1997 Toyota 4runner Cruise Control Problems

While driving 65 mph, your 4Runner suddenly veered to the right on its own, causing the driver to lose control. The vehicle crashed into a guard rail, wooden post, fence, and tree. The passenger airbag deployed, but the driver-side airbag status is unclear. This crash resulted in serious injuries and a fatality. The vehicle was not inspected or repaired to determine the cause of the unintended steering.

I WAS ON HIGHWAY 101 DRIVING HOME RECENTLY IN MY 97 4RUNNER WITH 200,000+ MILES ON IT AFTER A FULL SERVICING AT TOYOTA OF SANTA CRUZ AND MY ACCELERATOR STUCK, IDLING AT 3-4K RPM. AFTER THE PANIC MODE OF NOT BEING ABLE TO STOP AND REALIZING THE BRAKES WILL NOT STOP A REVVING ENGINE, I PUT IT IN NEUTRAL AND SLOWED THE VEHICLE AS THE ENGINE REVVED. I PUT IT BACK IN DRIVE AND IT SEEMED TO BE OK. I GOT TO AN AREA WHERE I COULD TEST IT OUT SAFELY AND THE SAME THING HAPPENED AND I HAD TO PUT IT NEUTRAL AGAIN. I CONTINUED TO DRIVE, BUT IT FINALLY FROZE AT 3-4K RPM AND I HAD TO PULL TO THE SIDE AND GET TOWED. I HAD IT TOWED TO TOYOTA OF SANTA CRUZ AND THE NEXT DAY WAS INFORMED THAT THE BRAIDING ON THE THROTTLE CABLE CAME APART IN THE THROTTLE HOUSING AND THE MAINTENANCE'S WOULD NOT HAVE FOUND THE PROBLEM. THE FIX WAS RELATIVELY INEXPENSIVE, $200 AND THE TOW WAS $200. THAT WOULD NOT BE A PROBLEM IF IT HADN'T BEEN SUCH A SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD, BUT THIS WAS A MAJOR SAFETY HAZARD NOT ONLY TO MYSELF, BUT TO ANYONE THAT I WAS ON THE ROAD WITH. I UNDERSTAND THAT THE VEHICLE IS AN OLDER VEHICLE, BUT I'M GUESSING THAT THIS IS NOT THE 1ST TIME THAT THIS HAS HAPPENED. AND MY WORST THOUGHT IS THAT POSSIBLY MY DAUGHTER, GIRLFRIEND (WHICH IS A NEW DRIVER) OR ANYONE ELSE FOR THAT MATTER COULD HAVE BEEN DRIVING THE VEHICLE AND WHO KNOWS WHAT MAY HAVE HAPPENED. SO, IT LOOKS LIKE TOYOTA HAS QUITE A FEW SAFETY ISSUES THAT THEY HAVE BEEN IGNORING FOR QUITE A FEW YEARS. ON TOP OF THAT, IT SEEMS THAT THEY SHOULD HAVE AT LEAST PAID FOR THE REPAIRS FOR SENDING ME OUT IN THEIR DEATH TRAP WITH NO WARNING. I'M GOING TO BE BUYING ANOTHER CAR SOON AND I WILL TO THINK TWICE ABOUT BUYING ANOTHER TOYOTA. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 TOYOTA 4RUNNER. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, APPROACHING A STOP SIGN. WHILE DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL THE VEHICLE SURGED FORWARD. AN OPPOSING VEHICLE CRASHED INTO THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO ENTER THE MEDIAN AND ROLL OVER. THE DRIVER INVOLVED IN THE ROLL OVER CRASH WAS AIR LIFTED TO A HOSPITAL. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER. THE VEHICLE WAS COMPLETELY DESTROYED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 210,000.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 TOYOTA 4RUNNER. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED ON ITS OWN UP TO 100 MPH. HE BEGAN SHIFTING FROM NEUTRAL GEAR TO DRIVE AND VICE VERSA TO SLOW THE VEHICLE DOWN. HE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER WHO STATED THAT AN AFTER MARKET ALARM BOX WAS TUCKED BEHIND THE PEDAL. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE BOX MAY HAVE CAUSED THE FAILURE. ANOTHER DEALER TOLD HER THAT A CABLE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. HE CALLED THE MANUFACTURER BUT RECEIVED NO ASSISTANCE. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED WHEN THE COMPLAINT WAS FILED. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 108,000. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 107,038.

1N AUGUST OF 2004 I OWNED A 1997 TOYTOA 4 RUNNER. IT ACCELERATED ON ITS OWN TO 95 MILES PER HOUR. I HAD IT TOWED TO A TOYTOA DEALERSHIP AFTER 2MONTHS THERE THEY TOLD ME IT WAS CAUSED BY AMLFUNCTION IB THE CRUISE CONTROL EVEN THOUGH THE CRUISE CONTROL WAS NOT ON THE REPAIR COST ME OVER 15OO DOLLARS. THE SAME THING HAPPENED AGAIN 6 MONTHS LATTER I THEN BRROUGHT IT TO A LOCAL SERVICE STATION WHERE THE MECHANIC STATED THAT IT WAS AGAIN CAUSED BY A MALFUNCTION OF THE CRUISE CONTROL. IT SAID THE SIMPLE ANSWER WAS TO DISENGAGE THE CRUISE CONTROL WHICH COST ME 40 DOLLARS AND I NEVER HAD THIS PROBLEM AGAIN. I WROTE TO TOYTOA BUT THERE NEVER ANSWERED ME. *TR

MY CAR WAS RACING WHEN I WAS AT A STOP LIGHT. ALSO, I WAS GOING THROUGH MY GAS PRETTY QUICKLY. I BROUGHT IT TO THE DEALER AND THEY REPLACED THE ELECTRONICS - THEY SAID I HAD TO HAVE THIS REPLACED, I COULD NOT DRIVE OFF THE LOT BECAUSE IT WAS SO DANGEROUS. I NO LONGER HAVE THIS CAR BUT I WANTED TO REPORT THIS BECAUSE IT IS A TOYOTA 4 RUNNER AND THEY HAVE NOT BEEN RECALLED. VIN NUMBER ATTACHED FOR MAINTENANCE LOOKUP. *TR

THE GAS PEDAL ON MY WIFE'S 1997 TOYOTA 4RUNNER LTD STUCK, AND ALMOST CAUSED HER TO CRASH. SHE WAS DRIVING BETWEEN 30 AND 40MPH WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN THE VEHICLE DID NOT SLOW DOWN WHEN LETTING OFF THE GAS PEDAL, INSTEAD IT SPED UP AFTER LETTING OFF OF THE GAS PEDAL. SHE TRIED THE BRAKES, THEY GRABBED, BUT THE VEHICLE STILL CONTINUED TO SPEED UP. SHE THEN APPLIED THE EMERGENCY BRAKE, AGAIN, THE VEHICLE DID NOT SLOW DOWN. FINALLY SHE PUT THE TRANSMISSION INTO PARK AND THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO MOVE UNTIL SHE TURNED OFF THE VEHICLE. I FEEL LIKE THIS NEEDS TO BE REPORTED TO SOMEONE, TO MAKE MY WIFE AND MYSELF FEEL THAT WE DID OUR PART BY REPORTING SUCH AN UNACCEPTABLE OCCURANCE.

WHILE PULLING VEHICLE INTO A PARKING SPACE AND SHIFTING GEAR INTO PARK, VEHICLE JUMPED OUT OF GEAR, AND SUDDENLY ACCELERATED. RAN INTO NEXT PARKED VEHICLE. NO INJURIES REPORTED. DEALER NOTIFIED. *AK

WHILE DRIVING AT 60-65 MPH, USING CRUISE CONTROL, WHEN TAKING CRUISE CONTROL OFF, IT WOULDN'T GO OFF. USED BRAKES, BRAKES DIDN'T WORK, VEHICLE WOULDN'T SLOW DOWN. VEHICLE IMMEDIATELY VIBRATED AND ROLLED OVER DOWN A 25 FOOT EMBANKMENT. DEALER NOT AWARE. *AK

VEHICLE WAS IN AN INSIDE PARKING LOT. OWNER WAS PARKING AND HAD FOOT ON THE BRAKE THE TRUCK JUMPED BACK AND ACCELERATED FORWARD, THEN HIT A CONCRETE WALL. *AK