1997 Toyota 4 Runner problems & reliability
122 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1997 Toyota 4 Runner. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
10 complaints report injuries (13 injured, 3 deaths reported).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 1997 Toyota 4 Runner vehicles were involved in 61 fatal crashes with 49 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 30 | 25% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 22 | 18% |
| Tires | 15 | 12% |
| Power Train | 14 | 11% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 11 | 9% |
| Air Bags | 8 | 7% |
| Structure | 7 | 6% |
| Equipment | 6 | 5% |
| Electrical System | 5 | 4% |
| Seat Belts | 5 | 4% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 90,000 miles (middle 50% between 65,000 and 110,000 miles), based on 21 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“A) while driving on the highway at approximate speed of 45-55 mph the engine shut itself off without me or any part of my body even touching the key or do anything to provoke such event. B) I was driving along with the flow during rush our when failure occurred. I was in drive the whole time and was using only the…”
Electrical System · filed Jan 30, 2006
“When it rains water comes in the vent on the back of the hood at windshield keeps my carpet soaked how can this be fixed? Also my hood latch is not tight enough my hood goes up 2 inches when im at top speeds (55 or 65). *jb”
Latches/locks/linkages · filed Dec 6, 2005
“Dt: the contact stated the rear bumper rusted and corroded. The rust was completely through the middle section of the bumper. The vehicle has not been inspected to determine the cause of the problem. *ak”
Structure · filed Nov 22, 2005
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
30 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1997 Toyota 4 Runner. The 10 most recent:
Owner renotification of non-completed special service campaigns and limited service campaigns. *tt
04013 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 21, 2004
Special service campaign (ssc) - 20a renotification rear suspension modification for owners whose vehicles have not yet had ssc 20a repairs completed. *tt
03019 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 29, 2003
Spare tire carrier operation. Various modlels including the 2004 landcruiser and 4 runner. *tt
PG00503 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 19, 2003
Special service campaign 20a regarding renotification of rear suspension modification. *tt
02051 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 16, 2002
Information regarding rear suspension modification. *yh
TC02003 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 15, 2002
Subject regarding special service campaign to modify the rear suspension. *tt
02006 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 18, 2002
Subject regarding head gasket replacement. *yd
TC01031 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 19, 2001
Information regarding shoulder belt anchor tape set. *jb
BO01901 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 10, 2001
Front brake vibration. *tt
390 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 6, 2000
Subject regarding new front brake pad kits to reduce the possibility of front brake vibration. *tt
BR00700 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 1, 2000
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
No NHTSA recall campaigns name the 1997 Toyota 4 Runner in our current data. Recalls may apply only to certain VIN ranges — always confirm with a VIN check.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 1997 Toyota 4 Runner?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 90,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.