So I bought my 2006 V8 Limited with 72,XXX miles just about a month ago.

Since the time I purchased it, I've had the following happen-

Homelink not working

XM literally quit the day after I got it. Won't even turn on. Called XM and they say the vehicle doesn't have XM(!?) I have a factory NAVw/JBL with a SAT button.

I've developed a front end clunk when turning the wheel to the right. (Had dealer check and they couldn't reproduce. But said all suspension parts are good)

I hear a click coming from the right rear tire (They checked this also- blamed it on aftermarket exhaust, to which I told them it was there before the exhaust-no response. I'm hoping it's not rear bearings though...)

Sunroof molding took a crap- Now sunroof won't tilt up, or slide all the way open

Dealer says the transmission needs flushed (normal maintenance-not a big deal)

Dealer says battery is going bad (Again-maintenance,I'll get it checked)

Forgot one more thing- Intermittent VSC/TRAC OFF and Traction Light come on,but no CEL. I'm able to get them to turn off by turning off and the car back on. I tried the gas cap, but that's not it. Hope it's not a catalytic converter...

The car seemed well maintained when I test drove it. Carfax looked good, but since buying it, it's been one thing after another. I know maintenance things happen and it's part of ownership, but this is crazy.

Any thoughts on anything I should be checking for some of these??

i wouldn't use the sunroof at all till you get that fixed, you may mess it up worse

don't ask me how I know

Do you know if the Homelink is transmitting or can you not program it, what do you mean it doesn't work? I could never program my ex GF's gate remote to my 4Runner for some reason, was very frustrating, but worked with another remote. I also don't remember if we ever offered XM on 4Runner in '06...

The clunk is interesting, I wonder what it could be really...

Why you people insist on using something as uselessly problematic as sunroofs is beyond me... Electronic Sunroofs are nothing but expensive problems waiting to happen, I wouldn't open it, tilt it, or even look at it until you fix it (that way you don't make it worse) and when you do fix it, don't touch it...ever.

Also, why does everyone think that the gas cap is always the problem for every light that goes on dash? You have an intermitent issue with the ABS/TRAC/VSC system if just the ABS/TRAC lights are turning on, without a MIL; I would venture to guess it most likely is a Zero Point Calibration issue, most shops don't reset the system when they do an alignment and/or it does get out of whack over time.

Sun roof. Get it fixed, and leave it shut forever.
Lights. Sounds like a wheel speed sensor or something going nuts, have you had an alignment lately?
Clunk.....just parked and turning to the right? Does it doit when you back up? It could be the CV. I overpacked my CV once and it caused a suction, and every time my suspension moved just right it would release and cause a clunk in the drivetrain. However there are about 100 things that can clunk on a 4runner. Caliper, shock bolt, spare tire mount, CV, slip yolk, tie rod, wheel bearing, ball joint, crap you left sitting under the seat. Exc. GL with that one.

For the sunroof, if you're not going to used it just have it molded into place. It won't open, but you can still see out. I'm confused why these trucks have so many problems with sunroofs. My mom has a 1995 Lexus LS400 (for now, she could possibly be getting my truck. We'll see) with a sunroof and it works perfectly, doesn't creek or even squeak when it is opened. Then again, that car was $53,000 new in 1995. We have the original business cards from the salesmen and it says digital beeper. Not even an email on it

I'm also confused as to why you're complaining about problems on a USED vehicle. When I bought mine I knew stuff was going to need replacing, and when it came up I fixed it and moved on. Then again it was only a few things, breaks, tires, a caliper and I'm going to need some rotors since they're warping. Fix it, move on. If you can't maintain a vehicle, it won't be any help to you as transportation, or offroad fun since its a 4Runner.

XM literally quit the day after I got it. Won't even turn on. Called XM and they say the vehicle doesn't have XM(!?) I have a factory NAVw/JBL with a SAT button.

I know this may sound stupid but are you sure it has XM? Does the truck have a XM antenna on the truck and does it have the XM box that plugs into the radio? Just because it has a SAT button does not mean it has XM.

I've developed a front end clunk when turning the wheel to the right. (Had dealer check and they couldn't reproduce. But said all suspension parts are good)

This could be a lot of things but I would try first putting some wheel bearing grease on the turn stop screws for the front wheels. Sometimes they clunk very loud and its also the cheapest thing to try out.


Sunroof molding took a crap- Now sunroof won't tilt up, or slide all the way open
Don't mess with it anymore. It sounds like you may need cables that open it. If it get stuck open its a PITA to close. It's an expensive repair. I would just leave it closed.

Dealer says the transmission needs flushed (normal maintenance-not a big deal)
This truck should have WS fluid which has no dipstick to check the fluid and toyota says the fluid is good until 100k. So how does the dealer know yours needs to be flushed? I would personally flush it now since WS fluid is always dark and nasty at 100k but I would want to know why the dealer recommends it.

Dealer says battery is going bad (Again-maintenance,I'll get it checked)

Forgot one more thing- Intermittent VSC/TRAC OFF and Traction Light come on,but no CEL. I'm able to get them to turn off by turning off and the car back on. I tried the gas cap, but that's not it. Hope it's not a catalytic
converter...

it sounds like you need to zero point calibrate your truck. When the battery goes bad and drops below a certain voltage your truck may throw the code for zero point. You just said the battery is going bad so I would bet thats your problem. Change the battery first and set your zero point and you should be good.

I'm confused why these trucks have so many problems with sunroofs. My mom has a 1995 Lexus LS400

They changed the design of the cables and motor since then. The new Lexus cars have the same sunroof issues with the cables. I think the changed over around 2004. All the Lexus and Toyotas from the 90s and early 2000s never had sunroof issues at least none that I ever saw taken to the dealer. After the new design is when they went to hell. The grease also gets hard as a rock and makes things worse. I have not seen to many sunroof issues in a while so many they have things under control now or its not been warm enough for people to start opening them everyday.

Also the early 90s LS400s were built like nothing else. Most of those cars today are still rattle free and smooth riding. They built them extremely well got a name for quality then dropped quality in favor of quantity.

Mudman is right, a lot of manufacturers went to these cable driven designs for the sunroofs and they fail alot; not just Toyota. They also make repairing them ridiculously complex and expensive (some have one use clips, so if you put it together wrong you have to break them to take the unit apart!)

One thing to note though Mudman, is that the '03-'04 model years are the ones with the memory loss issue. The '03-'04 4Runners have teh quirky issue where ZPC data is erased/corrupted when the battery voltage drops below about 11v-ish (I haven't measured the exact amount) the newer 4Runners don't have this issue, but that isn't to say they won't do weird things at lower voltages, just that its not a 100% guaranteed thing like in the '03-'04's.

Do you only hear it when turning at full lock and when going over a bump? If so, then the fix takes 30 seconds and costs next to nothing -- grease your steering stops:

Rubbing/grinding noise

If that isn't it, another possibility is the sway bar bushings are shot, though those would also sometimes cause a clunk when driving straight and going over a bump. That's a relatively inexpensive fix as well.

Well, I wasn't complaining about the vehicle or maintenance. Owning ANY vehicle new or used requires maintenance. I was simply looking for some help on some of the items as 95% of the problems that owners run into have been addressed before. Problem I was read and read but wasn't getting very far that way, so I thought I'd ask.

XM- I will have to check under the dash, but as I posted, the vehicle had XM working for two days when I first got it. I was able to select the SAT button, change XM stations, see the song and artist displayed- everything. But it might be an add-on to the vehicle, so I'll check. There is a small antenna that looks like it would be for satellite radio (unless it's for the GPS..?)

Clunk-It's only when I turn right and it seems to not be side-specific; Seems to be more in the center, which would seem more like a steering issue maybe. And it's not there when I hit a bump. I did lift the front right and I tried to move the tire back and forth and it didn't budge. So, I'm thinking the front end parts are good.

VSC/TRAC Off- Thanks for the info Mudman. I kept reading about gas cap and catalytic converter issues, which I was hoping it was neither. I started with tightening the gas cap because (as anyone who's ever lived with me will tell you) I suck at tightening lids on ANYTHING.
I plan on getting the battery checked today and go from there. Thanks again.

If you're not ready to keep the sunroof closed and forget about, try this for the tilt function. If it will tilt up at all, clean and dress the rubber gasket as much as you can with what you can reach. Close and attempt again. The rubber gasket swells, or gets sticky or something and makes the roof stutter when tilting. Maybe this is the result of using dressing in the first place, I don't know, but if you keep the gasket clean and lubed and use the roof often, it can work. It's a high maintenance device that requires frequent use and attention to stay working. I have a specific use for mine that I value highly so I'm willing to do that. YMMV.

Does the clunk occur when you are at full lock (steering wheel turned as far as it can go) or not? If the clunk only occurs at full lock, chances are it will be solved by greasing the steering stops. If the clunk occurs when you are not turning at full lock, then it isn't the steering stops.

I have to agree with others about that sunroof. I would leave it alone until it's fixed. I work at a car dealership and we had to take a BMW 7 series to the dealership for a sunroof issue (we weren't working on it because it was under factory warranty). I just hopped in the car and took off, and did not even touch the sunroof button. Well I was going down the highway at 70 MPH and all of a sudden the sunroof flies off the car and slams down on the pavement. I went back later to find it (for insurance reasons) and believe it or not, it didn't have a scratch on it! But it scared the crap out of me haha!

This is exactly where I found it:



And as for the other issues. You'd be surprised at what you can figure out on your own. After I got my 4Runner lifted, the right front wheel was making a scraping noise (not when braking). I just took the tire off and immediately saw the issue. When they installed my lift they accidentally bent the brake shield (or whatever that thing is) juuuuust slightly to where you can't notice it's bent unless you're driving it and hear the noise. Easy fix I did myself that took 5 minutes!

Just to give an update on some of the issues...

The front end clunk ended up being a loose steering component. I had them do an alignment as well.

TRAC OFF LIGHTS- I haven't had the light come on in over two weeks, but I did have the battery checked and it's going bad, so that will be replaced this weekend.

Sunroof- I haven't touched it,but it's closed and not leaking. I do park it in the garage at night, so I'm not worried about leakage too much.

Transmission- I know in other cars I've had, people have stayed away from the transmission flush. Is it safe in the 4Runner to have it done? I'm at 75K.
I'd like to get it done soon. Just looking for a yes or no on the flush.

If you're going to do anything with the transmission, do it by drain and fill and not a machine. The Machines can actually mess up a transmission.

I second that. It's easy enough to do yourself but a drain/refill is the way to go. If it's really bad you will need for drain it a few times but that's not a big deal