2000 Toyota 4Runner Body & Structure Problems

The frame rusted and is available for inspection. My daughter was driving our 2000 Toyota 4Runner SR5 which I purchased new in 2000 when she noticed the truck started to wobble when she hit small bumps. I drove it to the garage the next day which is 2 miles from my house. It was doing the same for me. My mechanic went to put it up on the lift, he noticed that the frame rusted out. There was nothing he can do at this point. There are many complaints of the same issues with the 2000 Toyota 4Runners with the frames rusting out. If she was driving on the highway, this could have been a lot worse and possibly someone seriously injured or death. There were no warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms of the problem prior to the frame rusting out. The only one to inspect it was my mechanic.

The contact owns a 2000 Toyota 4Runner. The contact stated while at a local mechanic he was informed that the sub frame was completely rusted. The vehicle was diagnosed but not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.

Frame on passenger side (front,left) is rotted. While I was driving on the highway I almost got in an accident because the frame gave out. Now I’m out of car and I don’t want to pay but I’m going to have to thousands of dollars to get the frame fixed. That’s money I don’t have as I am a recent college student trying to pay of his loans.

FRAME IS RUSTED COMPLETELY AND UNSAFE WHICH IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM PLEASE HELP WAS DRIVING HOME CITY STREET

AS I STARTED TO ACCELERATE AT A BUSY INTERSECTION, MY 4RUNNER STARTED TO JOLT AND ONCE IT BEGAN MOVING IT STARTED A SWERVE MOTION. IT BECAME DIFFICULT TO STOP AS WELL. NO INDICATOR LIGHT CAME ON TO WARN ME OF ANY PROBLEM WHILE I WAS ABOUT TO ENTER THE INTERSTATE HIGHWAY. SO I TURNED OFF THE ROAD. I BROUGHT THE TRUCK TO MY MECHANIC WHO STATED THE FRAME HAD BROKEN LOOSE. THE MECHANIC ALSO STATED THIS WAS NOT DUE TO WEAR AND TEAR, BUT IT WAS IN HIS PROFESSIONAL OPINION A MANUFACTURING RUST DEFECT. HE SAID THIS SHOULD HAVE NEVER HAPPENED. I DON'T HAVE IMAGES AT THE TIME I'M WRITING THIS REPORT BECAUSE MY 4RUNNER IS AT THE SERVICE GARAGE, HOWEVER I CAN FURNISH IMAGES UPON REQUEST.

FRAME IS REALLY RUSTING BAD AS IS THE CASE WITH 100S OF OTHER 4RUNNERS. T4R.ORG WILL SHOW HUNDRED UPON HUNDREDS OF COMPLAINTS OF THIS. MY TRUCK ONLY HAS 99K MILES AND THE FRAME IS ALMOST COMPLETELY WRECKED. THIS HAS BEEN AN ISSUE ON THESE TRUCKS FOR YEARS AND NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE. PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS IT'S A HUGE SAFETY ISSUE!

2000 4RUNNER WITH FRAME RUST/ROT, REAR PASSENGER SIDE RAILING ARM FELL OFF. LUCKY I WAS NOT DRIVING FAST ON A HIGHWAY, IT WAS JUST A SLOW SPEED STREET. TOOK TO TWO FRAME SHOPS, ONE SAID WOULD NOT WORK ON IT SINCE IT'S SO BAD. OTHER SAYS I NEED A NEW FRAME COSTING ABOUT $3400. BODY IN EXCELLENT CONDITION. MY DAD'S 1984 GM BLAZER FRAME IS STILL SOLID AND HAVE A LOT THICKER FRAME!

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 TOYOTA 4RUNNER. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS BEING SERVICED, THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE SUBFRAME HAD EXCESSIVE CORROSION AND WAS UNSAFE TO DRIVE. ON SOME SECTIONS OF THE SUBFRAME, THERE WERE THREE INCH HOLES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER AND DEALER WERE NOT CONTACTED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 201,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 TOYOTA 4RUNNER. WHILE CHANING THE BRAKES, THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE FRAME WAS RUSTED. ADDITIONALLY, WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, THE REAR FRAME DETTACHED. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO STATED THAT THE FRAME NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE CONTACT CALLED FRED ANDERSON TOYOTA OF ASHEVILLE (777 BREVA ROAD, ASHEVILLE, NC 28806, (828) 585-5825) AND NOTIFIED THEM OF THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND PROVIDED CASE NUMBER: 1907010686. NO FURTHER ASSISTANCE WAS PROVIDED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 217,957.

FRAME RUST THERE ARE AREAS WHERE THE FRAME IS COMPLETELY RUSTED THROUGH. THIS IS RUSTING FROM THE INSIDE OUT AND IT'S BEEN TOLD TO ME IT WAS DUE TO TOYOTA NOT RUST PROOFING THE INSIDE OF THE FRAMES OR COATING THEM AT ALL.

FRAME IS EXCESSIVELY RUSTY AND SEVERELY CRACKED, RENDERING THE VEHICLE UNSAFE TO DRIVE. IT BECAME APPARENT WHEN VEHICLE BEGAN TO SWAY DANGEROUSLY WHILE DRIVING STRAIGHT ON THE HIGHWAY AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED. SLOWING DOWN DID NOT HELP REDUCE SWAY. SWAY WAS SO EXCESSIVE THAT THE KEYS IN THE IGNITION WERE FORCEFULLY BANGING AGAINST STEERING COLUMN, AND STOPPING DRIVING IMMEDIATELY WAS NECESSARY TO PREVENT THE VEHICLE FROM ROLLING OVER. FRAME IS CRACKED ON BOTH SIDES, ONE SIDE SEVERELY. PHOTOS INCLUDED.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 TOYOTA 4RUNNER. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH, A POPPING NOISE WAS HEARD UNDER THE VEHICLE AND THE VEHICLE ERRONEOUSLY PULLED TO THE RIGHT. UPON INSPECTION, THE CONTACT DISCOVERED THAT THE SUBFRAME WAS SEVERELY RUSTED AND CORRODED, WHICH CAUSED A SUPPORT BAR TO FRACTURE IN HALF. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE LOCAL DEALER (GREENS TOYOTA OF LEXINGTON, 630 E. NEW CIRCLE RD, LEXINGTON, KY) WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 130,000.

FRAME IS ROTTING FROM THE INSIDE OUT. VERY LITTLE VISIBLE CORROSION, AND ALL OF THE SUDDEN LARHE SECTIONS OF MISSING STEEL. THIS VEHICLE ONLY HAS 157,600 MILES, AND SHOULD HAVE LASTED TO 300,000, AS IT IS MECHANICALLY SOLID. I THINK THE TUNDRA, TACOMA, AND SEQUOIA RECALL, SHOULD HAVE ADDED THE 4RUNNER. BUT TOYOTA WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO BLAME THE DANA CORPORATION. TOYOTA WAS OF NO HELP, WHEN THEY WERE NOTIFIED, AS I EXPECTED. I GUESS THEY HAVE TO WAIT FOR FATALITIES TO BEGIN. THIS IS THE LAST PART OF THE VEHICLE THAT SHOULD FAIL!.

FRAME IS ROTTING AWAY ON A VEHICLE WITH 158,646 MILES. TOYOTA HAS BEEN AWARE OF THIS ISSUE FOR YEARS, YET NO RECALL FOR THE 4RUNNER 'S. WHAT WILL IT TAKE , A DEATH, BECAUSE OF A FRAME FAILURE?

THIS IS A VERY WELL KNOWN ISSUE, MY FRAME ON MY 2000 4RUNNER IS COMPLETELY RUSTED OUT, MY SHOCK MOUNT RUSTED AND BROKE WHILE DRIVING. THERE ARE MANY MANY MANY CASES OF THE 3RD GEN 4RUNNERS RUSTING OUT, A SIMPLE GOOGLE SEARCH YIELDS PAGES AND PAGES OF CORROSION TO FRAMES. THIS NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED AS OTHER TOYOTA VEHICLES IN THIS AGE GROU HAS RECALLS FOR FRAMES.

REAR TRAILING ARM MOUNTS RUSTING AWAY FROM FRAME. IN ADDITION, SOME OTHER PARTS OF THE FRAME ARE RUSTING THROUGH.

WHILE IN MOTION WE NOTICED SIDE TO SIDE MOVEMENT IN THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE WHICH FELT UNSTABLE..THE RIGHT REAR SPRING ARM BROKE LOOSE FROM THE FRAME. UPON INSPECTION IT WAS NOTICED THAT THE INSIDE OF COMPLETE FRAME ASSEMBLY HAD 1 1/2 IN WIDE GAP RUSTED AWAY THE COMPLETE LENGTH OF THE FRAME.

VEHICLE HAS 180K ON IT. ITS RUSTED OUT BEYOND REPAIR ON THE FRAME AT BOTH DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE COIL SHACKLES. THE TACOMA HAD A FRAME RECALL, I BELIEVE WE SHOULD TO. MY VEHICLE IS ONLY STARTING ITS LIFE. CAN GO 500K PLUS MILES. SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 TOYOTA 4RUNNER. WHILE DRIVING 70 MPH, THE REAR DRIVER'S SIDE TRAILING ARM, WHICH WAS CONNECTED TO THE FRAME OF THE VEHICLE, FRACTURED. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE HOME SAFELY AT A REDUCED SPEED. A REPRESENTATIVE FROM LA CROSSE TOYOTA (800 3RD ST S, LA CROSSE, WI 54601, (608) 793-7000) INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND TOOK SEVERAL PICTURES. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT SOMEONE WOULD BE IN TOUCH WITH HIM. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 211,000.

THE FRAME ON MY 2000 TOYOTA 4RUNNER IS MISSING SECTIONS OF DUE TO THAT. I HAVE CONTACTED TOYOTA AND THE INFORMED ME THAT MY 4RUNNER IS NOT COVERED UNDER THE RECALL FOR RUSTED FRAMES. I DO NOT KNOW WHERE ELSE TO GO TO GET MY 4RUNNER'S FRAME REPAIRED OR REPLACED. PLEASE ADVISE, THANK YOU