NHTSA looks at frame rust

August 21, 2018 — Toyota 4Runner frame rust problems will be looked at by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) after a 4Runner owner complained the steering and suspension system separated due to corrosion of the frame.

NHTSA says it will either grant or deny the petition to investigate once it checks complaints and field reports about rusted frames in more than 520,000 model year 2002-2006 Toyota 4Runners.

The petitioner alleges he was on a two-lane highway in his 2005 4Runner when he had trouble controlling the SUV after the suspension failed without warning.

According to the petition to investigate, 4Runner owners claim the frames experience excessive corrosion and the same type of frames were cited in a previous $3.4 billion class-action lawsuit.

Included in the lawsuit were about 1.5 million Tacoma, Tundra and Sequoia trucks, but the petitioner says the 4Runner should have been included but the attorneys didn't think there were enough customer complaints.

NHTSA says it couldn't identify any crashes or injuries related to rusted frames or suspensions, but owners have complained about almost losing control of the SUVs due to rusted axles and frames.

"Frame rusted out and rear axle support detached from frame while driving, causing vehicle to sway uncontrollably almost rolling over. Found that manufacturer has recall on trucks with similar frame for rust issue, but not this vehicle because there are not enough complaints or deaths." - 1998 Toyota 4Runner owner / Burlington, Kentucky

Once safety regulators check the data, it's possible they could open an official investigation to determine if the 4Runners should be recalled.

CarComplaints.com will update our website with NHTSA's decision to either grant or deny the petition to investigate frame rust in Toyota 4Runners.

 

Perhaps a Moderator can move the various T4R RUST posts and replies into 1 thread, for ease of locating information?
Thanks,
Bob

 

How long should it be before a decision is made? Any idea?

 

I just saw the article and pasted it here...no idea. I suggest you ask CarComplaints.com or NHTSA

 

I heard a rumor that a 2008 T4R frame recall was being considered (or an extension up to 2008).

Anyone know if there's any truth to this? I have a buddy that has a 2008 4runer that he bought used in 2010. And it was in great condition. No rust. And now... omg the rust is insane. And he's in the same town as me-- and my Tacoma (over the same time period) looks just fine. Clearly something going on here.

 

There is current class action lawsuit going on for 4Runners (oddly 2005-2011 of all years).

Haven’t heard anything about a recall, though there was a guy who claims he is a Toyota tech posting some mumblings about further years of Tacoma’s being included in the frame stuff and talks about 4Runners.

Who knows. I’ll believe it when it’s concrete.

 

What does the class action suit do? Can a person join in? Is there potential to get money for a frame replacement?

 

It’s the exact same premise as the Tacoma frame recall. It basically states 4Runner frames are faulty, just like Tacomas (and Tundras/Sequioas) and should be recalled and replaced by Toyota.

If it pans out like the current frame recall on Tacomas, no, you don’t get money for a frame, it just gets replaced free by Toyota.

 

I wonder why it starts at 05, and not 03. Were the earlier frames made to higher standards or in a different facility?

 

N

no same facility same standard

 

In my opinion the firm who is handling the class action didn’t do much research and same could maybe be said for the guy whose 4Runner crapped out and went to the firm to begin with.

They also cite that the 4th gen 4Runner frames were manufactured by DANA which I have never heard to be true given that the claim is they are made in Japan.

The whole reason the lawsuit was put forth is this guy (and many others) think Toyota should’ve included 4Runners in the same recall as the 05-2011 Tacos and also certain model year Tundra/Sequioas. So that’s where I think the “2005-2011” year range came from. They are just mimicking the other lawsuit.

The only thing I think they have an arguement for is that maybe the frames coming out of Japan were also just as crap as DANAs stuff. People say that the 4Runner frames shouldn’t have the same issue but how the hell do they know?

 

I have seen a huge issue in my 2006 with simple drainage issue in door panels and my rear hatch seal as well. Even going through a simple car wash you can see water getting into the car just by opening the driver door and checking the jams

 

I have just found out yesterday (march 2, 2021) that both the control arms for the rear axle have let go. I purchased the vehicle in 2015 and have been pretty diligent about spraying off the undercarriage at least every month in the winter. I have filed a complaint with NHTSA, as this is an extremely dangerous issue. I can only imagine if I had been driving on a interstate and the rear axle decided to detach. Im having it looked at by a frame specialist today. Just wondering what else I can do to bring this major issue to the attention of the right people. I am waiting on a call back from Toyota brand loyalty rep to discuss further. I just a shame if this rig is done with only 160k on it.
I did a quick search to see how long the tacos, and tundras recall investigation took and looks like it was started at the end of 2009 and was issued in 2016. Hopefully this recall for the 4th gen 4runners is quicker, but based on government performance in the past I think were looking at another couple years.

 

Sorry to hear, welcome to the forum.

 

My 2005 4runner (150,000 miles) came from Japan and there is no rust on the upper body and minor normal rust on the underside.

Car is in Nassau Bahamas. I bought it new from Executive Motors.

The bottom underside of my 4runner has that black undercoating protection paint. Not sure if the dealer had this done before I purchased or Toyota did this at the factory?

The underbody (frame) of my 2005 will remain relatively rust-free for another 30 years thanks to Toyota. Essentially all the black undercoating is "still" everywhere.

"yota toy" doesn't get it. Cars up North need more maintenance from the owner.

 

How long can a manufacturer be responsible for? I mean their made of metals and metals do rust 15, 20, 25 years so what's reasonable? It doesn't matter that a car is a 2000 and "only" has 100,000 miles on it 50,000 of those miles could of been put on it four wheeling in mud ice and snow. If I own a 20 year old vehicle and it's showing a lot of rust I'm ok calling it a day and buying new personally I think that's to be expected but whatever.....

 

All 4th gen 4runners came from Japan...

All 4th gen 4runners have black protection paint on the underside/frame...

Rust issues in the Bahamas are a LOT different than states that use road salt... but thanks for letting us know your 4runner came from Japan & you bought it new from executive motors...

Got anything to contribute that is related to this frame rust thread?

 

There's but one reason for the foot dragging on this issue. Lobbyist(for Toyota), working overtime, at the state level and in DC. jm2c

Some sage advice if you're not the original owner.

https://www.wcpo.com/money/consumer...arranty-running-out-for-rusting-toyota-frames

 

my '97 Limited is holding up well...not much rust on the floor pans and frame itself ..so I consider myself El-Lucky...of course, I've kept a close watch on it...My first gen Isuzu Trooper, also had frame issues...with massive rust on frame, etc...

 

Minor frame rust is no big deal. I had a 10 year old GMC JIMMY that rusted away everywhere. It spent its entire life in the Bahamas.
The 4runner is 15 years old and has no rust whatsoever on the painted upper body. It too spent its life in the Bahamas.

The GMC JIMMY was in the Bahamas from day one, as was the 4runner. Different cheap steel by different manufacturers.

I would not buy a GM product ever again. The Toyota body on the 4 runner looks like new!

BTW Salt on the road had nothing to do with the rust issue. The JIMMY rusted away and there is no salt on the road, whereas the 4runner has zero body rust and is 15 years old, and also spent its entire life in the Bahamas.

 

No rust as far as I know on my 97, still has black undercoat, and I sand and repaint any rust that manages to take hold. Though I do feel that 4runner owners of MY 1995-2002 should be entitled to the same frame replacement that Tacoma owners of the same years got because it shares the exact same frame and was made the same way, and often has the same issues as the Tacoma. Remember, Toyota only pays for what they have to, they aren't your friend and they aren't going to give 4runner owners a break without a lawsuit forcing their hand.

It was a good idea on Toyota's part to do the black undercoat on all 4th gens, they might of already been aware of issues developing on the older models. They probably calculated that it would be cheaper to do that than to pay for legal defense against a class action and replace the frames if they lost.

If I ever buy a car new, I am going to get a POR15 undercoat the moment I drive off the lot to mitigate risk of any future rust issues. Doing so also makes your resale value a lot better, and decreases the risk of catastrophic failure and costly repairs. I would recommend that anyone purchasing a 4x4 does the same, all 4x4 will eventually develop rust issues (Jeep, Toyota, Isuzu, Suzuki, UAZ, and the big 3 all have issues when they age). Its a lot easier to do an undercoat before rust sets in then to sand it off then do it afterwards.

 

Again, do you have anything related to this thread to contribute? The guy posting about his frame rust does not live in the Bahamas nor does he own a GMC Jimmy...

Chances are road salt was related to his frame rust, which is not a "minor" issue, it literally broke! His comment is about the NHTSA complaint & he's asking about the recall for frame rust & how to report it to the right people. But thanks for letting us know you will never buy a GM product again.