2000 Toyota 4RUNNER

THE REAR AXLE HOUSING HAS RUSTED THROUGH SUCH THAT DIFFERENTIAL FLUID WAS LEAKING THROUGH A HOLE IN THE METAL AND DRIPPING ONTO THE ROADWAY. THE METAL WAS SO THIN, LIKE PAPER. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE SINCE ALL OF THE REAR AXLE FLUID COULD LEAK OUT, ALLOWING THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL TO FREEZE OR SEIZE UP, CAUSING A LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND CREATING A POSSIBLE ACCIDENT. IT COULD ALSO CAUSE OTHER VEHICLES TO LOSE TRACTION ON ROAD DUE TO GEAR OIL LEAKING ONTO ROADWAY. WE HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO HAVE THE CAR REPAIRED BY AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP WHO HAD TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE AXLE HOUSING. RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET SUPPORTS THIS IS AN ONGOING PROBLEM WITH THIS VEHICLE. I THINK THE NHTSA NEEDS TO STEP IN AND MAKE TOYOTA ISSUE A RECALL FOR THESE FAULTY DIFFERENTIALS. IT IS OBVIOUS THAT TOYOTA USED INFERIOR METAL TO MANUFACTURER THESE PARTS. *TR

WHEN GETTING THE LEFT/REAR WHEEL BEARING REPAIRED (DUE TO HEAVY RUSTING OF THE DIFFERENTIAL HOUSING, CAUSING FLUID LOSS), THE TECHNICIAN REPORTED EXTENSIVE FRAME LOSS ALSO DUE TO CORROSION. AFFECTED VEHICLE (OTHERWISE IN GOOD CONDITION) WAS/HAD TO BE JUNKED FOR SAFETY REASONS, THUS FORCING ME TO PURCHASE A NEW VEHICLE SOONER THAN ANTICIPATED. IN N.E. (NORTH EAST) USA, TOYOTA TACOMAS (FRAMES MANUFACTURED IN THE USA) WERE RECALLED FOR THIS CONDITION BUT NOT TOYOTA 4RUNNERS (FRAMES MANUFACTURED IN JAPAN). BOTH MY 4RUNNER CORROSION CONDITIONS ARE NOT UNUSUAL IN N.E. USA! (PHOTOS AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST). SHOULD TOYOTA BE ALLOWED TO CONTINUE DOING NOTHING ABOUT THIS DANGEROUS CONDITION? *TR

VEHICLE SUDDENLY BECAME VERY UNSTABLE AND LOOSE IN THE REAR END WHILE DRIVING DOWN HIGHWAY AT 50 MPH. REAR END STARTED SWAYING BACK AND FORTH PUSHING VEHICLE INTO CENTER OF 2 LANE HIGHWAY. ONCE VEHICLE WAS UNDER CONTROL AND OFF THE ROAD FRAME SHOWED SIGNIFICANT RUST. LOWER SUSPENSION ARM MOUNT ON FRAME HAD RUSTED AND BROKE. ROUGHLY 24 INCH SECTION OF THIS FRAME AREA HAD RUSTED OUT. LEAVING NO ATTACHMENT OF THE SUSPENSION ARM TO THE FRAME MOUNT. UPON INSPECTION MANY AREAS OF FRAME ARE SHOWING SIGNIFICANT RUST DAMAGE. VEHICLE US NOW UNSAFE TO DRIVE. I HAVE OWNED THIS VEHICLE FOR 11-12 YEARS. BOUGHT IT WITH 12,000 MILE AND HAVE TAKEN GREAT CARE OF IT. ENGINE PURRS LIKE A KITTEN. RUNS AS WELL NOW AS WHEN I BOUGHT IT. TOYOTA WILL NOT WARRANTY A BAD DESIGN/MANUFACTURING PROCESS. CALLED TOYOTA DEALERSHIP WHOM I PURCHASED IT FROM AND THEY SAID THEY HAVE BEEN SEEING MANY OF THESE COMING IN AND TOYOTA WILL NOT WARRANTY THE BAD FRAMES. *TR

SUSPENSION SYSTEM RUSTED APART CAUSING THE REAR SHOCKS TO BECOME DISCONNECTED FROM THE FRAME. THE VEHICLE ALSO HAS SEVERE RUST ON THE FRAME THAT IS CHARACTERISTIC OF THE PROBLEMS OTHER ARE EXPERIENCING WITH FRAME ROT. THERE ARE NEARLY 200 COMPLAINTS ON HERE FOR THIS ISSUE...IT SHOULD BE RECALLED AND REPAIRED. I CARY MY 2 YEAR OLD AROUND IN THIS CAR ON A DAILY BASIS. SURPRISED TO FIND SUCH A POOR QUALITY CAR FROM TOYOTA AND THAT THEY AREN'T DOING ANYTHING ABOUT IT WHEN THEY DID SOMETHING ABOUT IT ON OTHER VEHICLES WITH THE SAME FRAME AND SAME PROBLEM. *TR

MY MECHANIC TOLD ME THAT MY PERCH SPRINGS/SHOCK MOUNTS HAD ROTTED OFF. BROUGHT THE VEHICLE TO A WELDER AND TOLD ME THAT THE FRAME WAS SO ROTTED OUT THAT I SHOULD CONTACT TOYOTA TO SEE IF THERE IS ANYTHING THEY COULD DO. SAID HE HAD A 2000 TUNDRA WITH THE SAME ISSUE THAT WAS RECALLED AND REPLACED. WHY HASN'T THE 4RUNNER BEEN RECALLED YET? *TR

I PURCHASED MY 2000 TOYOTA 4 RUNNER ONE YEAR AGO AT DRY RIDGE TOYOTA USED CARS. WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE, THE VEHICLE BEGAN SHAKING IN THE REAR END FROM SIDE TO SIDE ON THE HIGHWAY AT ANY SPEED. IT WAS DIFFICULT TO CONTROL THE VEHICLE WITH THE SIDE TO SIDE REAR END WOBBLING WHICH WAS VISIBLE FROM VEHICLES FOLLOWING BEHIND. UPON HAVING THE VEHICLE CHECKED OUT AT A GARAGE AND PUT UP ON A LIFT, THE FRAME UNDERNEATH HAS RUSTED THROUGH AND IS READY TO BREAK. THE GARAGE SAID THEY WOULDN'T REPAIR IT BECAUSE OF LIABILITY ISSUES. THEY SAID IT IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE. SO NOW I HAVE A VEHICLE THAT I CANT DRIVE, CANT BE FIXED AND A LOAN TO PAY ON IT. TOYOTA SAID THERE IS NO RECALL ON IT AND IT IS OUT OF WARRANTY SO THEY WILL DO NOTHING. I THINK THIS NEEDS TO BE RECALLED, IT HAS RUSTED THROUGH IN A YEARS TIME AND ITS ONLY A 2000. *TR

WHILE DRIVING ON A FAMILY VACATION, THE 4 RUNNER HAD A NEAR CATASTROPHIC FRAME FAILURE. THE SPEED OF THE VEHICLE AT THE TIME OF THE FAILURE WAS APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH. THIS FAILURE CAUSED TOTAL LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL AND THE INABILITY TO SAFELY OPERATE THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS RENDERED UNSAFE FOR OPERATION AND IT HAD TO BE TOWED. AN INDEPENDENT INSPECTION REVEALED MULTIPLE FAILURE POINTS ALONG THE FRAME RAIL RELATED TO CORROSION. *TR

I OWN A 2000 TOYOTA 4RUNNER. WENT TO THE DEALERSHIP TO INSPECT A LEAK FROM THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL. FOUND OUT THAT NOT ONLY WAS THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL SO RUSTED THAT THE FLUID WAS NOW LEAKING FROM THE POROUS RUSTED HOUSING. BUT THE FRAME WAS RUSTED AND CRACKED SO BAD THAT DEALERSHIP SAID IT WAS UNSAFE TO DRIVE. MY NOW OTHERWISE IMMACULATE CONDITION 4RUNNER IS NOW USELESS AND RENDERED INOPERABLE. THIS IS A RAMP IF PROBLEM WITH TACOMA/TUNDRA FOR THE SAME ISSUE AND SAME MODEL YEARS. HOW IS THIS NOT A RECALL. *TR

ON 08/13/2014 MY 16YEAR OLD SON WAS DRIVING HIS 2000 TOYOTA 4RUNNER ON THE INTERSTATE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS WHEN RIGHT SIDE LOWER CONTROL ARM BRACKET BUILD INTO THE FRAME FELL OFF THE FRAME AND CRACKED. UPON FURTHER INSPECTION THE FRAME HAD RUSTED FROM INSIDE OUT CAUSING THE WELDED BRACKET TO BREAK AT THE FACTORY WELD. IT IS OUR UNDERSTANDING THAT THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM AND TOYOTA WAS DOING A VOLUNTARY BUY BACK THAT EXPIRED IN 2011. WE PURCHASED THE VEHICLE IN 2013 AND WAS NEVER MADE AWARE OF ANY SUCH ISSUES. IT APPEARS TO US SINCE THERE HAS BEEN NO SERVICE CENTERS WILLING TO RE WELD THE BRACKET BACK IN PLACE THAT WE ARE GOING TO HAVE TO JUNK A GREAT RUNNING GREAT BODY CONDITION CAR DUE TO THIS PROBLEM THAT APPEARS TO BE COMMON. ACCORDING TO MULTIPLE SERVICE GARAGES THAT HAVE INSPECTED FOR REPAIR NONE OF THEM WILL DUE TO LIABILITY AND THAT THERE IS NO GOOD METAL LEFT TO WELD TO AS THE FRAME IS SIMPLY RUSTING INTO HOLES. ANY ADVICE ON FIXES OR RECALLS ETC WOULD BE MUCH HELP. TOYOTA DEALERS ADVISED NOTHING WE COULD DO. *TR