2000 Toyota 4RUNNER

OUR 2000 TOYOTA 4RUNNER, ON A RECENT ROAD TRIP, HAD THE ENGINE LIGHT COME ON WHILE WE WERE IN RURAL KANSAS. UPON HAVING IT TOWED TO THE NEAREST TOYOTA DEALERSHIP, WE WERE TOLD IT HAD "ENGINE SLUDGE," AND THAT WE NEEDED, AT THE LEAST, A REBUILD OF OUR ENGINE, AND AT MOST A NEW ENGINE. THE CAR HAS BEEN WELL-MAINTAINED, AND PRIOR TO THIS INCIDENT HAD RUN FINE. OIL HAD BEEN CHANGED ON A REGULAR BASIS, AND THE VEHICLE HAD SUFFICIENT OIL, AND CLEAN-LOOKING OIL, AS IT HAD ALWAYS HAD. *TR

MY 2000 TOYOTA 4RUNNER SHAKES AT SPEEDS ABOVE 60MPH. IT ALSO DOES THIS WHILE BRAKING. IT IS VISIBLY NOTICEABLE IN THE STEERING WHEEL, BUT ALL PASSENGERS IN THE CAR CAN FEEL THE SHAKING AND VIBRATION. IT BECOMES ALMOST VIOLENT AND ALARMING AROUND 70MPH. I HAVE TAKEN IT TO SEVERAL REPAIR SHOPS AND NO ONE CAN FIND A SOLUTION. I HAVE READ HUNDREDS OF POSTS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM THAT RANGES FROM 96-08 MODELS. *TR

A CONTROL VALVE WITHIN THE RADIATOR BURST, CAUSING ENGINE COOLANT TO GET INTO THE TRANSMISSION AND SEIZE IT. MECHANIC DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM. INDICATED THAT TRANSMISSION WAS TO BE REMOVED, SYSTEM FLUSHED, NEW RADIATOR INSTALLED, TRANSMISSION EITHER REBUILT OR REPLACED AND FOR THE WHOLE SYSTEM TO BE ROAD TESTED. APPROXIMATE COSTS VARY FROM $1700.00 TO OVER $3000.00. *TR

I PULLED ONTO THE HIGHWAY AND HEARD A LOUD NOISE, LIKE SOMEONE THREW A WRENCH INTO MY ENGINE. ALL MY DASH LIGHTS CAME ON, AND I LOST ALL POWER. I PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WHERE MY HUSBAND CHECKED UNDER THE HOOD TO FIND WHAT APPEARED TO BE A DARK LIQUID ALL OVER THE BOTTOM OF THE ENGINE, AXLES, AND FRONT CHUNK. WE WERE TOWED HOME, WHERE HE FOUND A PIECE OF THE ENGINE SIDE BELL HOUSING LYING IN THE SKID PLATE. NOW MY CAR IS LAWN ART AND I'M SEARCHING FOR A RECALL. IT HAS HAD THE OIL CHANGED ABOUT EVERY THREE MONTHS AND IS NOT MISTREATED. I STILL HAVE ABOUT A THOUSAND MILES BEFORE MY NEXT OIL CHANGE IS DUE. *TR

ON FEBRUARY OF 2004 I JUST BOUGHT MY TOYOTA 4RUNNER. ON THE WAY HOME THE BRAKES WERE VIBRATING WHEN I WOULD PRESS ON THE BRAKES. SO I TURNED AROUND AND BROUGHT IT RIGHT BACK TO THE DEALER. (FAMILY TOYOTA) THEY IN TURN FIXED THE PROBLEM. ABOUT A MONTH LATER THE SAME THING HAPPENED THEY VIBRATED. I TOOK IT TO B&D AUTO FRIENDS OF MINE AND THEY TOLD ME I NEEDED TO GET MY ROTOR REPLACED SO I DID. $310 IN REPAIRS. NOW AFTER BEING TOTALLY IN LOVE WITH THIS 4RUNNER IT IS DOING IT AGAIN. DEC. 2005 I TOOK IT BACK TO B&D AUTO AND SAME PROBLEM NEEDED ROTORS AND THE BRAKES OR WEARING AT DIFFERENT ANGLES. SO I HAD IT REPLACED. ($310) AGAIN. THIS PAST WEEKEND 1/13/2007 I WAS OUT WITH MY FRIENDS CAMPING AND I HAD TO DO SOME DIRT DRIVING UP AND DOWN STEEP HILLS. THE BAKES UNDER HEAVY PRESSURE DIDN'T DO SO WELL. AS I WAS GOING DOWN THE HILL TO THE CAMP IT WAS VERY HARD TO STOP AND SCARED THE CRAP OUT OF ME AND MY FRIENDS. ON THE WAY HOME THE BRAKES KEEP VIBRATING AND I DON'T WANT TO THROW MORE MONEY INTO THIS ON GOING PROBLEM. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. *NM