Problems with 2003 Toyota 4Runner SUSPENSION

My 4runner frame is showing excessive rust. the rest of the vehicle is in excellent shape and i am diligent in keeping the vehicle in good condition. please consider my 4runner as a frame replacement candidate.

This 2003 toyota 4runner has 135,000 miles on the odometer and the frame and exhaust system including catalytic converter are completely rusted out and the vehicle is now unsafe to drive. some frame components have completely rusted and broken off from the frame i.e. tow hooks, exhaust and engine mounts. the frame is only held on to the body by the shock absorbers. the vehicle can no longer be driven safely. the cost to repair this damage would be prohibitive and i believe that this issue needs to be addressed by toyota. i purchased this vehicle in good faith and trusted that toyota quality would last. please advise any possible recourse. thank you *tr

My 2003 toyota 4 runner has massive frame rot. i fixed what i could, but still fighting with the problem. i know toyota recalled their pick up trucks because of frame issues, they should do the same for their 4 runners.

Noticed the right front wheel making awful sound. i had my mechanic to take a look. it is the wheel bearings going out, but then proceeded to tell me that the rust is so bad underneath that all the hose lines will have to be replaced. brake lines leaking, transmission line leaking. all will have to be replaced. the rust is eating away underneath the car like cancer. no stopping it. the sway bars are rusting into as well. our mechanic will let us know how much it will cost to repair the lines...but is it worth spending the money on??? this is our 7th toyota that we have owned, always taken excellent care of vehicle, and i have never experience such a rusty mess. love my 4runner but really don't know what to do with it!

The rear differential housing and third meander are extremely rusted i contacted toyota and was told that they know there is a issue with rust on some 4runners but they are not recalling them

The rear sway bar and axle have rotted out. the sway bar dropped to the ground while driving and caused the vehicle to lose control. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota 4runner. while backing out of the driveway, the lower control arm failed and the vehicle became inoperable. the vehicle was towed to the dealer and an inspector sent by the manufacturer examined the damage. the inspector determined that the subframe bracket, which holds the lower control, had rusted and caused the lower control arm to fail. the inspector recommended that the entire frame of the vehicle be replaced. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 104,000.

While driving on the highway the passenger rear side of my toyota 4runner began to move up and down and wobble making the car wander all over the road. we immediately went to the local toyota dealer, carver toyota of columbus in taylorsville, in. inspecting the car on the passenger rear side we found that the rear suspension had pulled away from the frame where the frame had completely rusted leaving a big hunk out of the frame. there was extensive rusting of the frame in multiple places. the car was inspected and photographed by matt warren, service manager at carver toyota and was determined to be undriveable. this is a well maintained vehicle which is in tip-top condition in every other respect than the rusted frame. we are very upset to lose a good car which still had a lot of value still left in it to us. we also feel that this is a very important safety issue. we were incredibly lucky that neither we nor anybody else on the highway that day were injured by this dangerous situation. and we are very concerned that this has been reported in other 4runners as well and there hasn't been a recall and these dangerous vehicles are still on the road. we are holding on to the vehicle hoping that there will be some remedy for this situation. thank you so much for your attention. *tr

2003 toyota 4 runner was brought into dealership on saturday august 29, 2015 to inspect the frame rust. the rust was verified by the dealer, and was sent on my way, with no warning that it was unsafe. monday august 31, 2015, the vehicle experienced a frame failure that could have been catastrophic. the driver side rear control arm mount broke free from the frame at approximately 30 mph. the rearend started to shake, wobble and vibrate and was immediately pulled off the road. talked to dealer, no recalls on said vehicle. talked to toyota corporate, they said there is nothing they can do. tacoma's and tundra's have a recall, but not the 4runner. a complaint was filed here on july 5, 2015.

The frame on my 2003 4runner has rusted to the point of breaking. toyota had a recall on the tacoma of the same year for this issue and that vehicle has the same frame. as an owner of a 4runner i am upset because my vehicle costs more, but toyota will not fix this.

2003 toyota 4runner with excessive frame rot on rear of frame. rear control arm mount is compromised with extreme rust perforation. bump stop over axle is missing because of 2"-4" hole in outer frame rail. car is deemed unsafe to drive.

The dealer discovered severe rusting and a hole in the vehicle frame. the vehicle has been properly maintained and should not be rusting and creating a safety issue at these miles and vehicle age. toyota was notified and said that there is nothing that can be done. since these vehicles share the same frame manufacturer issues as the previous frame recalls for tundra and tacoma vehicles, toyota should do a recall and replacement of the defective frames on the 4runners as well.

The frame on my 2003 4runner has "perforations" in it's frame rails and the front cross-member is totally rotted away...this has been and issue with these suvs for years..the toyota tacoma shares the same frame/platform as the 4runner and has had similar issues, with 1 difference toyota has repaired many of them free of charge ,but has not extended these repairs to the 4runner...a $30,000 dollar 12 year old suv shouldn't have a rotted frame. i brought the truck to a toyota dealership and they said "front crossmember is rotted off. only be held by frotn skid plate. found a hole in frame rail drivers side by fuel tank." i was then told i would be informed when a toyota usa engineer would be able to look at it to see if they would do anything about it. i was called about a week later and told the engineer refused to look at it and would not be helping me with this matter..i then called toyota usa and explained what was going on (i have a case # they gave me) , they told me to expect a call from the dealership (where the suv was purchased & where the frame was inspected) in 2 days..that call never came....

The frame is rotting out.

My private mechanic informed me that my vehicle's frame was rusting and was a safety concern. he notified toyota customer care who stated that toyota was not responsible. toyota has taken responsibility in the past for other vehicles with the same problem. my case # with toyota is [xxx]. please investigate and advise. thank you! information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

Took my 2003 toyota 4runner in for service and to have it inspected. the service guys say they cannot inspect my truck because it has a hole in the frame of the truck. the front of my frame is severely corroded after only 160k miles and completely unsafe for the road. this truck has always been well taken care of and kept clean in the winter months. this is entirely unacceptable for a vehicle of this era and highly unsafe to drive. i am sure there are many others out there driving around not knowing their trucks are rusting away to the point the frame they are riding on is falling apart under them. *js

Frame and under parts are rusted

This vehicle has accumulated a scary amount of rust on the underbody. i took it to a local toyota dealership and they told me it probably wasn't safe to have my kids riding in this vehicle because of the amount of rust on the suspension. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 toyota 4runner. the contact stated that the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for inspection when they detected that the rear differential, rear lower control arm and frame were severely corroded. one of the two rear lower control arms had become slightly detached from the vehicle. in addition, the emergency brake also exhibited corrosion. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the problem. the approximate failure mileage was 90,000. the vin was unavailable.

The front crossmember of the vehicle frame has severe corrosion. the amount of corrosion was identified to me by a service technician during recent routine maintenance, and the technician pointed out that toyota has had numerous problems with suspension/ structural corrosion on other models. the amount of corrosion has the potential to weaken the structural integrity of the vehicle in a crash situation and potentially during normal vehicle use as well. the problem was discussed with dealership service manager who referred me to the toyota national hotline. toyota representative at that department stated that toyota has not provided any extended warranty or repair programs for this condition, nor do they offer any financial reconciliation for the costs of correcting this problem. the information was documented in toyota case number [xxx]. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

I have had this vehicle since new, and only travel back and forth to work approx 30 miles a day..(now has 59,000 miles).vehicle has been regularly serviced at a local toyota dealer...vehicle never used for towing or never been off-road, and maintained like a baby...all of a sudden dealer told me my front axle cv joints are leaking and needs replacing including the rear shocks? this is fully loaded 2003 toyota limited edition v8...seems very unusual at 59k miles? will contact toyota to see if they can help out in any way... *tr

Etensive undercarriage rusting.

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 toyota 4runner. while driving 30 mph, the steering wheel shook very badly. the contact pulled the vehicle over because he thought he had a flat tire, but that was not the case. the vehicle was taken to have the tire pressure checked and then to the dealer for inspection. the shaking only occurs while driving over 30 mph. the contact stated that there was a recall for this vehicle. the dealer checked the recall database, but found no recalls. the vehicle is currently at the dealer for inspection. there is a recall for the 2001-2002 toyota 4runner regarding the suspension and the contact believes that the same failure is occurring on his vehicle. the failure mileage was 71,100 and the current mileage was unknown.

I own a 2003 4 runner and also my daughter. i have reported the following issue to toyota and also have taken the vehicle to a dealer. on snowy or icy roads, the rear end of the 4 runner will flip around when accelerating around a corner at very low speeds. it has happened to me three times and to my daughter 3 or 4 times. both vehicle have new tires and the situation still occurs. i live in nc and we do not get a lot of snow. it happen a week ago when we got some snow. it can just happen so fast. my daughter is scared to drive it. our 2000 4 runner would not come close of acting this way. bottomline, it is unsafe. you must be extremely cautious or you will spin the car around. *tr

After reaching 55 mph vehicle vibrated violently. *ak

Have had the vehicle for a month now. i went back to the dealer after the first week with noticeable vibration in the steering wheel and the vehicle in general from approx. 45 mph and above. dealer balanced wheels. returned again another week later with same symptoms. dealer again attemped to balance tires and analyzed rims, speed balance, etc. and determined it was the tires. after the song and dance about the dealer being unable to replace the tires without a long drawn out process, i was directed to the local bridgestone dealer for tire replacement. had tires replaced the following tuesday. same symptoms re-occurred after a few days. back to the dealer a third time this past friday. re-balanced the new tires again, service manager drove it afterwords and said everything was fine. left that afternoon on a trip, and the symptoms re-occured again. have had enough ! i am filing a lemon law notice to toyota this week with one last chance to repair. if unsuccesful, will be filing for arbitration to receive a refund.*ak