Friday, August 7, 2026
RecallGazette

Vehicle problems, recalls & safety intelligence

2007 Toyota 4RUNNER problems & reliability

154 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2007 Toyota 4RUNNER, alongside 5 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.

Owner complaints
154
Recall campaigns
5
Fire reports
3 (2%)
Crash reports
7 (5%)

Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.

NCAP overall rating
Not rated
NHTSA 5-star program
EPA fuel economy
16–18 MPG combined
City 16 · highway 20 (typical trim)
Service bulletins (TSBs)
195
Manufacturer communications on file
Defect investigations
1
NHTSA ODI probes naming this model year

4 complaints report injuries (4 injured).

Most reported problems

ComponentComplaints
Structure40
Unknown OR Other21
Vehicle Speed Control21
Service Brakes19
Suspension14
Electrical System13
Power Train11
Service Brakes, Hydraulic9
Steering9
Engine and Engine Cooling7

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 71,000 miles (middle 50% between 35,000 and 122,794 miles), based on 107 complaints that included mileage.

under 20k
14
20–40k
18
40–60k
16
60–80k
10
80–100k
11
100–150k
22
150k+
16

Complaints by incident year

06
07
08
09
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25

What owners report

  • Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2007 Toyota 4Runner. The contact stated that while attempting to register the vehicle, it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 87,750, and at the time of registration, it was…

    Electrical System · filed Jul 1, 2025

  • Driving along the freeway in winter conditions I used the rear defroster for the back window, this caused the back glass to explode loudly, shattering glass onto belongings, animals and the road behind us. This caused drivers behind us to act evasively and myself as well making a winter driving condition more…

    Electrical System · filed Dec 27, 2024

  • front skid plate rusted and corroded. fame rusted and corroded.suspension parts rusted and corroded.hole in fame.called Toyota of America in Texas told agent what the problem was.he told me no reports at this time on this make.also told me no solutions for this at this time.toyota had this problem with their Tacomas…

    Steering · filed Dec 17, 2024

Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.

Federal defect investigations

Technical service bulletins

195 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2007 Toyota 4RUNNER. The 10 most recent:

  • Some 2005 – 2026 Toyota vehicles that have undergone water intrusion may exhibit a condition in which a musty odor is present. Follow the procedures in this bulletin to remediate the odor and address this condition. The…

    T-SB-0055-24 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 7, 2026

  • The condition known as acid rain is caused by airborne chemicals or particles in the atmosphere, which mix with rainwater, nighttime dew, or high humidity to form acidic compounds. If these contaminants settle and…

    T-SB-0039-24 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 6, 2024

  • To prevent brake rotor rust from forming during transportation and storage, wheel film will be used instead of a cardboard type of anti-rust cover. The purpose of the wheel film is to shield the disc brake rotor from…

    T-SB-0038-24 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 6, 2024

  • Acid rain results from rainwater or other airborne moisture that become acidic due to industrial chemical impurities in the atmosphere. If these acidic compounds settle on an exposed vehicle, especially the horizontal…

    T-SB-0035-24 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 6, 2024

  • Toyota vehicles are currently protected with RapgardTM protective film designed to protect the horizontal painted surfaces. This material protects from acid rain, environmental fallout, and rail contamination. Follow…

    T-SB-0061-23 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 5, 2024

  • Vehicles may occasionally be subjected to contamination by airborne iron particles shed from railroad tracks, train wheels, exposure to heavy machinery facilities, grinding, welding, etc. This type of contamination can…

    T-SB-0062-23 Rev2 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 3, 2024

  • Some 2005 – 2024 Toyota vehicles that have undergone water intrusion may exhibit a condition in which a musty odor is present. Follow the procedures in this bulletin to remediate the odor and address this condition. The…

    T-SB-0055-24 Rev1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 29, 2024

  • Some 2005 – 2024 Toyota vehicles that have undergone water intrusion may exhibit a condition in which a musty odor is present. Follow the procedures in this bulletin to remediate the odor and address this condition. The…

    T-SB-0055-24 Rev1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 29, 2024

  • The condition known as acid rain is caused by airborne chemicals or particles in the atmosphere, which mix with rainwater, nighttime dew, or high humidity to form acidic compounds. If these contaminants settle and…

    T-SB-0039-24 Rev1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 12, 2024

  • To prevent brake rotor rust from forming during transportation and storage, wheel film will be used instead of a cardboard type of anti-rust cover. The purpose of the wheel film is to shield the disc brake rotor from…

    T-SB-0038-24 Rev1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 12, 2024

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

The 2007 Toyota 4RUNNER has 5 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.

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 2007 Toyota 4RUNNER?

  • · 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 71,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.
About this data. Complaint figures come from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation consumer complaint database and count unique complaints (one per NHTSA case number). Complaints are submitted by vehicle owners and are not independently verified; complaint volume also reflects how many of these vehicles are on the road. Recall data comes from the official NHTSA recall database. This page is not affiliated with Toyota or NHTSA.