2004 Toyota 4 Runner problems & reliability
66 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2004 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.
2 complaints report injuries (2 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2004 Toyota 4 Runner vehicles were involved in 57 fatal crashes with 35 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Engine and Engine Cooling → | 18 | 27% |
| Power Train | 9 | 14% |
| Seats | 7 | 11% |
| Steering | 6 | 9% |
| Tires | 6 | 9% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 5 | 8% |
| Suspension | 5 | 8% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 4 | 6% |
| Electrical System | 2 | 3% |
| Equipment | 2 | 3% |
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 6,000 miles (middle 50% between 1,526 and 13,989 miles), based on 27 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Dash lights are on all the time making it hard to know if you headlights are on or not. Have driven several times at night in lighted areas thinking my headlights were on when indeed they were not. *nm”
Interior Lighting · filed Feb 10, 2006
“Strong sulfur smell (rotten eggs) when accelerating. Can smell with all windows up. Even worse if rear window is down. What's the point of having a rear window if you can't open it. I also own a 2000 4runner and it never smells this way. *nm”
Engine and Engine Cooling · filed Feb 10, 2006
“Almost constant sulpher smell. Dealer states that they have no knowledge of problem, and no tsb's. They tell me to keep rear window closed. When my wife is a passenger she has her eyes burning all the time. If you need to step hard on the gas the whole cabin fills and is enough to make you noxious. Toyota needs to…”
Engine and Engine Cooling · filed Dec 2, 2005
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
40 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2004 Toyota 4 Runner. The 10 most recent:
No start in sub-freezing ambient air temperatures. *tt
04305 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 9, 2006
Malfunction indicator lamp on diagnostic trouble code p2742. *ak
04805 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 8, 2005
Dismounting tires with direct system pressure sensors. *tt
01005 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 26, 2005
Diagnostics - supplemental restraint system. Repair manual correction. 00400-rm100-1u1 '03 toyota 4runner. 00400-rm105-9u1 '04 4runner. *tt
5211 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 2, 2005
The blower motor speed does not match the hvac display indication. *tt
00405 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 3, 2005
Steering flutter field-fix procedure. Some customers may experience a steering flutter condition while driving at highway speeds. *sc
00105 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 28, 2005
Diagnostics - tire pressure warning system. Repair manual correction. 00400-rm116-5u1. *tt my2004. 00400-rm105-9u1. *tt
5136 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 25, 2005
Malfunction indicator lamp on or malfunction indicator lamp light flashing with diagnostic trouble code c1735 stored in memory. Vehicle height control system: c1735 exhaust solenoid valve circuit. *tt
00105 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 11, 2005
Countermeasures to the air conditioner (a/c) magnetic clutch relay for a/c light flashing (inoperative a/c) issues on some vehicles equipped with a magnetic clutch compressor. *tt
01105 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 3, 2005
Diagnostics - abs with ebd & ba & trac & vsc system (from november, 2002). 00400-rm105-9u1. 00400-rm100-1u1. *tt
5054 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 25, 2005
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 2004 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 2004 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 6,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.