2003 Toyota 4RUNNER service brakes problems
44 owner complaints filed with NHTSA name the service brakes on the 2003 Toyota 4RUNNER — 8% of all complaints for this model year.
What owners report
“The VSC system in the vehicle becomes disabled due to a firmware 'glitch' identified by Toyota when an emission system issue is detected by the onboard diagnostic system. The VSC system is listed as an 'essential safety feature,' so I'm curious why a recall was never ordered to patch defective…”
filed Jan 17, 2023
“Due to severe rust underneath the vehicle, there have been a few issues that have made the vehicle very unsafe to drive. Last week, both of my rear brake lines were completely done and leaking brake fluid leaving me with no brakes. This was due to rust and corrosion that had eaten the metal lines…”
filed Jul 29, 2021
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Service Brakes problems in other 4RUNNER years
| Year | Reports | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 4RUNNER | 20 | 37% |
| 2023 4RUNNER | 2 | 7% |
| 2022 4RUNNER | 5 | 13% |
| 2021 4RUNNER | 6 | 18% |
| 2020 4RUNNER | 5 | 16% |
| 2019 4RUNNER | 5 | 8% |
| 2018 4RUNNER | 6 | 10% |
| 2017 4RUNNER | 9 | 25% |
| 2016 4RUNNER | 5 | 6% |
| 2015 4RUNNER | 4 | 5% |
| 2014 4RUNNER | 5 | 6% |
| 2013 4RUNNER | 5 | 14% |
Other reported problem areas on the 2003 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.