IT SCARED ME TO DEATH. MY DAD LOOKED AT IT AND FOUND THAT THE THROTTLE CABLE PLASTIC COATING WAS COMING APART AND GOT STUCK IN THE CABLE SHIELDING. I CALLED TOYOTA AND THEY SAID IT WOULD COST AROUND $300 TO REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE CABLE. IS THIS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH 1999 TOYOTA 4RUNNERS? SINCE THIS IS DEFINITELY A SAFETY ISSUE, WHY WON'T TOYOTA FIX IT AT THEIR EXPENSE? I CONTACTED TURNER TOYOTA IN MONTROSE COLORADO AND TALKED TO [XXX] IN THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT. [XXX] *TR

1999 TOYOTA 4RUNNER, THE LEFT REAR WHEEL AXLE SEAL IS LEAKING GEAR OIL ALL OVER THE LEFT REAR WHEEL AND BRAKE. I HAVE HAD THE REAR AXLE SEALS REPLACED 5 - 7 TIMES: DECEMBER 2006, JUNE 2007, DECEMBER 2007, JUNE 2008, DECEMBER 2008, AND NOW AGAIN IT IS LEAKING FEBRUARY 2010. THE INDEPENDENT AUTO REPAIR BUSINESS WHERE I TAKE MY VEHICLE SUBSCRIBES TO "ALL DATA' WHICH ASSISTS MECHANICS ALL OVER THE COUNTRY IN SHARING WORK DONE ON VEHICLES; ASSISTING IN DIAGNOSING SIMILAR PROBLEMS, ETC. THERE ARE A TREMENDOUS NUMBER OF SIMILAR LEFT REAR AXLE SEAL FAILURES ON TOYOTA 4-RUNNERS AND PICKUPS 1999 - 2001 WHICH USE THE SAME AXLE LISTED IN THE ALL DATA WEB SITE. MANY OF THESE LIST MULTIPLE TIMES THE SEAL AS FAILED ON THE SAME VEHICLE. . I MY CASE WE HAVE BEEN GETTING THE SEALS FROM TOYOTA. THE REAR BRAKE ON THE LEFT SIDE IS COVERED IN AXLE GREASE WHICH IN MY OPINION WILL SERIOUSLY LIMIT MY BRAKING ABILITY AND COULD CONTRIBUTE TO AND ACCIDENT. I WAS NOT ABLE TO STOP AND REAR ENDED ANOTHER VEHICLE IN THE SUMMER OF 2007. FORTUNATELY NO ONE WAS INJURED IN THIS ACCIDENT. *TR

SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER WHEN DRIVING 1999 TOYOTA 4RUNNER SR5. FUEL GAUGE READS FULL AND VEHICLE STALLS DUE TO NO FUEL IN TANK. I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO VERIFY THAT THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE TO TOYOTA AND THAT THEY HAVE REFUSED TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM UNDER WARRANTY EVEN THOUGH THEY HAVE ACKNOWLEDGED THAT A PROBLEM WITH THE PART AS DELIVERED IN THIS VEHICLE AND THEY ISSUED TSB:EL010-00 TITLED "FUEL GAUGE INACCURACY" TO FIX THE PROBLEM ONLY UNDER WARRANTY. THIS IS NOT A WARRANTY ISSUE, BUT A SAFETY ISSUE AS VEHICLE CAN RUN OUT OF FUEL AND STALL WITHOUT WARNING AT HIGH RATES OF SPEED ON CONGESTED HIGHWAYS. THIS ISSUE HAS NOT BEEN RESOLVED. I HAVE HAD TO USE THE ODOMETER TO GUESS HOW MUCH FUEL IS REMAINING THE FUEL TANK AT ANY GIVEN TIME. FACTORS SUCH AS HIGHWAY CONDITIONS, WEATHER, NECESSARY USE OF 4WD CAN IMPACT THE NUMBER OF MILES ACHIEVED IN A SINGLE TANK OF GAS. ALSO, FUEL TANK MUST BE FILLED TO TOP WHEN REFUELING TO MOST ACCURATELY GUESS NUMBER OF MILES THAT CAN BE DRIVEN BEFORE THE VEHICLE STALLS. *TR

I HAVE A 1999 TOYOTA 4RUNNER THAT HAS THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THE ABS AS IS BEING REPORTED FOR THE 2010 PRIUS, ONLY WORSE. WHEN THE ABS KICKS IN ON SLICK OR UNEVEN SURFACES, THE VEHICLE GOES INTO A FREELY-FLOATING MODE FOR 5+ SECONDS. THERE IS NO BRAKING CAPACITY AT ALL DURING THAT TIME AND STEERING IS DIFFICULT. THE VEHICLE IS COMPLETELY OUT OF CONTROL DURING THAT TIME. I HAVE HAD MULTIPLE NEAR-MISSES WHICH WOULD HAVE RESULTED IN SERIOUS HARM TO MYSELF AND OTHERS AND A FEW INCIDENCES WHERE I ENDED UP RUNNING OFF THE ROAD (ONCE INTO A RAVINE) OR HITTING MEDIAN STRIPS W/O INVOLVING OTHER VEHICLES. I TOOK MY VEHICLE TO THE TOYOTA DEALER TWICE ABOUT THIS ISSUE. ONCE I WAS TOLD I WAS NUTS, THAT THE ABS COULDN'T POSSIBLY BEHAVE THAT WAY; AND THE OTHER TIME I WAS TOLD THAT, "OH YEAH, THAT'S HOW ABS WORKS." NO EXAMINATION OR CORRECTION WAS OFFERED. MY STRATEGY HAS BEEN TO ALWAYS TOUCH THE BRAKES SO GENTLY THAT ABS DOESN'T KICK IN, BUT THIS WINTERS SNOWY WEATHER HAS DEFEATED THIS PLAN. WHENEVER I BRAKE ON A SLICK, SNOWY SURFACE THE ABS KICKS IN NO MATTER HOW GENTLY I TOUCH THE BRAKES. LAST WEEK, I HAD AN EXTREMELY HARROWING CLOSE CALL WHEN MY VEHICLE WENT CAREENING OUT OF CONTROL INTO AN INTERSECTION WHEN ANOTHER VEHICLE WAS PASSING THROUGH IT. THIS WAS ON A SIDE STREET WHEN I WAS MOVING VERY SLOWLY AND HAD BEGUN THE GENTLE BRAKING AT LEAST 30' BEFORE THE INTERSECTION... BUT THE ABS KICKED IN, AND I COULD NOT STOP BEFORE SLIDING INTO THE INTERSECTION. (FOR THE REQUIRED FIELD ASKING FOR THE INCIDENT DATE, I'LL GIVE THE DATE OF THIS MOST RECENT NEAR-MISS, BUT THERE HAVE BEEN MANY INCIDENTS OVER THE YEARS.) *JB

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 TOYOTA 4RUNNER.THE CONTACT STATED ON TWO DIFFERENT OCCASIONS HIS VEHICLE ACCELERATED INTO THE INTERSECTION.THE CONTACT STATED AS HE PUT HIS FOOT ON THE BRAKES THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED INTO A BUILDING. THE VEHICLE WAS DAMAGED BUT THERE WERE NO INJURIES.THE CONTACT DROVE HIS VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND THEY CHECKED THE VEHICLE AND STATED THERE IS NO PROBLEM WITH THE VEHICLE.THE CONTACT TOOK HIS VEHICLE TO HIS OWN MECHANIC AND WAS TOLD TO TAKE THE FLOOR MATS OUT AND SEE IF HE EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM. THE CONTACT CALLED THE MANUFACTURER AND WAS TOLD TO TAKE THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR THEM TO CHECK IT. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 170,000.