I took my 2003 4Runner to the dealer and they sent pictures to toyota. I asked that the customer service rep contact me next time he was in the area. Toyota replaced the frame with me paying a 2500.00 deductible. Now I still have the car and will wait for the recall/class action suit that someone will file to get reimbursed. I hear it was due to the frames being dipped in Alabama.
View 2 RepliesHave a 1998 Mitsubishi Montero.
Best car I've ever owned. 184K miles, never once failed to start.
I was crushed to discover this spot of frame cancer on the driverside rear portion of the frame behind the rear wheel (attached images) .
Is this terminal?
Is it safe to drive and therefore potentially crash this vehicle?
Before the ground froze I dug a 10x18x10 foot deep hole in the backyard....
I've never used a rust converter, so I have no experience and wanted to hear from those who have. I've got some light rust on the frame rails and the hitch receiver. What product would you recommend, or do these products work well enough to consider? According to all of the websites, they all work miracles...
View 3 RepliesMy 02 F-250 (week end truck) has begun to start showing a lot more surface rust on frame and axles. It's about half rust and half black frame. Are there any products that I can spray or brush on that will convert and stop this. ?
View 6 RepliesBought a 2013 FX4 two weeks ago to replace my 94 F150 and got to enjoy it for a whole 10 days before I got rear ended at a stop light. The car hit me doing between 30-40, fast enough to make her airbags go off, and it was hard enought to force the bed to hit the cab. Unfortunately, the damage is more than cosmetic body work. The bottom of the bed is pushed up under the bedliner and the frame is bent in front of where the leaf spring connects. My concern is that the adjuster will want to "fix" the frame and I will be stuck with a lifetime of alignment issues, suspension issues, etc. I know the rear of the frame is not as much an issue as if the front was bent, but I don't know how they could fix it without cutting it and welding in a new piece, and how can I know that the frame is true?
View 14 RepliesI have a 2005 Tundra, 60K miles. Dealership just told me the frame is rusted out, with actual holes in frame under driver side. Said car was unsafe to drive or have on road. Called Toyota and opened case but said I was out of warranty and they were not accountable.
View 19 RepliesI rented a 2010 Toyota Matrix with 29,000 miles from Hertz Rent2Buy and noticed rust in the engine compartment screw heads, hose clamps, battery clamp, and on top of the shock housing. The pipe before the muffler has it also. The inside smells fine and the car runs fine. I ran an autocheck report and nothing bad came up. I took it to a local Midas shop for a visual courtesy check and they said it looked fine and that it could have been from humidity or rain if hood was open. The car was registered originally in FL and then mostly in PA. Is this rust normal or should I be concerned?
View 13 RepliesI park in a parking garage for work. A rusted pipe leaked on to my car hood for a while apparently and now my hood is rusted. I took it to a body shop down the street and the serviceman said I needed to repaint and reseal the hood and front bumper.
I went to my garage ownership and complained and they said they will take care of it and gave me a number to call. The repairman made it sound like he wants to just "buff it out".
I'm not a car expert by any means. Does this seem like a "cheap" fix and should I argue more with my garage?
I have a 2013 Highlander which I purchased new. about a month ago I noticed rust all over my third row seat when I opened it. As I looked I found rust all under the seats and not only on the third row but also the first and second row also. The car is garage kept and has had no leaks. My dealership tells me it is not a Toyota problem.
View 1 RepliesI purchased a 2011 Toyota Rav 4 brand new less than a year and a half ago, and am now noticing that the rims are starting to rust. I am careful to get the road salt off and the car is washed often enough. I also noticed that some of the lug nuts are getting rusty. I am assuming that this should be covered as the car is still under warranty but I'm assuming the dealer will fight me on this. I have also noticed that this seems to be an inherent problem with the Rav 4 as I have seen it on others.
View 4 RepliesI've got a friend with a 1990 Toyota 4Runner Manual transmission with ~170k miles on the clock. He's been having an issue for quite some time that he hasn't been able to be resolved. Basically he's got an issue with the vehicle erratically NOT starting when it is hot outside. The vehicle starts fine when it is cold outside, but when it is hot he erratically (only happens sometimes) get a "click" noise from the engine compartment with no engine turn over or anything. He is then at the mercy of the vehicle and sometimes just has to try multiple times or wait it out for awhile and try again. Sometimes just opening the hood, looking around a minute, closing it, and re-trying is able to get it to start, but other times not. Other times, and I quote from him, "sometimes i just get really upset and stomp on the clutch, get out of the truck and just shake/rock it, sometimes that'll do it." It happens if the engine is cold or hot, it only matters that it is hot outside, above ~90 degrees. Below is a list of stuff that has been done to try and resolve the issue, but hasn't really worked.
Steps taken:
Replace Battery
Replaced the Alternator 2 years ago
Replaced the Battery Connectors (some were corroded)
Possible Starter Replacement within the past 5 years (double checking paperwork)Rewired jumper wire from battery to starter
Seems sensor or solenoid related to me, but I'm unfamiliar with this vehicle/quirks.....
Every once in a while first thing in the morning my car will start and then die on me. It is random, but more likely to happen in damp weather and cooler weather ( cool for Florida), and when the gas is low (1/4 tank) but not consistently. I put in engine cleaner. Every mechanic I speak to says they need to see the car when it happens. This is not practical b/c it does not happen every day and only first thing in the morning.Recently, after driving 38 miles on the highway when I stop at DD for coffee and the car has been dying as I go through the drive through and the light after. Not sure if it is my imagination, but it seems to do better if I turn off the ac. The car is a '99 4Runner.
View 2 RepliesLast night my 2007 Toyota 4Runner started up on its own. The vehicle had been completely turned off, the keys were not in the ignition, and it doesn't even have a remote start. After a little while, the vehicle then turned itself off. It continued to turn itself on and off throughout the night. What could be wrong with my SUV?
View 10 RepliesThe CEL on my 3.0l 93 4runner intermittently turns itself off and on. I have had it to a shop and got error code 25 and error code 26. (If the numbers are wrong the codes meant lean/rich mix. The first time this happened the shop replaced the O2 sensor. When the light came back on the shop said the problem was the "mass air flow (something)". The shop ordered a new MAF and after testing the new one and the old one decided the MAF was not the problem. At this point I'm just ignoring the light and driving the vehicle. The vehicle does seem to run just fine.
View 11 RepliesAlright, need to decide between a 2000 Passat 4motion with 108k miles, no maintenance history - OR - a 1997 Toyota 4runner, all maintenance history available, 150k, new breaks, timing and water pump just done. The VW is 1k more. I should add the 4runner has zero rust, and no frame rot.
Here is why I'm having a hard time.
1. I like VW's
2. MPG / Cost for gas is actually LESS for the 4runner... no premium, 4motion nets 17mpg avg - 4runner nets 16mpg avg (I drive 50/50 city highway).
The roads where I live are HORRIBLE - 1ft deep potholes are normal in the city, and unavoidable, expansion joints rise up to 4" at times- which feels like hitting a damn log.
I wrench my own cars, I've never gone to a mechanic or dealer ever. Had a mk2 gti, mk2 jetta, mk3 vr6 gti, a mk3 cabrio, and a mk4 jetta 1.8t in my past. Ive done timing belts, CV's, wheel bearings, control arms, struts, rebuilt heads. BUT- the Passat looks to be a complete PITA to work on (insane timing belt procedure, 8 front control arms, TCM water rot issues, etc). The 4runner appears on surface- to be much easier to wrench on - I could be wrong. I do have a VAGCOM, which supports a bit on the VW.
I love VW's - but I want AWD (or true 4x4), space, and something I can actually work on. The reason for AWD is I have family near the upper peninsula of MI I would like to visit year round.
I have a 2003 Highlander and noticed on when you open the door, there small spot of rust.
View 15 RepliesI purchased a new 2015 Toyota Corolla this last June. While installing car seat covers this weekend, I lifted up the backseat and saw a good deal of rust on the hinges and bar that's bolted to the floor. The bolts are shiny and look new. I'm waiting for a call back from the dealership, but wanted to know if this is normal.
View 19 RepliesI have a 93 4Runner, and it won't start all it will do is turn over, But won't start, my dad has tried everything we could think of It has gas, an new battery and new battery cables...
What is the location of the MASS AIRFLOW SENSOR, AND THE MAIN COMPUTER...
I have a 98 toyota 4runner. Limited, automatic transmission, 4wd, 6cly. 3.4L. Recently my 4runner was towed and after picking it up from the impound lot I went to test the 4wd. This model has a separate shifter for 4wd with an on the fly button which you press to engage 4hi. Well, when I went to test it the 4wd the light did not come on and I felt no "clunk" as I normally do when engaging the 4wd, (this is even after driving a few feet.) So I went to test the 4lo. I put the transmission in neutral and pushed the 4wd shifter forward to the neutral position as I tired to go one more to the 4lo position it began producing a horrible grinding sound. I didn't push the shifter all the way forward for fear of further damaging something so I went to put it back into 4hi and again this horrid grinding sound. Basically the 4runner was stuck with the transfer case in neutral? It wouldn't even go into park with out making this horrible sound, so I had to shut everything down and put it back into park and hi mode. When I turned it on again I tried it again and still the same result.The 4runner works just fine in 2wd. And eventually the 4wd light came on after driving a few blocks with the button pressed although, I'm not sure the 4wd was even engaged because I never felt the "clunk." It is still grinding when trying to shift into 4lo. Fluids are changed regularly and it is very well maintained. It has 228XXX miles.
View 3 RepliesI have a 1989 manual drive TOYOTA 4RUNNER, diesel. My mechanic has done everything, new head gasket, machined the head for warp, pressure tested the engine block, and the engine oil is still leaking into the radiator. My car used to have Air-condition but since it hasn't worked for over 5 years the compressor was removed, could this have caused the oil to leak after all those years.
View 7 RepliesMy car engine wont turn over. I can hear the starter going when I turn the key but the engine wont start. My battery is old and when I read volt meter in my car the line is right in the middle. When I tried getting jump started by a friend the engine still wont turn over. I'm wondering if this is due to a bad battery that drained because of cold weather or something else. 1995 Toyota 4runner 251,900 miles...
View 9 Replies