What to inspect on a 2014 4Runner

New member here. We are needing to upgrade our crossover. We feel like a 4runner is a good fit. However we haven't ever test drove one or even inspected one. After looking at listings for half a year we think we have found a 2014 that has good value. What are their known problems, factory updates, recalls, etc. I realize this is very open-ended, but I wasn't sure where to start. Thanks for your consideration.

 

More information needed. What is the mileage? Number of owners. Dealer or private party owned. Asking price
Look at maintenance records. Oil change intervals.
Frame rust.
Everything else comes after these two checks out

 

170,000 Kms. We do have winter and road salt here. Where are the common places for frame rust and surface rust?

 

At 170,000 KMS so about 105000 miles.
Look under the car at the frame and other joints. It's not hard to see rust on a 4runner.
If it's surface rust it's okay, any more and it's a no go.
Share pictures for a better suggestion.

 

usually 4Runners don't have problems if they were maintained as per manual and don't have any 3rd party upgrades. In 11 years ownership of my 2010 SR5 I had to replace front wheel bearings and park/neutral sensor. There was also recall about airbags, but it think it was for pretty much all Japanese vehicles of certain age.

So I would start like with any other vehicles - check for all controls, A/C and heating, strange sounds, rust, signs of accidents or/and lack of maintenance and overall feelings. The only different thing to check in 4Runners which are non Limited trim is engage 4hi and see if it works. With part time 4x4 owner need to drive in 4hi for at least 10 miles every month to keep transfer case properly lubricated.

 

My 4Runner had about 250,000 km and was 11 years old when it got totaled - I never rust proofed it and it was quite rusty but far from critical failure due to rust. Frame looked terribly but was still strong. I think it would run for another few years easily with all that rust. It's in Ontario where there are a lot of salt on the road in winter.

But I would probably avoid buying used truck which is too rusty and I'm putting fluid film on my new truck - want it to run for 20 years : )

 

Steering rack leak at the bellows is very common.

Tailgate rust is very common:
- Around the rear window frame
- Around the handle garnish
- Pull off the plastic cover around the tailgate latch and look for rust holes.

The manifold air injection pump and switching valves (smog system) have limited life relative to the rest of the powertrain. Plug in an OBD2 reader and make sure the emissions system has completed a drive cycle (i.e. someone didn't recently clear the codes) and there are no pending codes.

Rust is a concern with any vehicle at this age. Look for broken fuel tank straps - easy for the previous owner to be unaware.
Look for rust holes in the main frame rails by the catalytic converters.
Look for rusted out front frame crossmember (where the tow hooks are welded to).

 

This is a Limited. Is there any 4WD checks you would recommend?

 

Limited is full time 4x4 and doesn't have transfer case so it should be fine. I heard that X-Reas suspension might develop leaks and fail, I assume that it shows in test drive, but I never had it so I'm not sure how it feels.

 

Check the frame for rust!!!

 

It’s full time 4wd, it has a center differential lock, and it has low range. Check that both function. If you take it for a test drive, just make sure you research how to properly move between modes. I’m sure somebody with a limited can explain here (mine’s a part time 4wd)

 

The Limited does, in fact, have a transfer case. It also has a differential inside the transfer, which is what mechanically allows it to be a full-time 4wd system. The center locker, when locked, will make it act like a part-time system (makes the front and rear driveshafts spin at the same speed).

To the OP, the point about the Xreas suspension is a good one. Look for leaking shocks. It won’t make financial sense to replace xreas, but you can replace them with normal shocks for a reasonable sum.

Not sure if limiteds come with KDSS, but if it does, then carefully inspect that the system is not leaking encrusted with corrosion. Repair of the KDSS is extremely expensive, and it will probably be harder to find somebody that knows how to fix it. I would not pay anywhere near normal market price for a 4runner with a leaking kdss system. You can’t “delete” the KDSS system without it significanty affecting the handling of the vehicle.

In general, make sure the asking price represents the actual value of the vehicle you’re looking at. It’s an older vehicle. There’s been plenty of time for neglect and rust to make this vehicle a piece of junk, even if the body work is perfect…so tread carefully! Toyota’s reputation for reliability does not apply to used cars, unless you personally verify they are intact and have a solid maintainance history. Don’t trust a dealer to know a vehicles history (they don’t care), or be honest about it if they do know. Carfax is garbage, so don’t rely on that either.

I love my 4runner…it’s my favorite vehicle ever. But 4runners in terrible mechanical shape are usually horribly and shamelessly overpriced by dealers. Just because it’s a toyota does not mean they survive being neglected or coated in salt for 11 years. They’ll have good looking bodywork, but can give a shock to anyone willing to look underneath. I looked for a used one for years before giving up and just buying new.

 

Engage the center diff lock and switch between 4H and 4L. Read up on activation procedure first as others mentioned.

Being 10 years old, the XREAS shocks have probably leaked and been swapped out with normal shocks already...

 

Lower the spare tire. Does it lower or is the chain ratchet mechanism jammed because of rust and corrosion ?
Once lowered take a picture so you can enlarge it and see how bad it is. The area above the spare is a water, salt trap.
With 170k kilometers I would expect to see alot of rust in there after 10 years.

As someone also mentioned take a look at the neutral safety switch at the side of the transmisson and see how bad it is corrosion wise.

One of the main reasons I bought my Limited was because of the special Torsen 4WD system. Its the same system as the Lexus GX and Land Cruiser. With the 4Runner running put it in neutral and switch from H4F (Full Time) to H4L, then push down and put into L4L - low range. if everything is ok it should switch between them all. If not, put it in drive and go in a straight line slowly and repeat.

 

Thanks everyone for your replies. We ended up going with it. It has Bilstein shocks and a 2" lift. I really like how it rides and handles on our gravel road. There are a few things that will eventually need attention on it, but which 10 year old vehicle doesn't? I'll probably have a few questions about that down the road, but we'll save those for another day. Thanks again for your help!

 

Gotta have pics.

Congratulations on the purchase.