There are 10 owner-reported powertrain & transmission complaints for the 2007 Toyota 4Runnerin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
I PURCHASED MY 2007 4RUNNER AND FOUND A-LOT OF RUST ON THE UNDER CARRIAGE OF MY FAVORITE VEHICLE. IT SPREADS EVERYWHERE; INCLUDING THE ENGINE BAY. NOT ONLY DOES IT COMPROMISE THE SAFETY OF THE VEHICLE BUT IT SHORTENS THE LIFE ALSO. I WANTED TO BUY A NEW 4RUNNER THIS YEAR BUT AFTER LEARNING OF THE RUST ISSUES I THOUGHT TWICE.
I HAVE A TOYOTA 4RUNNER SR5 2007 4X4 V6 WITH ABOUT 90K AND SEEM TO HAVE DEVELOPED THE RUMBLE STRIP ISSUE AS WELL. I AM CURIOUS IF THE OP HAS GOTTEN ANY TRACTION ON GETTING ANYTHING FIGURED OUT. IT SEEMS LIKE IT MUST BE THE "LOCK UP" FEATURE OF THE TORQUE CONVERTER IN 4TH AND 5TH GEARS. THE VIBRATION COMES ON AT THE END OF 3RD GEAR WHEN THE RPMS ARE ABOUT 2K OR SO. THEN AGAIN AS IT TRIES TO SHIFT UP TO 5TH. IN OUR CASE AS WELL, PUTTING THE TRANS IN '4' INSTEAD OF 'D' TOTALLY ELIMINATES THE PROBLEM. I WONDER IF SOME SORT OF REFLASH COULD FIX THINGS. MY CURRENT PLAN IS TO DOUBLE CHECK THE LEVEL ON THE FLUID AND BE SURE THE ZERKS ARE ALL LUBE UP. IT IS UNFORTUNATE THAT THIS HAS COME UP AS WE LOVE THE CAR OTHERWISE. IF SOMETHING DOES NEED FIXING, I AM IN NO HURRY TO HEAD TO THE DEALERSHIP, AND I AM AFRAID THAT A MORE LOCAL TYPE TRANSMISSION SHOP WILL NOT HAVE MUCH EXPERIENCE WITH THESE NEW SUPER FANCY SEALED TRANSMISSIONS. I HOPE THAT I AM WRONG.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 TOYOTA 4RUNNER. WHILE AT A STOP LIGHT AND ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE, THE VEHICLE HESITATED TO RESPOND. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR A SECOND OPINION, WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE TORQUE CONVERTER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 71,000.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 TOYOTA 4RUNNER. WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 10 MPH, THE FOUR WHEEL DRIVE FAILED TO ENGAGE WHEN PROMPTED AND THE FOUR WHEEL DRIVE WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE FRONT DIFFERENTIAL VACUUM ACTUATOR AND T-CASE ACTUATOR FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. IN ADDITION, THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL FRACTURED AND WAS MAKING AN ABNORMAL NOISE. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL HAD FRACTURED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 49,412.
TRANSMISSION HAD TO BE REPLACED ON LATE 2007 TOYOTA 4RUNNER WITH ONLY 63,000 MILES ON IT. ADDITIONALLY, OIL PAN SYSTEM HAD TO BE REPLACED. TOYOTA CLAIMED IT WAS AFTERMARKET PARTS, YET TOYOTA IS HAS REGULARLY CHANGED THE OIL AND PERFORMED ALL MAINTENANCE ON THE VEHICLES AS RECORDS SHOW. TOYOTA COVERED THE COST OF THE TRANSMISSION BUT CHARGED THE CUSTOMER LABOR DESPITE BEING OUT OF WARRANTY, WHICH MAKES THE CUSTOMER THINK THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH THE YEAR AND MODEL. *TR
MY 2007 TOYOTA 4-RUNNER HAS A SERIOUS DRIVE SHAFT JOLT AND CLUNK THAT OCCURS WHENEVER COMING TO A COMPLETE STOP CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO LURCH. THE FIRST OCCURRENCE WAS AT APPROXIMATELY 8000 MILES IN MY FIRST YEAR. TOYOTA HAS BEEN INFORMED OF THIS SEVERAL TIMES AND REFUSES TO TAKE ACTION. APPROXIMATELY 3 WEEKS AGO, THE VEHICLE DID THIS ON THE FREEWAY AT HIGHWAY SPEED OF APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO LUNGE IN HEAVY TRAFFIC. TOYOTA WAS AGAIN NOTIFIED OF THIS AND REFUSED TO TAKE ACTION. IN VIEWING DISCUSSION BOARDS ONLINE FOR 4TH GENERATION TOYOTA 4-RUNNERS (2003-2009), THIS IS A WIDESPREAD PROBLEM. *TR
I HAVE A 2007 4RUNNER, LIMITED, V8 WITH THE CLUNK IN THE DRIVESHAFT THAT APPEARED ABOUT 5K MILES AND HASN'T LET UP NOW AT 16K MILES. I PULL UP TO A STOP SIGN AND IT FEELS LIKE I'VE BEEN REAR ENDED. THEN, WHEN I START OUT, IT FEELS LIKE THE BRAKE RELEASE IS DELAYED WITH ANOTHER CLUNK. THIS HAPPENS AT EVERY STOP. IF THE BRAKE IS NOT PRESSED FIRMLY WHEN COMING TO A STOP, THE VEHICLE WILL LUNGE FORWARD. I FIRST REPORTED THIS PROBLEM TO TOYOTA AT ABOUT 8,000 MILES AND THEY SAID THAT IT WAS A LUBRICATION AND MAINTENANCE ISSUE, STATING THAT THE PROPELLER SHAFT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE LUBED AT EVERY OIL CHANGE. WHEN I ASKED THEM TO SHOW ME THE MAINTENANCE PLAN IN THE MANUAL, THEY ADMITTED THAT THIS TASK WAS NOT LISTED IN THE MAINTENANCE PLAN FOR THIS FREQUENCY. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 TOYOTA 4 RUNNER. RANDOMLY ONCE OR TWICE A MONTH. WHEN THE CONSUMER WOULD SHIFT FROM REVERSE TO DRIVE, THE TRANSMISSION WOULD FAIL TO ENGAGE FOR APPROXIMATELY 5 SECONDS. WHEN THE ENGINE RPM'S WERE UP, THE TRANSMISSION WOULD VIOLENTLY ENGAGE AND THEN LEAP FORWARD. THE DEALER STATED THAT IF THEY CANNOT DUPLICATE THE FAILURE, THERE'S NOTHING THEY CAN DO TO FIX THE PROBLEM. THE FAILURE HAS OCCURRED APPROXIMATELY 12 TIMES IN THE PAST 6 TO 8 MONTHS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 35000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 51340. UPDATED 2/17/10 *CN UPDATED 02/22/10
AFTER STOPPING AND STARTING TO GO AGAIN, THERE IS SOMETIMES A LOUD CLUNKING NOISE AND IT FEELS LIKE SOMETHING IS FALLING OUT OF THE BOTTOM OF THE CAR. *TR
WHEN DRIVING IN STOP AND GO TYPE TRAFFIC THE TRANSMISSION OR DRIVE LINE MAKE A HORRIBLE CLUNK AND WILL LURCH THE VEHICLE. ALSO THE PLASTIC AROUND THE GEAR SHIFT AREA BECOMES VERY HOT ~50C IN AN A/C CABIN. *TR
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026