Home · 2012 Toyota 4RUNNER Hybrid · Complaints

What 96 owners told NHTSA about the 2012 Toyota 4RUNNER Hybrid

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (96)Crash / fire / injury (7)Airbags (70)Brakes (7)Electrical system (6)Engine (5)Fuel system (5)Steering (5)Body & structure (2)Speed control (2)Suspension (2)Electronic Stability Control (esc) (1)

5 of 96 complaints match · Fuel system · clear filters

Jun 3, 2022Fuel system

The contact owns a 2012 Toyota 4Runner. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. There was no warning light illuminated. The Police Department called and arranged for the vehicle to be towed to an authorized dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the fuel pump had disintegrated and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not under recall for the failure. No further assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 87,000.

NHTSA ODI 11467348

Mar 25, 2020Fuel system

LEAVING THE SONIC DRIVE IN PARKING LOT MY VECHILE DIED AS I WAS TURNING ON THE STREET. IT SHOWED THAT THE GAS TANK HAD A 1/4 TANK OF GAS BUT THE TANK WAS EMPTY

NHTSA ODI 11319249

Oct 15, 2014Electrical systemEngineFuel system

TOYOTA USES NEW GREEN (ENVIRONMENT FRIENDLY) WIRING THAT IS TASTY TO RODENTS AND OTHER PEST- THEY ARE AWARE THAT IT CAN ATTRACT ANIMALS TO EAT THE WIRING AND ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS ON THEIR VEHICLES AND REFUSE TO COVER THE DAMAGES INCURRED ON THE WARRANTY - THEY REFER THE CUSTOMERS TO SEEK MONETARY AIDE FROM THEIR INSURANCE COMPANY - IN MY CASE IT WAS $3000.00 IN DAMAGES TO MY VEHICLE FOR A RAT EATING THE WIRES /ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. MY INSURANCE PAID FOR IT - BUT HOW CAN I BE ASSURED IT WILL NOT OCCUR AGAIN. ?? TOYOTA NEEDS TO BE RESPONSIBLE. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10644989

Jul 31, 2013Fuel systemElectrical system

I CAME HOME LAST NIGHT AT ABOUT 9:30 PM AND PARKED THE CAR IN THE GARAGE. THIS MORNING AT 7:30 AM I WENT INTO THE GARAGE AND HEARD A BUZZING SOUND COMING FROM NEAR THE REAR WHEELS OF THE CAR. MY BEST GUESS WAS THE FUEL PUMP WAS STILL RUNNING (I HAD A DIFFERENT PROBLEM WITH A FUEL PUMP NOT RUNNING WHEN THE IGNITION WAS TURNED ON WITH A 2000 JAGUAR ABOUT A YEAR AGO). I TURNED THE IGNITION ON AND OFF WITHOUT CRANKING THE ENGINE, THE BUZZING CONTINUED. I STARTED THE 4RUNNER, RAN IT FOR ABOUT 20 SECONDS, AND SHUT THE ENGINE OFF. BUZZING STOPPED. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10532819

May 25, 2013SteeringFuel system

THIS VEHICLE DOES NOT GET ANYTHING CLOSE TO THE 22MPG HIGHWAY MILES PER GALLON AS POSTED ON THE WINDOW STICKER. THE DEALERSHIP TELLS ME THAT THE COMPUTER IS FAULTY AND DOES NOT CALCULATE THE MILEAGE PROPERLY AND THAT IS THE WAY THEY ALL ARE. BUT, I HAVE ALL THE RECEIPTS FOR EVERY TANK OF GAS PURCHASED SINCE NEW. THIS VEHICLE HAS ONLY BEEN GETTING 17.8 MILES TO THE GALLON ON THE HIGHWAY ON AVERAGE. I'VE COMPLAINED TO THE DEALERSHIP TWICE BUT GET THE SAME ANSWER. I CAN'T DEPEND ON THE ON-BOARD COMPUTER READ OUT AS TO THE FUEL MILEAGE, THEY TELL ME - "IT IS INACCURATE". YET, WHEN A FULL 20.5 GALLONS OF GAS ARE FILLED INTO THE TANK, THE COMPUTER CALCULATES 360 MILES TIL EMPTY. AND AFTER 310 MILES, THE FUEL WARING LIGHT COMES ON. I DON'T BELIEVE THE DEALERSHIP AS I HAVE THE RECEIPTS TO PROVE THAT THE COMPUTER IS ACCURATE. THE MPG ARE JUST EXTREMELY EXAGGERATED. I WOULD NOT HAVE BOUGHT THIS VEHICLE KNOWING THAT THE FUEL CONSUMPTION WAS GOING TO BE OFF BY NEARLY 20% . ALSO THE STEERING WHEEL CONTINUES TO SPLIT AT THE BOTTOM OF THE WHEEL. I WILL GO BACK TO HAVE A SECOND WHEEL REPLACED FOR MY NEXT SERVICE, IN A FEW WEEKS. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10513483

Working with the data? Download all 96 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 21, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2012 Toyota 4RUNNER Hybrid verdict →