Problems with a test drive, are they significant?

I test drove a 2013 this weekend. 63k miles on it and it has been in an accident where the front left suspension, wheel, and fender had to be replaced. The drive went pretty well until I tested out the 4wd, and I’d like to get some opinion on the issues.

The 4wd seemed to switch into 4hi and 4lo just fine. The problems were with trying to switch back to 2hi and with driving on 4wd. When I put the vehicle in neutral and switched back to 2hi, the green 4wd light kept blinking and wouldn’t stop. I then put it in drive and drove a bit but it never popped out of 4wd. I did a quick google, and someone suggested to put it in reverse. When I did that and drove backwards a bit it then popped back into 2wd. I tried this a couple of times and going in reverse a bit seemed to be the only way to get it to pop back into 2wd.

The other issue is that when I was driving in 4wd, there was a noticeable shaking. I mostly went very slow in 4wd, but when it first wouldn’t pop back into 2wd I did probably get up to about 30 because I didn’t know it was stuck in 4wd.

The dealer’s mechanics listened to me and tested it out and had the same issues. They said that they will look into it and repair the issue and then get back with me.

is anyone familiar with either of these issues and have any idea what’s going on? Has anyone experienced the 4wd only popping back into 2hi by reversing?

I am also curious, when you guys drive slow in 4wd on pavement, does the vehicle have a shake to it?

 

Did you go straight or take turns while in 4wd?

If you were making turns it’s normal for the vehicle to be difficult to go from 4wd to 2wd and sometimes “shake”. You were binding the hell out of the 4wd system because there was no wheel slip.

 

I’d pass. Why buy something that has problems?

 

What’s the asking price? And are you new to a 4wd vehicle? As mentioned above, you never ever ever do anything in 4wd on dry pavement but drive straight. You will ruin your front end transmission components doing so.

 

Yes I am new to 4wd’s. The asking price is 21k, so it’s a pretty good deal considering the current market (if it’s a good car). It’s comes from a no haggle dealership that has a pretty good reputation for only selling cars in good condition they turn away most cars (so they say). I only did some turning because the vehicle would not come out of 4H even would I had the knob set to 2H. I figured it would come out of it, but it only would when I put the car in reverse and drove a few feet.

Also, the dealership is working on the issue now. I don’t believe they will sell me the vehicle unless they can figure out what the problem is and fix it. I am asking here because I am curious if anyone has any experience with this and has any advice on, if the dealership fixes it and says the car is good to go, should I still be concerned and not get it?

I will say, that I test drove a newer and nicer 4Runner and when I tested out the 4wd there was no shaking and no issue switching in and out of the 4wd.

 

You didn't say what trim but a 2013 Limited at KBB is right around $21k so I wouldn't call it a smokin deal. And its been in an accident?

 

Limiteds are always 4 wheel drive. Full Time. AWD basically.

Then you can go into like three other strange settings.

TLDR, DONT BUY A LIMITED

 

I’d run from that one quick. Too many unknowns here for $21k. I would think you could get a similar model year with similar mileage at a similar price that hasn’t had a front quarter smashed up.

Only if I knew the right questions to ask and got sufficient answers would I consider this one. Don’t mean to disappoint. Just my 2 cents.

 

Fair responses! That’s kind of the way I am feeling about it as well.

As far as it not being that great of a deal, compared to what else it out there currently it’s actually a great deal. KBB has been far below what you can actually get them for from what I’ve seen.

It’s an SR5 btw.

 

Also, OP, when shifting from 4Hi to 2Hi, it is not necessary to stop the vehicle and shift the transmission into neutral. That process is required for shifting from 4Hi to 4Lo, however. I have also experienced some 'hang-ups' when shifting the transfer case from 4Hi to 2Hi after stopping the vehicle and shifting the transmission to neutral in other vehicles. The shift on the fly transfer cases (for 2Hi to 4Hi) are meant to be operated while the vehicle is in motion (under 50 mph for manual transfer case lever, under 60 mph for the knob).

The rest of your issues sound like operator error (i.e., testing the 4WD system in the wrong driving conditions). Did you break something? Most likely not, but continued abuse of the system components could result in failure.

I recommend you look through the manual first to see how and when these systems should be engaged. If this was during a test drive with a salesperson in the car, and they said it's OK to operate 4WD on a dry road, then they are complete and utter idiots. Don't ever listen to salespeople, 90% of them don't know much about the used cars on their lots, especially at an off-brand dealership. Do the research yourself. Their job is to sell you a vehicle, and most of the ones I've met or worked with (I BRIEFLY sold cars - hated it) will say and do anything to get you to buy the car.

 

It's going to be tough finding a dealership that will negotiate on a used vehicle unless it's been in their inventory for about 30 days or so. They use all sorts of stupid tricks and will pull up information designed to show you the highest price a car may be worth to convince you that's what its worth. It's all about building value in the product so you feel it's a screaming deal. You hold all the power though. They want to make that sale and move that unit. Go in with a maximum dollar figure in your head that you are willing to pay. Start by offering $2k less (or more - that's up to you). Bring in your own market value research to back that up (KBB, Truecar, etc.) Have copies of comparable listings from other dealerships with you. If they aren't willing to give you the vehicle for what you want to pay, leave. It's only a car, there are many more like it and it's only worth what you are willing to pay for it.

I could go on and on about all the tricks dealers use to get you to pay more, but I do have to do some work today, lol. Watch some YouTube videos about how dealers make money, how to get the best deals, etc. Arm yourself with all that knowledge and you can get what you want, for the amount you want to spend (within reason - you're not going to get it for $10K)

 

So the dealership messaged me and said that the 4Runner is fixed. He said the tires were off, and that they replaced 2 tires and the front actuator and now the 4wd shaking and shifting is fixed.

Not sure what to think. How could I know if it’s fixed for good or if this is due to a larger problem from its accident and more problems will come?

 

Move on to another vehicle. Not worth it, regardless if the vehicle is fixed it will always be a concern of yours.

 

So you're saying not to buy a Limited because it's Full Time 4WD?

 

Never ever buy a Limited. They're always trying to go places that no vehicle should ever go.

 

I would not hesitate to buy a Limited. Full time 4WD can be a big advantage in some conditions. My previous 4Runner was full time 4WD and it was excellent in snow! I never had to think about whether to engage 4WD.

 

I had a 3rd Gen rollover that I rebuilt. Going down hill in 4lo it would pop out of 4wd. The front axle housing was bent from the accident. Had to replace the front axle assy. There could be more underlining issues. I’d look elsewhere.

 

Agree with you on that. Honestly my reply was a little sarcastic and to get a little more clarification. Because it's an idiotic statement to say the least if he's inferring not to buy a Limited because it's FT-4WD.

I know right? Those $90K dollar Land Cruisers with their Full-Time 4WD are also a POS!!!

 

As usual the sarcasm went right over my head as it usually does on these forums.

Agreed!

 

Don't buy a pick up truck either because something might get in the bed.

 

Anyway OP sorry for the side bar lol, I would be hesitant, if not because of the issues that were reportedly fixed, but there could very well be unforeseen underlying issues down the road.
They have sold a crap load of these vehicles in the last 10 years, you may have to travel but a good used one is out there, with out accident damage. Keep looking, you might have to pay a few more bucks, but hopefully with no damage and a lot more peace of mind.
At the very least, watch that one for while and see how long it sits on the lot. Vehicles that sit for awhile, get transferred to other lots too. You may see it for sale 20 miles down the road in a month.
Dealers will trade out non movers with other dealers or run them back through the auctions too.

 

All 4runners should have the option of fulltime. Twenty years ago all 3rd gens had it with the multi-mode case. Funny how Toyota went backwards on this. Even some base model half ton pickups offer "auto 4x4" these days.

 

I can understand leaving it off the off-road since a lot if of guys seem to prefer simplicity. Aside from that, who knows?

 

I dunno, I would certainly appreciate having it. The way it worked in the 01-02 3rd gens was you had a shifter for 2WD, 4HI, N, and 4LOW. There was also a button on the dash to lock the center differential at will, so one could run in 4 hi or 4 low at any time with the center diff open, then lock it at any time for trail or heavy snow use. Seems like the best of both worlds.

The Jeep Selec-Trac system that was offered going back to the 80's was good too, manual lever for 2wd, 4Hi (lock), 4Hi (fulltime), N, 4LOW (lock). I had one in my 97 ZJ and it was awesome.

 

I used to have to do this everytime in my 2001 4runner. Put it in reverse to get it back into 2wd.

 

Thanks everyone! I passed on it and found a decent deal on a 2014 at 60k miles that is in excellent condition. Definitely paid some more for it but I believe it’ll be worth it!

 

Congrats!

 

Congrats! Good choice!

 

Nice! It does have a little bit of dandruff though. Oh wait...that's snow. Sorry dumb ass Floridian here.