Problems to watch for!

When we were in the market for a 4Runner, we went to the dealership and drove a ORP trim (had 3 miles on the odom) and at about 45 mph it shook pretty bad, shortening the test drive, we took it back to the dealership, told the salesman. He informed us that it would be looked at. Due to time constraints we had to go, and when I was told the ORP that we drove with the shake was sold, we decided to have them find a different ORP and when they located one we went back to give it a test drive, and this ORP had NO shimmy issues to contend with, we have had that one for a year now, and after a aftermarket tire and wheel swap have not had this issue appear again. The exact cause I'm not sure of. Tire pressures and balance are a big culprit, as we were informed that was the problem with the one we originally test drove.

 

The driver seat hurts my back after long trips. (I feel like there is not eneough cushion inside the seats. )
On long trips through mountain grades, and hills, the engine and transmission will struggle.
The brakes are not the best. (It takes a while to stop .)
My mileage has been better than most. (I get 18-22 mpg. while most owners report 15-19mpg. )
As far as suv's go , it's the best there is in it's class. (If I were to go bigger it would be a Sequoia or the Chevy Tahoe.)
The re sale values speak for themselves.

 

Thanks Folks! Regarding seats, I'm partial to leather. I will have to investigate availability on various trims levels. It seems there is a partial leather or simulated leather option which I would try to avoid.
The big concern that has me on the fence is the 60 MPH shimmy. I found a survey on another forum that conducted a steering wheel vibration poll for 5th gen T4R's. About 36% (of those polled) did not have an issue, another 18% had the vibration resolved, but 46% are still living with the problem.
I really hope there is some bias in this data. How can any car manufacturer have an issue that affects more than half of their production!

 

I have had my Limited Night shade with stock Duelers for a week and half now (so not a lot of road time yet)...I have taken her on the highway a bunch and have not noticed the any issues with tire balance. The Limited trim level comes with a bunch of nice creature features, some additional bling, a different bumper and 20 inch wheels while the other trim levels come with 17s. I like the Nightshade wheels from a looks perspective but I think I may swap them out for 17s eventually just because there are so many more tire options at that size. Limited has an option for full time 4WD...not sure if all of the other trim levels get that or not. Full-time 4WD feels a-lot different than the Part-Time 4WD drive trucks or the 2WD trucks. You should test drive all of those options. I love the full time 4WD. This Truck definitely burns gas, but my previous daily driver was a VW GTI...so lol...its a big change.

I went with the sliding cargo deck in the back. Did not need 3rd row and I like how the back is totally flat when you lay the back seats down with cargo deck option. The sliding cargo deck seems like it will be handy...idk. w/o 3rd row or the cargo deck seems like you get a ton more space in the back...so something to consider.

My fam is a pretty short group so we haven't really noticed the moon-roof-head-room issue...HOWEVER...nothing beats rolling down all the windows...including the back window... and opening the moon roof and driving around. Being able to roll down the back window is one of the coolest parts of the truck...combined with the moon roof you get a convertible feel to it

I would not bother with the stock cross bars...I got the charging package because I have teenagers. First couple of accessories I bought based on recommendations here: Screen protector (apparently the display scratches easily) a center console organizer, Husky floor liners w/ cargo liner, canvas back liners and LFD Crossbar Bundle. I probably could have held off on the canvas backs.

 

Well to clarify, its a shimmy not a death wobble seen in fords and jeeps. I personally only get a shimmy when its really cold out and it goes away when the tires warm up, or after an off-road trip, some extra dirt on the wheels. Now with that said I have redone the entire suspension and tale it to good shops that work on a lot of trucks. So they may be use to a proper balance on bigger tires.

 

Thanks JB;
I have 96 Corvette that is sensitive to wheel balance, took 2 runs to the shop to get the balance 'liveable', and being parked for some time exacerbates the problem.
Hi natekam;
WOW! Do all T4R's have a rear window that rolls down?!! Now I'm really sold. I might even tolerate 3 trips to the balance shop for that feature. No more jousting pedestrians with 16' pipes poking out the front passenger window of my Envoy.

 

Yep all 5th gen 4runners have the the rear window that can roll down. It's a killer feature that I believe is unique to the Toyota SUVs. One correction, I said the Limited comes with full time 4WD...but its an option (a great one). You can buy a Limited with 2WD

 

I should be doing my own research but what trim levels have part-time (selectable) 4WD?
Thanks again

 

SR5s (Which includes Trail edition and premium), and TRDs (which includes Venture, Premium, Off road and pro) have part time options from what I recall.

 

Compare models from Toyota site is your best resource;

 

I've owned my 2021 TRD/ORP/MR for 5k miles now. I must admit, that roll down rear glass is the handiest darn feature. And you can operate it from inside or outside the vehicle. And it's super handy for fetching groceries. Don't have to lift the tailgate up. Just load the groceries through the open window into one of those multi-pocket totes and done. Quick and easy. Just another reason that makes these 4R's so popular.

 

I also love the one touch feature on all the door windows, no need to hold down the power window button, one touch and it's done!

 

I’m getting addicted to driving around with the back window cracked open a bit. The effect on airflow feels awesome. The big drawback is that it sucks air in, so you end up with gritty road dust all over

 

Drove my first 4runner yesterday; a 2016 TR5 with 94k km on it. Nice car; a little more engine noise than my 2005 Envoy (not a concern) Hwy on-ramp acceleration; not quite what the old Envoy has. At this point in my life; I will sacrifice the acceleration for reliability. No shimmy at any speed (did 130 kph). It seems like new maybe the way to go, considering the short supply of used.
I really like the look of the Limited but a friend suggested that 20" wheels have a harder ride and considerably more tire replacement cost.
I was also sold on part-time 4wd (being a control freak) but now wondering about the pros and cons of full-time 4wd Thanks again guys

 

It's not the same year but I had to replace the steering rack in my 2015 Limited at 70k miles. Toyota ended up splitting the cost with me but final cost was close to $900. Also, if the vehicle you're looking at has the XREAS suspension, triple-check those shocks/struts for leaks/excess rust because it's obscenely expensive to replace XREAS shocks/struts. I was talking to a Toyota mechanic last night and it's about $3,800!

 

Yes. XREAS is a common problem on Limiteds.

The solution is to get rid of the Xreas and replace with standard shocks. This will be closer to a $500 fix.

 

We bought a new 2020 4 runner and vibration was pretty bad around 55-65 mph……took 3 weeks of force alignments and new tires but nothing worked so finally they sent the vehicle to a dealership with a master mechanic who took apart the front end and tested every part. The problem was faulty wheel bearings which were replaced and it went away. Toyota knows about this but will not do anything unless the dealership finds it and many of them have young inexperienced mechanics the do routine stuff mostly. We kept the Michelins…..lol!

 

I had the front differential needle bearing issue. There’s a TSB (technical service bulletin) for it. Personally I’d actually check what other TSBs there are for any vehicle you’re considering to get an idea of common problems.

other concerns for me are what feels like very easy to scratch paint. I also have some rust underneath but I have not done anything to prevent it and bashing it across rocks sure didn’t help.

I now have a slight shimmy that is more recent and I think it might be related to a wheel bearing on its way out. I think it’s the wheel bearing as I have a humming noise again similar to the needle bearing but this one is constant as opposed to the whomp-whomp-whomp of the needle bearing and this one does not go away in 4wd. I couldn’t feel any slop in the bearing or grittiness when I lifted the vehicle.

last thing I can think of is the windshield is quite vertical and very prone to rocks chips and cracks. Mine looks like all hell.