2000 Toyota 4RUNNER

2000 TOYOTA 4RUNNER 6CYL 78000 MILES. NOTICED REAR END DIFFERENTIAL IS LEAKING OIL. DEALER SAYS IT IS BECAUSE I PARK IT ON DIRT DRIVEWAY. NOT LEAKING AT SEAL OR NORMAL CONNECTION POINT. IS COMING THROUGH THE METAL ITSELF. THEY SAID THE METAL HAS BECOME ' POROUS '. LAST 4 RUNNER HAD 340,000 MILES ON IT AND NEVER HAD A DROP COME THROUGH THE METAL AND WAS USED EXTENSIVELY OFF ROAD. THIS VEHICLE MINIMALLY. THIS IS OBVIOUSLY A DEFECTIVE PART THROUGH SUBSTANDARD MANUFACTURING PROCESS OR INFERIOR METAL. I AM GETTING NO HELP FROM DEALER IN FIXING THIS PROBLEM. HAVE SEEN ALOT OF PEOPLE WITH SAME ISSUE ON LINE AND WAS REFERRED TO THIS SITE THROUGH A LINK. *TR

2000 SPORT EDITION 4 RUNNER, ALL WORKING COMPONENTS AND FRAME ARE BADLY RUSTED. NOTHING CAN BE WORKED ON WITHOUT BREAKAGE OF PARTS AND BOLTS. THERE HAS BEEN A RECALL ON TACOMAS AND TUNDRAS FROM THE EAST COAST WHERE SALT IS USED ON THE ROADS. CUSTOMERS HAVE BEEN GIVEN REPLACEMENT FRAMES OR THEIR VEHICLES HAVE BEEN PURCHASED BACK FROM TOYOTA. OUR CAR IS FROM VERMONT AND NEW YORK WHERE I AM SURE THEY USED ROAD SALT AND THIS IS WHY THE UNTREATED FRAMES OF THESE VEHICLES CORRODED SO BADLY LIKE OUR 4 RUNNER. I BELIEVE TOYOTA SHOULD GIVE THE SAME OFFER FOR THE 2000 4 RUNNER. MY SON WORKED FOR TWO YEARS AND AT 18 YEARS OLD PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE FOR $9000.00. WE WERE CRUSHED WHEN WE REALIZED THE EXTENT OF RUST DAMAGE ON THE UNDERSIDE OF THIS VEHICLE. NOTHING CAN BE REPAIRED WITHOUT HUGE EXPENSE, AND EVERY THING ON THE UNDERSIDE OF THIS CAR NEEDS REPLACED. WHERE IS TOYOTA'S CUSTOMER CARE AND SATISFACTION NOW? *TR

NO INJURY OR CRASH . . . REPORTING WHAT I BELIEVE MAY BE A DESIGN DEFECT WHICH COULD POTENTIALLY BE A SAFETY DANGER. --- THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL HOUSING IN THE 2000 TOYOTA 4RUNNER I OWN SEEMS TO BE RUSTING UNUSUALLY QUICKLY. THIS IS A 10-YEAR OLD VEHICLE, BUT IT ONLY HAS 113,715 MILES ON THE ODOMETER WHEN IT SUSTAINED A LEAK DUE TO CORROSION. APPARENTLY THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE AS BOTH THE LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER AND MY LOCAL MECHANIC SAID THEY ARE SEEING THIS ISSUE WITH TOYOTAS. THE LOCAL MECHANIC STATED THAT IT SEEMS TO BE DUE TO TOYOTA HAVING THINNER METAL IN THE HOUSING. *TR

IN AUGUST OF 2009 I PURCHASED A 2000 TOYOTA 4RUNNER WITH APPROXIMATELY 89,000 MILES ON IT. I DRIVE EVERY DAY FOR WORK AS A SALESPERSON SO I HAVE BECOME QUITE ACCUSTOM TO THE VEHICLE AND THE WAY IT HANDLES. FROM THE BEGINNING OF MY EXPERIENCE WITH THE VEHICLE I HAVE NOTICED A PROBLEM WITH THE BRAKES. MORE SPECIFICALLY WITH THE HANDLING OF THE VEHICLE WHEN THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKES ENGAGE, BUT ALSO WITH A STIFFNESS THAT OCCURS IN THE BRAKE PEDAL WHEN IT IS DEPRESSED RAPIDLY. THE ISSUES WITH THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKING SYSTEM ARE BY FAR THE MOST DISCONCERTING. THE PROBLEM IS THAT WHEN THE ABS ENGAGES THE VEHICLE CEASES TO SLOW DOWN. THIS WILL HAPPEN EVEN IN CONDITIONS WHEN THE VEHICLE IS TRAVELING SLOWLY. FOR INSTANCE, AT 10 MILES PER HOUR THE VEHICLE WILL SLIDE TWO TO THREE METERS WITHOUT SLOWING. THIS DISTANCE INCREASES WITH ADDITIONAL SPEED. THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKES ENGAGE IN SITUATIONS WHERE THE VEHICLE IS NOT SLIDING. THIS HAPPENS MOST COMMONLY ON ROUGH ROAD SURFACES. I HAVE EXPERIENCED DANGEROUS SITUATIONS WHERE I SLID INTO AN INTERSECTION, OR BEEN FORCED TO DRIVE OFF THE ROAD TO AVOID VEHICLES IN FRONT OF ME BECAUSE I HIT A BUMP. THE PROBLEM WITH THE STIFFNESS IN THE BRAKE IS ALSO OF CONCERN TO ME. IF I AM TRYING TO SLOW THE VEHICLE WHILE TRAVELING DOWN HILL I FIND THAT THE BREAK BECOMES VERY STIFF. THIS CAN OFTEN LEAD TO THE SITUATION WHERE THE DANGEROUS ANTI-LOCK BRAKE PROBLEM OCCURS. THE PEDAL BECOMES VERY STIFF AND THEN IF I HIT A BUMP THE VEHICLE GOES OUT OF CONTROL CAUSING ME TO HAVE TO TAKE EVASIVE ACTION. ANY RESEARCH INTO A SOLUTION FOR THIS PROBLEM WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED. *TR

ON A SUNDAY AFTERNOON DURING LAST SUMMER, I WAS DRIVING MY 2000 TOYOTA 4RUNNER WITH MY WIFE AND 9-YR OLD DAUGHTER AT THE BACK SEAT. I HAD THE CAR ON CRUISE CONTROL AT ABOUT 65/70 MPH. BEFORE MOVING OVER TO MY DESTINATION OFF RAMP, I TRIED TO CANCEL THE CRUISE CONTROL BUT TO MY HORROR IT WAS NOT CANCELING. THE HARDER I PRESSED THE BRAKE, THE FASTER THE CAR TRIED TO MOVE FORWARD/ACCELERATING. I HAD TO TAKE AND SOMEHOW MANAGED A IMMEDIATE LEFT ON A T JUNCTION WITH TRAFFIC LIGHT CONTROL. I WAS ALMOST GOING TO HIT THE CAR IN FRONT RUNNING AT A SPEED APPROPRIATE FOR A BUSY CITY STREET. WE ALL STARTED PRAYING TO GOD. I WAS ON A BRIDGE/OVERPASS. THERE WAS NO WAY TO DRIVE OFF THE ROADWAY. I ALMOST PASSED OUT IN HORROR, BUT BARELY MANAGED TO MOVE OVER TO THE LANES IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION (LUCKILY THERE WAS NO MEDIAN AND THE ONCOMING TRAFFIC LIGHT WAS RED). WHEN NOTHING WAS WORKING, I SOMEHOW MANAGED TO TURN THE ENGINE SWITCH OFF. AND STOP THE CAR WITH THE HELP OF THE BREAK WITHIN A FEW HUNDRED FEET JUST BARELY AVOIDING HEAD ON COLLISION WITH THE ONCOMING TRAFFIC. AFTER STOPPING, I TRIED TO START THE CAR. AS SOON AS I TURNED THE KEY ON THE RPM JUMPED TO 6000/7000. AS I PUSH THE BRAKE HARD TO STOP THE CAR FROM MOVING, THE CAR WAS JUMPING VIOLENTLY. WE WERE SCARED, GOT OUT OFF THE CAR AND THE ROAD. I CALLED THE POLICE. BEFORE A POLICE OFFICER CAME, A KIND DRIVER STOPPED AND HELPED ME PUSH THE CAR TO THE SHOULDER. THE OFFICER LEFT WITHOUT EVEN TAKING A REPORT. I TOOK AND LEFT THE CAR TO THE NEARBY TOYOTA DEALER. NEXT DAY, THEY TOLD ME THE PROBLEM WAS DUE TO THE THROTTLE VALVE GETTING STUCK OPEN. I HAD TO PAY TO CLEAN THE VALVE. *TR UPDATED 04/22/10 *BF THE WATER PUMP WAS LEAKING AND HAD TO BE REPLACED. UPDATED 10/05/10