Problems with 2010 Toyota 4Runner STRUCTURE

Tl* the contact owns a 2010 toyota 4runner. the contact took the vehicle to buckeye toyota (740-654-3943, located at 1903 riverway dr, lancaster, oh 43130) where it was diagnosed that the rear end of the frame was rusted and damaged the suspension. the heat shield was also rusted and detached from the vehicle. the technician stated that in order to replace the heat shield, the exhaust system (which was also rusted) needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and did not call the contact back. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 241,000.

My frame is rusting away. the upper rear control arm bracket on the passenger side has completely rusted off the frame. the frame in front of and around the driver side rear lower control arm is rusting away with a large hole just in front of the bracket. in a matter of time the bracket will separate from the frame. the frame weld seams on both sides of the vehicle above the rear axle are either missing or full of porosity. also, the rear sway bar rusted through and broke recently.

Bought this vehicle because it rated high, even though it cost more money than competitor models. reliability is worth it to me. however, the frame started having significant rust after just a few years and was causing some expensive repairs. fire shield rusted off and was removed. now the massive skid plate bracket rusted off. toyota service just removed the entire unrepairable skid plate due to the level of rust. there is nothing left to attach to. the mechanics said they were afraid to scrape or chip any more rust because they were afraid that other stuff would fall off and make the vehicle even more unsafe to drive. they indicated that this is absolutely excessive rust on the frame that should not happen. their official toyota repair estimate to fix the rusting, failing frame and make it safe again is $17,783.71 which is half the value of a brand new vehicle! toyota corporate said, sorry, we have recalled many other rusting frames on our other models because they should not have rusted the way that they have, but unfortunately for you, we will not stand behind your 4runner that you paid $34,500 for. i am told that it is the same frame as some of the other recalled models. the toyota corporation tried to comfort me by ensuring me that they logged my case will contact me via first class mail if they ever do decide to stand behind their product and make good on my $17,000 pile of unsafe, useless rust.

My wife was at a red light waiting for the light to change when she was hit on the driver side front fender and tire area . no air bag deployed there is over 8,000 dollars in damages the other driver was moving 35+ mph at impact so now along with the whiplash and shoulder bruises and seat belts cuts there mental damage she feel the vehicle is not safe and is afraid to drive it when repaired in closing i feel at the speed of travel on impact the air bag should have deployed. *tr

This 2000 toyota 4runner was being driven less than 30mph when a knock was heard coinciding with sloppy handling. tail pipe was ripped from muffler. 4w drive had been in use for a few days due to snow, this happened when the truck was put back into 2wd. brought the truck into my mechanic thinking steering/suspension problem, wrong! was informed that the frame was rusted out and couldn't be fixed. my mechanic remembered having the same problem with a few tacoma pickups and suggested looking for recalls or service bulletins relating to this problem. there aren't any. however, if you do an internet search entering "toyota 4runner frame rot" you'll be amazed at what shows up. owners who have well maintained their 4runners and tacomas from this era are bringing their trucks in for routine service and are finding out that they're lucky that they weren't killed or injured because of frame failure. other owners haven't been as lucky. just go to aboutautomobile.com and look up "2000 4runner frame complaints" and there are 36 hits. that's just one model year and one web site.this is dangerous. it's not obvious until there's a big problem. the frame rots from the inside. most interesting was the mechanic who had his fingers go through the frame while trying pull himself under to look at something. it seems, after reading comments on the internet concerning this issue, that toyota feels this is not their problem. it should concern them that they made 4runners that, while still looking great after many years on the road, are subject to unexpected catastrophic failure. my son and my 2 young granddaughters were in this vehicle when the frame broke. *tr

Passengers are falling while using the foot step installed on the vehicle when loading and unloading due to the improper design and insufficient surface provided by the foot step to secure proper footing. several incidents involving front and back passengers, worse under wet conditions. foot step too narrow and i am not sure that meets federal safety requirements. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2010 toyota 4runner. while the vehicle was parked the lift gate was open and closed on its own with force while the contact was standing underneath it. the contact stated that the lift gate was no longer functioning automatically and that she had to manually open it. the vehicle will be taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. the manufacturer was contacted and a complaint was filed. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 11,500.