1998 Toyota 4Runner problems

“The frame is rusting out and broke while driving. The frame is almost totally destroyed from rust . The rear started swinging violently but luckily got it stop without crashing. The entire frame is a joke. I can't believe it hasn't been recalled STILL. The body is in perfect shape but a frame that can snap at any moment....I thought Toyota put safety first?”

“The rear end suspension is sagging on my vehicle. When I look up the VIN number on the nhtsa website it says that there is not a recall, but when I look up my vehicle by year it says that all vehicles of this year should be recalled for rear suspension repair/check. I called usa toyota and they said that they could not send the ticket to my local toyota dealership to for repair because my vehicle was imported from japan to canada. I have tried calling canada toyota but they have not picked up their phone. Reaching out to determine if the nhtsa can help with getting my vehicle suspension checked/repaired. Below is the message/link I receieved from NHTSA when I looked up my car's production year. ----- [XXX] January 18, 2002 NHTSA Campaign Number: 02V021000 TOYOTA/REAR SUSPENSION THIS MAY RESULT IN A LOSS OF CONTROL AND COULD INCREASE THE RISK OF A CRASH. NHTSA Campaign Number: 02V021000 Manufacturer TOYOTA MOTOR NORTH AMERICA, INC. Components SUSPENSION Potential Number of Units Affected 273,743 Summary ON CERTAIN 2-WHEEL-DRIVE (2WD) AND 4-WHEEL-DRIVE (4WD) 4RUNNER SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, A COMBINATION OF HEAVY LOADING (SIMULTANEOUS LOADING TO REAR GROSS AXLE…”

“2009 MICHELIN LATITUDE TOUR ALL SEASON LUXURY TIRES P265/70R16 WERE PURCHASED AT COSTCO 12/16/09. WE WENT TO OUR MECHANIC ON 2/17/15 FOR A VIBRATION PROBLEM ON FRONT END OF OUR 1998 TOYOTA 4-RUNNER. AFTER INSPECTION HE INFORMED US THAT OUR TIRES WERE CRACKED ON SIDE WALL. IN ADDITION THE ROAD FORCE BALANCE TEST SHOWS SEVERE RUNOUT ON FRONT TIRES AND WE SHOULD REPLACE ALL 4 TIRES. WE HAVE ONLY PUT 18,000 MILES ON THESE TIRES. MY TIRES DON'T FALL UNDER THE RECALLS BUT THIS DOESN'T SEEM RIGHT FOR THAT KIND OF FAILURE TO OCCUR WITH SUCH LOW MILAGE. *TR”

“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 TOYOTA 4 RUNNER. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 35 MPH WHEN THE BRAKES WERE DEPRESSED BUT DID NOT HOLD AND THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE. THERE WERE NO INJURIES YET THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED FOR THE INCIDENT AND THE CONTACT RECEIVED A CITATION FOR THE CRASH. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED BY THE CONTACTS INSURANCE COMPANY. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 130,000. UPDATED 05/18/11”

“TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 TOYOTA 4RUNNER. DURING DECELERATION, THE VEHICLE STALLS AND ACCELERATES BOTH AT THE SAME TIME. THE DEALER REPLACED THE IDLE SWITCH VALVE TWICE, WHICH CORRECTED THE FAILURE FOR A FEW MONTHS. ON AUGUST 21, 2008 WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH, THE VEHICLE SHUT DOWN. THE CONTACT WILL TAKE THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR A DIAGNOSIS. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 72,100 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 90,000.”

“REAR DIFFERENTIAL HOUSING IS LEAKING FLUID AS A RESULT OF RUST. LOCAL TOYOTA DEALERSHIP SAYS THE ENTIRE REAR AXLE NEEDS TO BE REPLACED (IT IS ALL ONE PIECE) TO THE TUNE OF $3000. AN ONLINE SEARCH OF A DIY REPAIR SHOWS THIS PROBLEM (GOOGLE: REAR DIFFERENTIAL RUST) SHOWS THIS PROBLEM IS UNIQUE TO TOYOTA 3RD GENERATION 4RUNNERS. THIS AMOUNT OF RUST ON AN INTEGRAL PART IS EXTREME AND UNACCEPTABLE THAT TOYOTA HAS NOT DONE A RECALL, EVEN THOUGH THEY DID ONE FOR VIRTUALLY SAME VEHICLE IN THE TACOMA FOR FRAME RUST. *TR”