2019 Toyota 4Runner: What to check before buying

Most of these reports are about the fuel pump recall, campaign 20V682000, not about breakdowns. Owners received recall notices, but dealers had no parts to do the repair, and owners say the wait ran far too long. One expected the remedy would not arrive until March of 2021. A few owners did have failures: hesitation or a 15-second delay when pressing the gas to pass, jerking and lost power. One case started around 10,000 miles and came back after a fuel pump replacement. Dealers could not always duplicate it.

The fuel pump can fail and shut the engine off while driving, including at highway speed, according to the recall these owners cite. Nearly every complaint here is about how the recall was handled. Toyota had no remedy and no timeline, so owners kept driving vehicles they considered unsafe at speed. Some say they avoid long road trips. One vehicle had under 5000 miles when the notice arrived. Owners report repeated calls to Toyota and dealers with no answer on when the repair would be available.

Shaking and wobbling through the wheel at highway speed is the main pattern, usually between 50 and 70 mph. Some drivers also feel it while braking, and it fades briefly when they lift off the gas. Repeated balancing, rotation, new tires and alignment checks do not cure it, and shops often cannot find a fix. One dealer pointed to a possible steering rack issue. Some owners notice it from new, others after a tire replacement. One filing describes a loss of control and a crash with an injury. Another describes heavy frame and underbody rust under 65K miles.

The engine stalls while driving, with every warning light coming on, and sometimes restarts by itself. One stall ended with smoke from the hood and a fire that destroyed the front of the vehicle. Rodents chewing the wiring harness cause check engine lights, shuddering and jerking. One repair cost just under $1000, and a full harness could run $6000. Other reports include a blank instrument cluster, a radio that changes volume on its own, and an ABS light with sudden hard braking. Dealers often cannot reproduce these faults.

Front airbags fail to deploy in serious collisions, according to 3 crash reports. One was a guardrail impact that totaled the vehicle. In another, a driver hit the steering wheel and window in a side impact and suffered neck and back injuries. Separately, a failed airbag sensor can leave the warning light on. In one case this happened at about 95,600 miles, with a dealer quote of $6,224.43 out of warranty. The passenger airbag off light also flickers on with an adult seated, and dealers find no codes.

Grinding or loud groaning comes from the drivetrain when shifting between reverse and drive while stopped on a hill. Owners hear it from the first days of ownership, in both 2WD and 4WD High, and worry about internal transmission damage. Some feel a vibration on the shift from first to second gear when accelerating after a speed bump. One report describes the transmission failing at 84000 miles, leaving the vehicle without power while merging into traffic.

Shocks, springs and shock brackets rust and wear early, and the suspension clunks over dips and bumps. In one case a rusted setup made the vehicle jerk during a turn and nearly hit another car, and the dealer listed shock and differential parts for replacement. One owner links the noise to service bulletin T-SB-0094-20. TRD Pro Fox shocks thunk over small bumps when temperatures drop below 50 degrees. A high-pitched rear axle whine under throttle at 65 mph was blamed on a pinion gear that may have been assembled incorrectly.

A metal-on-metal squeak comes from the brakes when they are released, mostly first thing in the morning after the vehicle has sat for hours. The dealer acknowledged the noise but could not reproduce it, and it returned after service. The ABS and traction control lights come on without a clear cause. One report describes a pedal that has to go all the way to the floor before the vehicle starts to stop.

Door locks and power windows fail, sometimes one after another. A failed lock actuator is replaced, then the passenger window stops moving because its wiring harness came loose, and the fault returns after repair. The driver's door lock can fail next. The sunroof can also burst with a loud pop at highway speed. In one case at 7,983 miles, the dealer blamed a flying object, replaced the glass, and Toyota sided with the dealer.