Toyota 4-runner 1999

No recalls could be found for this vehicle. To ensure accuracy and for your safety, do a free VIN recall check here or here [USA] - UK - Canada.

Bulletins are notices put out by manufacturers in conjunction with the NHTSA to notify the public of manufacturing issues or changes.

While driving 20 mph had a frontal impact with a large tree in which the front end was crushed. Upon impact, driver's and passenger's airbags did not deploy, which did not protect the occupants in the crash. Please provide further information. *nm

(1) high pitched engine squeak; assumed worn belt. (2) main pulley key locking main pulley to crank shaft had sheared into two pieces. One piece lost. Pulley moved out of position, stressing belt and causing noise. Remaining piece of the key was embedded and fused into the crank shaft. Pulley key is $ part. Obviously, not durable enough for critical engine part, which when fails can ruin the entire engine. Even 500 x the $ cost would be worth having titanium or tungsten steel part that would never fail. Toyota is cutting corners, sacrificing quality in the name of profit. I risked having to replace the engine -- a $9,000 consideration. (3) fortunately old mill toyota (omaha, nebraska. Was able to remove the fused part and save the engine. A properly engineered part, even at much greater cost, would have protected me from this risk.*ak

Rear brake failure due to leaking rear axle grease seals which throw grease onto rear brake shoes. Causing inconsistent and unsafe braking. According to toyota of auburn california, repairs similar to this are being performed on similar vintage toyota four runner models on a weekly basis. The average repair cost is $850. This appears to be a vehicle manufacturers defect not a standard maintenance issue and could result in injuries or death. *jb *nm

Dt: the contact stated when the vehicle was started it revved very fast. The consumer removed the key but the vehicle was still on and the engine was still revving. Smoke started coming from under the hood. The vehicle was on fire , and the fire department was called. A fire report taken. The vehicle was towed to the dealership the following morning. The water pump, starter, and the belts were destroyed. The fire started in the starter. The vehicle has been repaired. *ak updated 1/25/2006 - *nm

I was driving my 1999 toyota 4runner which i had just purchased with 104,000 miles on it. I was driving in the fast lane on i-695 when the car started losing power and slowing down very fast. I barely crossed three lanes of traffic to get to the shoulder. The gas guage read just under 1/2 full, but according to a tsb, the guage and sender unit should have been replaced. I had no warning from the car to tell me my gas tank was full. Running out of gas on the highway is dangerous. I don't understand why this isn't a recall - why this isn't considered a defective product. The dealer wants to charge me to fix it, but i can't afford it. I was using my odometer to keep track, but the other day, i ran out again while driving in my neighborhood. I think with the a/c on, it must use more gas. I'm very upset.

Dt: the contact stated the vehicle stalls and the dealer has been unable to resolve. The contact is unsure if this is the engine and the transmission. The vehicle also has a continuous knocking sound, and a intermittent stalling problem. Also the vehicle has a vibration when it is accelerating over 50 miles per hour.

The consumer smelled a gasoline odor coming from the vent area. The consumer took the vehicle to the dealer for an inspection. The mechanic informed the consumer that the fuel rail needed to be replaced. Please fill in additional information. *jb

The gas gauge would read full when it was actually empty, and visa versa. Then the skin of the dash board by the tachometer bubbled from the heat of the circuit board over heating. I called toyota and was told there was no bulletin on this problem and they referred me to the dealership who also denied that a bulletin existed concerning the problem. I went to an auto repair business who researched the problem and found a bulletin from toyota regarding my problem (ref: bulletin el010-00). I called toyota back and then was told sorry but your outside the warranty time limit. There should have been notification made to the consumer by toyota regarding this matter. My the circuit board overheat causing the bubbling and could have caused a fire had i chose just ignore the gauge problem. Toyota has chosen the ignore the problem in hopes that it will not be reported and at the expense of the consumer.

My vehicle: 1999 toyota 4runner limited w/ port installed auto dimming mirror the + and - wire that goes to the auto dimming mirror were accidentally shorted almost causing a fire. Here's the problem as to why it's a fire hazard: it turns out that when the mirror was installed (either port option or dealer option on limited's and sr5's w/ sunroofs - not installed in japan), they just ran a wire (actually two - a ground and a "hot" wire mated together) down to the driver side kick panel and "hopped" the hot wire onto a hot lead of the power accessory circuit coming from the driver side door. This circuit is on a 30 amp slow-burn fuse. This creates a very dangerous situation if the wires to the mirror were to cross somehow - as they did for me. The fuse will not immediately blow and the wires can get hot enough to ignite the insulation or surrounding material before the slow-blow fuse will eventually break the circuit. This can take as long as 10 seconds depending on current and heat generated in the slow-burn fuse. *jb