2020 Toyota 4RUNNER

Steering wheel shakes at highway speeds (58-64mph). Steering wheel has shaken as much as 1.5 inches back and forth, causing vehicle to shake while driving at high speeds. The problem has been confirmed by the dealer and has been in 6 times to try to fix it with no change. The problem started the second week we owned it. It gets progressively worse. Tires can be balanced and it comes right back a few days later. Toyota corporate states that it is a known issue and “is a characteristic of the vehicle” cause by “harmonics.” Tires have been road force balanced, tire/wheels swapped, driven with no drive shaft, driven with computer to turn off torque converter, drive shaft swapped- all with no change. Toyota would not agree to provide loaner car after requesting buyback arbitration. I was told it would take 30-45 days to get arbitration started, and was told to drive the vehicle during that time period. I was told to return loaner and drive 4Runner that was still shaking. I asked dealer to give me something in writing saying that the vehicle was safe and mechanically sound before I left, and they refused.

I BOUGHT MY 4RUNNER BRAND NEW LAST YEAR. TO CHANGE THE DIFFERENTIAL FROM H4F TO H4L, I STOP THE CAR AND CHANGE THE SHIFTER INTO NEUTRAL POSITION. ONCE IN NEUTRAL POSITION, I CHANGE THE DIFFERENTIAL KNOB H4F TO H4L. THEN I START DRIVING AGAIN. MY EXPECTATION IS THE WHEN SHIFTING THE DIFFERENTIAL FROM H4F TO H4L, THE DASHBOARD LIGHT WILL CHANGE FROM YELLOW TO GREEN JUST LIKE MY PREVIOUS 4RUNNER. BUT THIS MODEL DOES NOT CHANGE FROM YELLOW TO GREEN TO IDENTIFY SUCCESSFUL TRANSFER OF GEAR FROM HIGH TO LOWER GEAR. THE DASHBOARD COLOR STAYS YELLOW. I BELIEVE THIS IS A DEFECT. I BELIEVE THERE IS A DEFECT IN DIFFERENTIAL LOCKING MECHANISM OR AT THE VERY LEAST THE LELECTRONICS THAT UPDATES THE DASHBOARD. THE NEW MODELS ALSO HAVE SAME ISSUE. I BELIEVE ANYTIME YOU SEE A YELLOW LIGHT IN THE DASHBOARD, IT IS A WARNING MESSAGE THAT SOMETHING IS WRONG OR WILL BE WRONG IN THE FUTURE. TOYOTA DEALERS SAID THIS IS A STANDARD COLOR BUT I DONT BELIEVE BECAUSE THEIR MANUAL SAYS YELLOW COLOR MEANS WARNING.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2020 TOYOTA 4RUNNER. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING AT 40 MPH, WHEN SHE SLID OFF THE ROAD AND CRASHED INTO A TREE. THE CONTACT STATED NO WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT STATED THE FRONT DRIVER AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO DRIVE TO HER RESIDENCE. NO POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE CONTACT DID NOT SUSTAINED ANY INJURIES OR SEEK MEDICAL ATTENTION. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. A DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE MANUFACTURER HAD NOT BEEN INFORMED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 19,000.

ON DECEMBER 8 , 2020, THE ABOVE REFERENCED VEHICLES ENGINE STALLED THREE TIMES WHILE IN DRIVING MODE. ON ALL THREE OCCASIONS, THE VEHICLE WAS MOVING AT A SPEED LESS THAN 40 MPH. THE VEHICLE RESTARTED AFTER EACH STALL, WHEN THE GEAR SHIFTER WAS PLACED IN PARK. THE VEHICLE SEEMED TO BE RUNNING OUT OF FUEL AND/OR HAVING FUEL PUMP PROBLEMS. THE FUEL LEVEL OF THE VEHICLE WAS HALF FULL. I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE OCTOBER 21, 2020. TODATE, I HAVE EXPERIENCED 5 ENGINE STALLS.THE VEHICLE HAD APPROXIMATELY 28.700 MILES. THE MALFUNCTIONING OF THE VEHICLE IS AN ONGOING PROBLEM THAT HAS BEEN REPORTED THE DEALER AS WELL AS BUTLER TOYOTA IN MACON GEORGIA WHO INFORMED ME THAT THEY WERE NOT SURE IF THEY COULD DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM WITHOUT KEEPING IT FOR WEEKS, POSSIBLY AT MY PERSONAL EXPENSE. I CHOSE NOT TO LEAVE THE VEHICLE UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES. I WILL RETURN THE CAR TO THE SELLER UNDER THE 90 DAY CERTIFIED WARRANTY AGREEMENT. ALSO, I WILL CONTINUE TO PURSUE WHATEVER REMEDY TOYOTA MAY PROVIDE UNDER THE VEHICLES REMAINING WARRANTY. I TRADED A 2013 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER ON THE VEHICLE IN QUESTION. I AM A VERY DISAPPOINTED TOYOTA CUSTOMER WHO IS VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THE SAFETY OF THE VEHICLE IN QUESTION.

THE FRONT PASSENGER AIRBAG ON THIS CAR IS DEACTIVATED AUTOMATICALLY WHENEVER THE FRONT PASENGER WEIGHS LESS THAN 100 LBS. WE DID NOT KNOW ABOUT THIS FEATURE WHEN WE BOUGHT THE CAR. MY WIFE, WHO IS 65 YEARS OLD, WEIGHS ABOUT 95 LBS AND WHENEVER SHE SITS IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT, A WARNING LIGHT APPEARS INDICATING THAT THE FRONT PASSENGER AIR BAG HAS BEEN DEACTIVATED. WE CONTACTED THE DEALER AND TOYOTA AND WERE TOLD THAT THIS SYSTEM WAS DESIGNED TO AUTOMATICALLY PROTECT SMALLER CHILDREN WHO MAY RIDE IN THE FRONT SEAT. UNFORTUNATELY, THIS SYSTEM PREVENTS MY WIFE FROM USING WHAT I CONSIDER TO BE AN ESSENTIAL SAFETY FEATURE (THE FRONT AIR BAG). THE NHTSA SHOULD MANDATE THAT MANUFACTURERS PROVIDE US WITH A SWITCH OR A SYSTEM SETTING THAT ALLOWS THE DRIVER TO ACTIVATE THE FRONT PASSENGER AIRBAG AND OVERRIDE THIS "CHILD SAFETY FEATURE". IT CERTAINLY IMPACTS MY WIFE'S SAFETY EVRYTIME SHE SITS IN THE "DEATH SEAT".

BRAKES ARE NOT FUNCTIONING PROPERLY, THE PEDAL GOES WAY DOWN TO THE FLOOR BEFORE ENGAGING ANY BRAKES. AT IDLE THE BRAKES SEEM TO FUNCTION FINE, AFTER DRIVING AT ABOUT 10MPH THE BRAKES GO BACK TO NOT WORKING AGAIN. DEALERSHIP SAYS THE BRAKES ARE "NORMAL" AND I WAS TOLD TO DRIVE IT HOME EVEN THOUGH IT WAS STILL HAVING THE ISSUE. TRANSMISSION IS NOT SHIFTING PROPERLY EITHER, IT GETS STUCK AT 4000-5000 RPM SOMETIMES AND THEN SHIFTS INTO THE NEXT GEAR. THE BRAKING ISSUE OCCURRED EVEN WORSE GOING DOWN A HILL AT 55MPH RIGHT BEFORE IT WENT IN FOR SERVICE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2020 TOYOTA 4RUNNER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FRAME OF VEHICLE WAS RUSTED AND RUST POWDER WAS PRESENT FALLING FROM THE FRAME AFTER REMOVING THE REAR SEAT COVERS. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT DETERMINED. THE LOCAL DEALER TOWN AND COUNTRY TOYOTA LOCATED AT 9101 SOUTH BLVD, CHARLOTTE, NC 28273, WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100. *LN *JS