There are 1 owner-reported powertrain & transmission complaints for the 2021 Toyota 4Runnerin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
As the vehicle was traveling on a highway at 35 mph the vehicle shut off electronically three times and powered itself back on after 15 seconds or so of continuous cruising on the highway. Unable to accelerate or control the vehicle while the electronic component shut off in the vehicle. Three days later, a series of warning lights and check engine lights turned on, which has occurred 6 other times, and has been brought to local Toyota dealer multiple times (over six times) and no fix has been conducted to repair the vehicle other than resetting the vehicles ECU. When all of the warning lights turn on, the vehicle loses 2nd gear and juts itself forward and becomes extremely difficult to control to the point where I have almost gotten into life threatening accidents over 4 times. Toyota has acknowledged that they do not know what is wrong with the vehicle and is unsure how to fix it. This is a safety concern that is not getting enough attention and needs to be rectified before someone or myself ends up killing ourselves
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 25, 2026