2002 Toyota 4RUNNER

VEHICLE HAS 188,400 MILES, RUNS FLAWLESSLY. BOUGHT 2005, 45K MILES,TOYOTA DEALER CERTIFIED USED SUV. ROTTED THRU REAR TRANSFER CASE 3 YRS AGO, REPLACED FROM A WRECK. SEVERE PROGRESSIVE ENTIRE FRAME RUST/ROT NOTED IN YEARLY PA INSPECTIONS, NOW CANT PASS INSPECTION & PILLARS ALMOST ROTTED THRU..UNSAFE TO DRIVE. EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED CANT PULL TRAILER SAILBOAT & M'CYCLES, NOW SITS IN DRIVEWAY USELESS.

I PURCHASED THE 2002 4RUNNER IN 2014. AT THAT TIME, THE 4RUNNER ONLY HAD 79,000 MILES AND HAD BEEN CARED FOR METICULOUSLY. I HAVE TAKEN THE CAR IN FOR ROUTINE SERVICE OVER THE PAST 5 YEARS. UPON TAKING THE 4RUNNER IN DUE TO A VIBRATION AND CHECK OF THE DIFFERENTIAL, THE MECHANIC CALLED ME IN TO LOOK AT THE FRAME WHILE IT WAS UP ON THE LIFT. BELOW IN THE ATTACHED PHOTOS, THERE IS EXTENSIVE RUSTING OF THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL, AXLE AND FRAME. THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY AND THE ISSUE WAS FOUND DURING ROUTINE MAINTENANCE. THE RUSTED FRAME AND DIFFERENTIAL HAVE RENDERED THIS VEHICLE PRACTICALLY VALUELESS AND UNSAFE.

VERY EXCESSIVE RUSTING AND CORROSION ON THE FRAME NEAR WHERE THE LEADING ARM ATTACHES ON THE PASSENGER SIDE. HOLE HAS DEVELOPED VERY QUICKLY, ONLY IN THE SPAN OF A COUPLE YEARS. WHEN GOING AROUND LEFT CORNER >15MPH, A CLUNKING NOISE CAN BE HEARD FROM THE PROBLEM AREA. VERY OCCASIONALLY A SIMILAR NOISE CAN BE HEARD WHEN GOING THROUGH RIGHT TURNS. VEHICLE HAS SPENT MOST OF ITS LIFE IN SOUTHERN MINNESOTA, ALTHOUGH SOME TIME HAS BEEN SPENT IN SOUTH FLORIDA. REPAIR WILL BE NECESSARY SOON, AS I'M STARTING TO NOT FEEL SAFE DRIVING LONG DISTANCES OR AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS (70+ MPH). THANK YOU, HAVE A NICE DAY. *TR

WE PURCHASED A 4RUNNER FOR OUR 18 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER TO DRIVE THINKING IT WOULD BE SAFE, ESP IN MN. SHE WAS DRIVING HOME FROM COLLEGE (130 MILES) AND NOTICED IT HAD A BAD VIBRATION, ESPECIALLY OVER 40 MPH. IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO DRIVE. WE WERE OUT OF TOWN AND WHEN WE GOT BACK, BROUGHT IT TO THE SHOP, ONLY TO BE TOLD THE FRAME WAS RESPONDED BEYOND REPAIR (SEE PHOTOS). NOT ONLY DOES THAT SCARE ME FOR MY DAUGHTER, BUT SHE HAS BEEN DRIVING IT A FEW YEARS AND HAD FRIENDS AND OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS IN THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE HAS RELATIVELY LOW MILES FOR IT'S AGE AND BASED ON TOYOTAS REPUTATION OF LONGEVITY, WE NEVER EXPECTED THIS SORT OF ISSUE. WE'RE THANKFUL SHE WASN'T HURT, BUT ARE CONCERNED ABOUT OTHERS DRIVING A VEHICLE AND NOT KNOWING IT COULD LITERALLY BREAK IN HALF WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD!

THE FRAME OF THIS 4RUNNER HAS BEEN EXPERIENCING EXCESSIVE RUST SINCE THE TIME I GOT IT USED FROM A DEALER. ONCE THEIR UNDERCOATING WORE OFF, MY MECHANIC REPLACED RUSTED UP BRAKE LINES BACK ABOUT 9 YEARS AGO. HE SAID IT WAS BECAUSE THE FRAME WAS VERY RUSTY AND THEY DID A NEW RUST TREATMENT. FOR THE PAST FEW YEARS I HAVE BEEN BATTLING ISSUES RELATED TO THE FRAME. A PLATE WAS PUT IN TO STRENGTHEN AN AREA. IT ONLY HAS 164K ON IT, I REBUILT THE TRANSMISSION AT 125K, AND THE BODY IS IN GOOD SHAPE. JUST THAT THE RUST IS SPREADING EVERYWHERE UNDERNEATH. WE TRIED TO GET IT ADDRESSED IN THE PREVIOUS TOYOTA FRAME RECALL BUT IT WAS NOT FOR THIS AGE FOR WHATEVER REASON. EVERY REPAIR HAS BEEN MORE DIFFICULT DUE TO RUSTING BOLTS, MUFFLERS RUSTING EARLY, BRAKE LINES BUSTING DUE TO RUST, THE TOW HITCH RUSTED THROUGH. NOW THERE IS A GAPING HOLE IN THE REAR SIDE OF THE FRAME SUPPORTING THE CAB. AFTER BEING UNDER THE CAR TRYING TO SCRAPE RUST OFF, AND TO PUT SOME RUST RESTORE/PROTECTION, I SAW THE NEW HOLE AND GOT FED UP. SO I SEE YOU ARE NOW INVESTIGATING THIS YEAR 4RUNNER TO ADD TO THEIR RECALL. PLEASE...DO! SOMETHING SERIOUS COULD HAPPEN WHILE DRIVING IT AND IT WILL JUST STAY MOSTLY PARKED UNTIL THIS IS RESOLVED. BRAKE FAILURE WHEN MY SON WAS DRIVING WAS ALREADY SCARY ENOUGH. THANK YOU.

FIRST, THE MOTOR BLEW FOR NO REASON AT 152,000 MILES. I REBUILT THE CAR AND HAD A NEW MOTOR PUT IN. I WAS NOT AWARE OF THE RUSTING FRAME ISSUE, HOWEVER, AFTER DRIVING THE VEHICLE WITH A LOVELY NEW REBUILT MOTOR FOR ABOUT ONE YEAR, THE FRAME ROTTED BEYOND REPAIR CAUSING THE POWER STEERING TO GO OUT. I DON'T DRIVE MUCH, SO THERE WAS NO EXCESSIVE EXPOSURE TO SALT. THE CAR WAS PARKED IN MY DRIVEWAY. IT WAS AN EXCEPTIONALLY COLD DAY. I STARTED THE VEHICLE AND FOUND THE POWER STEERING FLUID HAD FROZEN AND LOST ALL THE FLUID AS A RESULT OF THE STEERING RACK BEING RUSTED AND WEAKENED. THE REPAIR SHOP TOLD ME THAT THE FRAME AND ROCKER PANELS ARE SEVERELY COMPROMISED TOO BADLY TO BOTHER FIXING THE STEERING RACK. THE CAR IS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE.

I HAVE SEEN CLASSI. CARS FROM THE 60S WITH FRAMES IN BETTER SHAPE THAN MY 4RUNNER. THE REAR CONTROL ARMS BRACKETS ARE CLOSE TO DETACHING FROM THE FRAME. RUST IS EATING THE BACK HALF OF MY FRAME. THE FRAME RAILS ARE COMPLETELY RUSTED THROUGH AND WILL SOON NEED REPLACING. THERE ARE NUMEROUS BOLTS AND HARDWARE THAT CAN NO LONGER BE USED DUE TO RUST. THE FILL PLUG ON THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL HAS RUSTED AWAY AS WELL. THE QUALITY OF THIS STEEL IS ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE. TOYOTA SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF A VEHICLE THAT HAS PROBLEMS LIKE THIS. I HAVE NEVER SEEN RUST THIS BAD ON A FRAME BEFORE.