1997 Toyota 4RUNNER power train problems
11 owner complaints filed with NHTSA name the power train on the 1997 Toyota 4RUNNER — 8% of all complaints for this model year.
What owners report
“Purchased a used 1997 4-runner with ca. 258000 miles early in 2020. Engine and whole body was good. However, 6 month later the car started to shake violently in the rear at highway speeds swinging like a boat, which I though was due to a broken shock, springs were newly installed in 2020. I noticed…”
filed Sep 20, 2020
“My friend was driving down the road in the same model car as mine 1997 4runner and his frame snapped from rust. He said he could barely keep it on the road but managed to slowly creep forward until he got home. This story scared me because I have the same exact car, so I go to check my frame and…”
filed May 5, 2015
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Power Train problems in other 4RUNNER years
| Year | Reports | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 4RUNNER | 2 | 4% |
| 2023 4RUNNER | 2 | 7% |
| 2022 4RUNNER | 1 | 3% |
| 2021 4RUNNER | 1 | 3% |
| 2020 4RUNNER | 1 | 3% |
| 2019 4RUNNER | 4 | 6% |
| 2018 4RUNNER | 3 | 5% |
| 2017 4RUNNER | 1 | 3% |
| 2016 4RUNNER | 6 | 8% |
| 2015 4RUNNER | 4 | 5% |
| 2014 4RUNNER | 1 | 1% |
| 2013 4RUNNER | 1 | 3% |
Other reported problem areas on the 1997 Toyota 4RUNNER
Counts are unique NHTSA complaints naming this component group. Complaints are unverified owner reports; mileage is computed only from complaints that included a usable odometer reading.