Problems · NHTSA complaints
2008 Toyota 4Runner problems
Owners filed 96 complaints about the 2008 Toyota 4Runner with NHTSA between Apr 2008 and Mar 2026. The most-cited component is power train (27).
Complaints
96
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
10
Reported by owners
Fires
2
Reported by owners
Injuries
9
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
Complaints by component
One complaint can cite several components
- Power train27
- Vehicle speed control16
- Structure16
- Suspension11
- Service brakes10
- Engine7
- Electrical system5
- Steering5
- Service brakes, hydraulic5
- Air bags4
- Wheels4
- Visibility/wiper3
- Tires3
- Engine and engine cooling2
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Nov 11, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
When complaints were filed
Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
2
9
19
5
3
8
3
5
5
9
8
7
5
1
2
2
1
1
1
View as table
| Model year | Complaints filed per calendar year |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 2 |
| 2009 | 9 |
| 2010 | 19 |
| 2011 | 5 |
| 2012 | 3 |
| 2013 | 8 |
| 2014 | 3 |
| 2015 | 5 |
| 2016 | 5 |
| 2017 | 9 |
| 2018 | 8 |
| 2019 | 7 |
| 2020 | 5 |
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2022 | 2 |
| 2023 | 2 |
| 2024 | 1 |
| 2025 | 1 |
| 2026 | 1 |
Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.
Top problems in owners’ words
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
Power train
27 reports1 crash
“DIAGNOSIS FOUND TRANS FLUID WICKING UP HARNESS TO ENGINE ECM CONTAMINATING HARNESS AND ECU GIVEN FALSE/ABNORMAL READINGS AT ECM. EXTENSIVE REPAIRS NECESSARY W/ INTERNAL TRANS WIRE REPLACEMENT, ENGINE HARNESS REPLACEMENT & ENGINE ECU REPLACEMENT. OTHER CLEANING MAY BE NECESSARY OR OTHER HARNESS REPLACEMENT NECESSARY [Other]: TRANSMISSION WIRE REPLACMENT [Other]: ENGINE HARNESS REPLACEMENT [Other]: ECM REPLACEMENT”
Vehicle speed control
16 reports4 crashes1 related recall
“The contact owns a 2008 Toyota 4Runner. The contact stated while pulling out of a parking spot and depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle accelerated unintendedly. The contact stated that she might have shifted into park(P) and stopped the vehicle. Additionally, the contact stated while at a complete stop in an intersection and depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle accelerated unintendedly and crashed into a first vehicle, which rear-ended a second vehicle. The air bags did not deploy. The driver of the second vehicle stated that she had sustained injuries but did not receive medical assistance. The contact and the other drivers were able to drive from the scene. The police department was contacted and informed the contact that no report was filed because there was no injury sustained. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the failure could be related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 11V113000(Vehicle Speed Control); however, the contact stated that upon inspecting the accelerator pedal after each incident, the pedal did not seem to be entrapped. It was unknown whether the manufacturer was…”
Structure
16 reports
“The contact owns a 2008 Toyota 4Runner. The contact stated that upon taking the vehicle for the State Inspection, he was informed that the vehicle could not be inspected due to severe subframe corrosion. The contact stated that her son, an independent mechanic, later determined that the entire subframe and suspension of the vehicle were severely corroded. The contact stated that the vehicle was undrivable. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 83,600.”
Suspension
11 reports1 crash
“TAMARA RECALL PREV OWNED VEH, BOUGHT FROM DEALERSHIP AS "SAFE" TO OPERATE,110,000 MI ON 11072016. PREV OWNER AND CURRENT OWNER HAD VE HAD VEH SERVICED REGULARLY. UNDERCARRIAGE AND BRAKING NOISE WHILE IN MOTION ON HWY. REAR DOOR NOT ABLE TO OPEN, MANUALLY OR WITH REMOTE. MAINT LIGHT AND TIRE LIGHT CAME ON. POST NOISE INSPECTION BY MECHANIC, LEFT (?)FRONT AXLE BOOT IS SPLIT. FRONT NOISE UNDETERMINED (SWAY BAR LINKS OR STRUTTS?) AT THIS TIME. REAR LEFT DRIVER'S SIDE AXLE BEARING AND SEAL LEAKING TRANSMISSION FLUID(?) INTO BRAKES. BRAKES AFFECTED BY LEAKING FLUID AND WILL HAVE TO BE REPLACED DUE TO DAMAGE BY FLUID, WHICH COULD CAUSE BRAKE FAILURE WHILE DRIVING. REAR DOOR LOCK FAILURE DUE TO INTERIOR CORROSION/RUST. MAY NEED TO BE REPLACED.”
Service brakes
10 reports2 crashes
“The actuator in the transfer case went bad in such a way as to not allow the vehicle either move (under its own power) or to be in a parked state; though the shifter and indicator lights indicated PARK and although you could turn off the vehicle and also remove the key, the vehicle was actually in a NUETRAL state that allowed the vehicle to freely roll. I put something behind the tire THANK GOODNESS I noticed! Anyway, Toyota wants more than the vehicle is worth to fix it so my mechanic replaced the transfer case with a used one. I've heard of others having this problem and it seems like it could be a safety-related concern. And an expensive concern, as well.”
Engine
7 reports
“I'm experiencing major frame rust mainly at the crossbeams and all over the frame. Metal is literally crumbling away if I touch if. I don't even want to remove the rust to prepare for anti-rust coating since there may not be much metal left. Its only at 150k miles and shouldnt be crumbling away this fast. Just recently had to replace muffler and tailpipe since the muffle connection literally rusted away. Tacomas were able to have their frames replaces. The 4runner has a similar if not identical frame due to them sharing the same underlying platform. This should be pretty obvious that 4Runners need to be a part of that recall.”
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 11, 2026
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.