Home · 2018 Toyota 4RUNNER · Complaints

What 57 owners told NHTSA about the 2018 Toyota 4RUNNER

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 (57)Crash / fire / injury (9)Steering (11)Fuel system (9)Airbags (7)Brakes (6)Body & structure (5)Engine (5)Suspension (4)Electrical system (3)Transmission & drivetrain (3)Electronic Stability Control (esc) (2)

Newest first · 57 complaints · page 3 of 3

Sep 3, 2018Seat belts

HHHHH

NHTSA ODI 11124154

Aug 14, 2018Steering

THE RACK & PINION OR STEERING DOES NOT RETURN TO A "HOME" POSITION. SIMPLY PUT, IF YOU TURN AROUND A CORNER, THE STEERING WHEEL DOES NOT EASILY RETURN TO "STRAIGHT". IF YOU ARE DRIVING DOWN A STRAIGHT PATH AND TURN THE STEERING EVEN ONE DEGREE, LET GO OF THE WHEEL, IT WILL CONTINUE THAT PATH UNTIL THE VEHICLE RUNS OFF OF THE ROAD. THIS CAR HAS 2100 MILES ON IT. THE DEALER HAS CHECKED THE CAMBER, THE TOW, THE NUMBERS ON THE ELECTRONIC ACTUATED RACK & PINON. THE SERVICE MANAGER DROVE THE CAR AND AGREED IT WAS NOT CORRECT; HOWEVER IT WAS "IN THE LIMITS" OF TOYOTA SPECIFICATIONS. HE SAID HE DROVE OTHER NEW VEHICLES AND THEY REACT THE SAME. IF YOU DRIVE DOWN ANY STRAIGHT AWAY, YOU HAVE TO CONSTANTLY BE CORRECTING HOW THE CAR STEERS. THERE IS NO HOME POSITION WHICH IS UNLIKE ANY VEHICLE I HAVE DRIVEN. I THINK AN ACCIDENT IS WAITING TO HAPPEN AND IT LOOKS LIKE TOYOTA IS NOT WILLING TO ADMIT THEY HAVE A PROBLEM.

NHTSA ODI 11119864

Jul 3, 2018

SUN ROOF SHATTERED WITHOUT WARNING WHILE PARKED IN OUR DRIVEWAY AT HOME. THE VEHICLE IS LESS THAN A YEAR OLD.

NHTSA ODI 11105429

May 23, 2018Steering

DRIVING LEGALLY AT 70 MPH ON OHIO INTERSTATE, SHARP CROSS WINDS DURING A PERIOD OF AMBIENT WIND OF 23 MPH, CAUSED VEHICLE TO CROSS DIVIDING LINES IN AN UNSAFE MANNER. VEHICLE IS KNOWN TO HAVE "SOFT" OR "SLOPPY" STEERING, WHICH IS "CHARACTERISTIC" OF THAT VEHICLE ACCORDING TO THE DEALER, AND UNDER NORMAL CIRCUMSTANCES DOES NOT AFFECT SAFETY. HOWEVER, IN THE WIND, THE REACTION TIME TO CORRECT FROM A CROSS WIND IS SUFFICIENTLY EFFECTED TO THE DETRIMENT OF SAFE HANDLING. IN OTHER WORDS, BY THE TIME YOU REACT TO BEING FORCED OVER THE DIVIDING LINE OF TRAFFIC, ITS ALREADY TOO LATE, WHEREAS A NORMAL STEERING RATIO ON A PASSENGER VEHICLE WOULD ALLOW YOU TO CORRECT BEFORE BEING BLOWN FAR ENOUGH TO CROSS THE DIVIDING TRAFFIC LANE. THIS IS A VERY UNSAFE VEHICLE UNDER THOSE CIRCUMSTANCES AND SHOULD BE IMMEDIATELY RECALLED AND RE-ENGINEERED.

NHTSA ODI 11097671

May 23, 20181 injury

VEHICLE HAS CONSTANT TRANSMITTED ENGINE VIBRATION IN STEERING WHEEL. VIBRATIONS ARE CAUSING TINGLING, NUMBNESS AND JOINT PAIN. VIBRATIONS ARE WORSE WITH INCREASED ENGINE RPM. VIBRATIONS HAVE BEEN CONSTANT SINCE CAR WAS PURCHASED NEW IN APRIL, 2018. CAR HAS 2400 MILES ON IT CURRENTLY, 5/23/18. LONG TRIP (900 MILES) WAS FIRST TIME THERE WAS TINGLING AND NUMBNESS WHICH WERE UNBEARABLE AT THE 450 MILE MARK AND THE RETURN TRIP WAS QUITE DISTRACTING AND UNCOMFORTABLE TO SAY THE LEAST. FOR 2 WEEKS AFTERWARDS, TINGLING AND NUMBNESS REMAINED. NOW AFTER APPROX. 3 WEEKS, IT TAKES ABOUT 10 MINUTES OF DRIVING FOR THE TINGLING AND NUMBNESS TO RETURN NOW FEELING MILD JOINT PAIN AS WELL. VEHICLE HAS BEEN BROUGHT IN FOR REPAIR 3 TIMES SO FAR FOR THIS CONDITION AND THE DEALER AND TOYOTA REFUSE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE CONDITION! I HAVE ALREADY SCHEDULED THE 4TH. APPOINTMENT AT THE DEALER SO I CAN COMMENCE MY ARBITRATION/LEMON LAW CLAIM. I PURCHASED A VIBRATION ANALYZER AND THE READINGS OFF THE STEERING WHEEL FAR EXCEED SAFE RECOMMENDED VIBRATION LEVELS ESTABLISHED BY N.I.O.S.H,/O.S.H.A. BY A FACTOR OF AT LEAST 3 TO 4 TIMES! IF I KEEP DRIVING THIS VEHICLE IT WILL TURN INTO A PERSONAL INJURY LAWSUIT VS. A SIMPLE LEMON LAW CLAIM.

NHTSA ODI 11097675

Apr 15, 2018

TOYOTA "ALL WEATHER FLOOR LINERS" ARE COLLAPSING AT THE SIDES AND BECOMING A TRIPPING HAZARD. TOYOTA PART NUMBER PT908-89160-02. WITHIN WEEK OF BUYING NEW CAR, THE FLOOR LINER ON PASSENGER SIDE WAS COLLAPSING ON THE SIDES. REPORTED TO DEALER. HE CHECKED WITH TOYOTA REP AND WAS TOLD IT WAS NOT UNDER WARRANTY. WE CONTACTED THE SALES MANAGER AT DEALERSHIP, HE BOUGHT USE NEW MATS. WITHIN SIX DAYS OF NEW MATS, THE SAME PROBLEM BEGAN AGAIN, SEE PICTURE. SINCE TOYOTA HAS A HISTORY OF FLOOR MAT ISSUES, ONE WOULD THINK THIS WOULD BE A BE CONCERN TO THEM, APPARENTLY NOT.

NHTSA ODI 11085111

Mar 15, 2018Steering

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 TOYOTA 4RUNNER. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL STARTED TO VIBRATE AS THE VEHICLE PULLED TO THE RIGHT. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT COASTED THE VEHICLE OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND POWERED OFF THE ENGINE. THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER OR INDEPENDENT MECHANIC TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 150.

NHTSA ODI 11079564

← Newer

Working with the data? Download all 57 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 7, 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 2018 Toyota 4RUNNER verdict →