1999 Toyota 4runner Transmission Problems

REAR END RUSTED OUT AND FLUID LEAKED OUT,DESTROYING RING AND PINION WHILE ON HIGHWAY AFTER TRAVELLING ABOUT 20 MILES.

THE VEHICLE STALLS, INCOSISTENTLY, BUT, ON A FREQUENT BASIS, AT ANY GIVEN TIME, THEN WILL BE FINE FOR A LONG PERIOD OF TIME. IT EATS BATTERIES. I'VE HAD TO REPLACE THE BATTERY EVERY YEAR. A LOCAL AUTOMOTIVE ELECTRICAL SPECIALIST REPLACED THE B+ CABLE FROM THE BATTERY TO THE STARTER, AND THE PROBLEM WENT AWAY FOR A YEAR, BUT, HAS SINCE RETURNED. I RECENTLY UPGRADED TO A BATTERY WITH MORE CRANKING WATTS, AND HAVE EEN IMPROVEMENT. HOWEVER. THERE'S THE ISSUE OF THE HESITATION, JERKING, AND LOSS OF POWER, WHEN TAKING OFF AFTER 1ST START OF THE DAY, REPLACED PLUGS, AND BATTERY AND DID A TUNE - UP, BUT, IT MADE NO DIFFERENCE. VERY DANGEROUS AND HAVE ALMOST BEEN INVOLVED IN ACCIDENTS MULTIPLE TIMES, AS A RESULT, INCLUDING DYING WHILE TOWING A TRAILER, SMACK DAB IN THE MIDDLE OF A 4-WAY INTERSECTION OF A TRAFFIC - CHOKED COASTAL HIGHWAY IN THE MIDDLE OF A POPULAR BEACH RESORT, FEATURING OVER 200 OUTLET SHOPS AND MALLS, MID-DAY, ON THE 4TH OF JULY WEEKEND, AND A SATURDAY AT THAT,, AND HAVING TO CONTACT ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE 5 TIMES, TO GET IT GOING AGAIN, TO GET TO MY DESTINATION, LESS THAN 6 MILES AWAY, AND HAVING TO DRIVE ON THE ROAD'S SHOULDER THE WHOLE WAY, IN CASE OF ANOTHER BREAK-DOWN,

THERE IS SIGNIFICANT RUST ON THE FRAME OF THE VEHICLE. PARTICULARLY WHERE THE CONTROL ARMS ARE WELDED TO THE BODY. IN ADDITION, THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL HAS COMPLETELY RUSTED THROUGH AND HAS RESULTED IN GEAR OIL LEAKING THROUGH MULTIPLE HOLES IN THE DIFFERENTIAL COVER. THE ENTIRE REAR END WILL NEED TO BE REPLACED IN ORDER TO REMEDY THE ISSUE. *JS

PASSENGER FRAME SHOWING SIGNS OF RUST THRU OF FRAME IN FRONT OF PASSENGER REAR WHEEL ABOUT A 3 INCH LONG HOLE. *TR

MY TRUCK WAS BEING DRIVEN ON A LONG TRIP. THE DIFFERENTIAL STARTING MAKING A WHINING NOISE THAT GOT LOUDER AND LOUDER. I STOPPED AT AN OIL CHANGE PLACE AT MY DESTINATION TO HAVE THEM CHECK THE FLUID. IT WAS ALMOST EMPTY. TOPPED IT UP AND CHANCED DRIVING IT 400 MILES BACK TO CHICAGO. I MADE IT OK AND HAD MECHANIC LOOK AT IT. THE DIFFERENTIAL WAS SO RUSTED THAT IT HAD HOLES THAT ALLOWED IT TO LEAK. THE MECHANIC TRIED TO FIND A USED ONE BUT THEY ALL HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. AN INTERNET SEARCH TURNED UP COUNTLESS EXAMPLES OF RUSTED DIFFERENTIALS ON TOYOTA TRUCKS SPANNING MANY YEARS. THERE IS ALSO EXTENSIVE RUSTING ON THE FRAME, AXLE SPARE TIRE MOUNT. THIS IS OBVIOUSLY A LONG TERM TOYOTA PROBLEM. *TR

REAR AXLE HOUSING DEVELOPS PREMATURE AND DETRIMENTAL METAL SCALING AND RUST, CAUSING DIFFERENTIAL BELL HOUSING TO LEAK GEAR OIL. THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN REPORTED ON A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF 1999 THROUGH 2002 4RUNNERS IN A CONSISTENT MANNER AND PATTERN. TOYOTA MOTORS HAS FAILED TO ACKNOWLEDGE OR RESEARCH THE PROBLEM AND USES THE DEFENSE THAT THESE VEHICLES ARE OUTSIDE OF WARRANTY PERIOD. HOWEVER, A CONSISTENT PATTERN OF QUALITY IN THIS PARTICULAR PROBLEM SHOULD WARRANT AN INVESTIGATION BY NHTSA AS TOYOTA HAS BEEN SHOWN TO HIDE AND DISTORT CLAIMS BY THEIR LOYAL CUSTOMER IN ORDER TO COVER UP THESE TYPES OF PROBLEMS. PLEASE SEE HTTP://WWW.4RUNNERFORUM.COM/FORUM/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?T=1948 FOR ONE OF THE MANY THREADS RELATED TO THIS TOPIC THAT DEMONSTRATES THAT THE PROBLEM IS PERSISTENT AND TOYOTA HAS FAILED TO RECOGNIZE IT. *TT

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 TOYOTA 4RUNNER. THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT HIS DIFFERENTIAL HOUSING WAS LEAKING FLUID. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER; HOWEVER, THEY DID NOT OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 135,000.

FRAME ON 1999 TOYOTA 4RUNNER HAS RUSTED THROUGH IN FRONT OF REAR AXLE ATTACHMENT ON DRIVER'S AND PASSENGER'S SIDES. REAR DIFFERENTIAL COVER HAS ALSO RUSTED TO POINT WHERE DIFFERENTIAL FLUID IS LEAKING OUT. THE VEHICLE IS WELL MAINTAINED AND WASHED REGULARLY WITH NO RUST ANYWHERE BUT FRAME AND REAR DIFFERENTIAL. THE VEHICLE IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE AND MUST BE REPAIRED ACCORDING TO MECHANIC. TOYOTA STATES THAT THEY HAVE A VOLUNTARY BUY-BACK PROGRAM ON TACOMA'S OF SAME VINTAGE, BUT NOT FOR THE 4RUNNER? *LN

REAR AXLE HOUSING DEVELOPS PREMATURE AND DETRIMENTAL METAL SCALING AND RUST, CAUSING DIFFERENTIAL BELL HOUSING TO LEAK GEAR OIL. THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN REPORTED ON A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF 1999 THROUGH 2002 4RUNNERS IN A CONSISTENT MANNER AND PATTERN. TOYOTA MOTORS HAS FAILED TO ACKNOWLEDGE OR RESEARCH THE PROBLEM AND USES THE DEFENSE THAT THESE VEHICLES ARE OUTSIDE OF WARRANTY PERIOD. HOWEVER, A CONSISTENT PATTERN OF QUALITY IN THIS PARTICULAR PROBLEM SHOULD WARRANT AN INVESTIGATION BY NHTSA AS TOYOTA HAS BEEN SHOWN TO HIDE AND DISTORT CLAIMS BY THEIR LOYAL CUSTOMER IN ORDER TO COVER UP THESE TYPES OF PROBLEMS. PLEASE SEE HTTP://WWW.4RUNNERFORUM.COM/FORUM/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?T=1948 FOR ONE OF THE MANY THREADS RELATED TO THIS TOPIC THAT DEMONSTRATES THAT THE PROBLEM IS PERSISTENT AND TOYOTA HAS FAILED TO RECOGNIZE IT. *TR

1999 TOYOTA 4RUNNER REAR DIFFERENTIAL HOUSING RUSTED THROUGH. *TR

INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) I HAVE A 1999 TOYOTA 4RUNNER. BACK IN SEPTEMBER 2009 THE GAS PEDAL GOT STUCK AT FULL THROTTLE WHILE I WAS DRIVING IT. I APPLIED THE BRAKES - PULLED OVER AND TURNED OFF THE KEY. IT SCARED ME TO DEATH. MY DAD LOOKED AT IT AND FOUND THAT THE THROTTLE CABLE PLASTIC COATING WAS COMING APART AND GOT STUCK IN THE CABLE SHIELDING. I CALLED TOYOTA AND THEY SAID IT WOULD COST AROUND $300 TO REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE CABLE. IS THIS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH 1999 TOYOTA 4RUNNERS? SINCE THIS IS DEFINITELY A SAFETY ISSUE, WHY WON'T TOYOTA FIX IT AT THEIR EXPENSE? I CONTACTED TURNER TOYOTA IN MONTROSE COLORADO AND TALKED TO [XXX] IN THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT. [XXX] *TR

1999 TOYOTA 4RUNNER, THE LEFT REAR WHEEL AXLE SEAL IS LEAKING GEAR OIL ALL OVER THE LEFT REAR WHEEL AND BRAKE. I HAVE HAD THE REAR AXLE SEALS REPLACED 5 - 7 TIMES: DECEMBER 2006, JUNE 2007, DECEMBER 2007, JUNE 2008, DECEMBER 2008, AND NOW AGAIN IT IS LEAKING FEBRUARY 2010. THE INDEPENDENT AUTO REPAIR BUSINESS WHERE I TAKE MY VEHICLE SUBSCRIBES TO "ALL DATA' WHICH ASSISTS MECHANICS ALL OVER THE COUNTRY IN SHARING WORK DONE ON VEHICLES; ASSISTING IN DIAGNOSING SIMILAR PROBLEMS, ETC. THERE ARE A TREMENDOUS NUMBER OF SIMILAR LEFT REAR AXLE SEAL FAILURES ON TOYOTA 4-RUNNERS AND PICKUPS 1999 - 2001 WHICH USE THE SAME AXLE LISTED IN THE ALL DATA WEB SITE. MANY OF THESE LIST MULTIPLE TIMES THE SEAL AS FAILED ON THE SAME VEHICLE. . I MY CASE WE HAVE BEEN GETTING THE SEALS FROM TOYOTA. THE REAR BRAKE ON THE LEFT SIDE IS COVERED IN AXLE GREASE WHICH IN MY OPINION WILL SERIOUSLY LIMIT MY BRAKING ABILITY AND COULD CONTRIBUTE TO AND ACCIDENT. I WAS NOT ABLE TO STOP AND REAR ENDED ANOTHER VEHICLE IN THE SUMMER OF 2007. FORTUNATELY NO ONE WAS INJURED IN THIS ACCIDENT. *TR

THIS IS THE 4TH TIME IN 4 YEARS THAT MY 4RUNNER HAS HAD A LEFT REAR AXLE SEAL PROBLEM. THE VEHICLE ONLY HAS 69,000 MILES ON IT, SO THIS PROBLEM ARISES ABOUT EVERY 11- 15K MILES. EACH TIME THE SEALS AND BREAKS HAVE TO BE CHANGED. THE AXLE SHAFT WAS REPLACED LAST TIME, BUT I AM STILL HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM. THERE ARE TONS OF PEOPLE WITH THIS VERY EXPENSIVE RECURRING PROBLEM AND ITS RIDICULOUS THAT TOYOTA KNOWS ABOUT IT BUT DON'T DO ANYTHING. *TR

HAVE A 1999 4RUNNER WHICH SUFFERED RIGHT REAR AXLE GASKET FAILURE AT 59000 MILES. SAME 4RUNNER SUFFERED LEFT REAR AXLE GASKET FAILURE AT 110000 MILES. HAVE OWNED SEVERAL 4RUNNERS (DIFFERENT YEARS) THAT HAVE NEVER HAD REAR AXLE PROBLEMS. HAS ANYONE ELSE HAD SAME PROBLEM. BOTH PROBLEMS WERE DIAGNOSED AT DEALER AND WERE CONSIDERED SAFETY HAZARDS BECAUSE GREASE WAS LEAKING ONTO REAR BRAKE PADS. WOULD ADVISE OTHER OWNERS OF THIS YEAR TO HAVE REAR AXLE SEALS EXAMINED BY DEALER FOR SAME PROBLEM. OTHERS HAVE HAD SAME PROBLEM AND HAVE POSTED REAR AXLE SEAL FAILURES ON WWW.TOYOTA-4RUNNER.ORG. *JB

REAR BRAKE FAILURE DUE TO LEAKING REAR AXLE GREASE SEALS WHICH THROW GREASE ONTO REAR BRAKE SHOES. CAUSING INCONSISTENT AND UNSAFE BRAKING. ACCORDING TO TOYOTA OF AUBURN CALIFORNIA, REPAIRS SIMILAR TO THIS ARE BEING PERFORMED ON SIMILAR VINTAGE TOYOTA FOUR RUNNER MODELS ON A WEEKLY BASIS. THE AVERAGE REPAIR COST IS $850. THIS APPEARS TO BE A VEHICLE MANUFACTURERS DEFECT NOT A STANDARD MAINTENANCE ISSUE AND COULD RESULT IN INJURIES OR DEATH. *JB *NM

DT: CONSUMER STATED THE REAR AXLE SEAL FAILED TWICE WHICH CAUSED THE REAR BRAKES TO FAIL. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN REPAIRED ONCE WHILE UNDER WARRANTY AND IT NEEDS TO BE REPAIRED AGAIN, BUT THE VEHICLE WAS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY. *JB....REAR AXLE SEALS LEAKED FLUID. *AK *SB

WHILE DRIVING FROM BALTIMORE TO WASHINGTON D.C. ON I-95 SPD APPROX 65 MPH. MY 1999 TOYOTA 4RUNNER, STARTED SHAKING VIOLENTLY. SUDDENLY I HEARD A LOUD CRASH, THE CLUTCH PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR, AND I ALMOST LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. I CAUTIOUSLY MOVED THE VEHICLE OVER TO THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD, AND COME TO FIND THAT MY TRANSMISSION HAD LITERALLY FELL OUT FROM UNDER THE 4RUNNER. EVEN THE TRANSFER CASE FELL OFF THE VEHICLE. I HAVE ALL OF MY MAINTANENCE RECORDS, AND THE TOYTA DEALERSHIP THAT SERVICED MY VEHICLE REFUSED TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY, TELLING ME THAT MY VEHICLE WAS OK, THEN IT BREAKING. EVEN TOYOTA CORP. WILL NOT EVEN CONSIDER ANY ASSISTANCE HELPING WITH MY VEHICLE. WHAT SHOULD I DO?*AK

WHILE DRIVING AND WHEN CHANGING GEARS, CONSUMER HEARD A LOUD NOISE, ALSO WHEN PUSHING CLUTCH THE NOISE RETURNED, CONSUMER WAS INFORMED BY DEALER THAT THE THROW OUT BEARING NEEDED TO BE REPLACED.*AK. CONSUMER STATED WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS FIRST PURCHASED THAT THIS PART WOULD BE COVERED UNDER THE POWERTRAIN WARRANTY, HOWEVER CONSUMER WAS INFORMED THAT THE MANUFATURER WOULD NOT COVER THE PART.*JB

TIRES ON THE VEHICLE AT THE TIME OF PURCHASE WERE OF THE INCORRECT SIZE WHICH CAUSED SPEEDODMETER TO REGISTER INCORRECT SPEEDS. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK