[harper7]

I've owned a whole bunch of cars/trucks including many high end ones and I don't think there is such a thing as a perfect vehicle and the 5th Gen 4Runner is no exception with a few minor problems.IMO,still a great overall fun ,safe,Body on Frame truck that should last for years and years and I'm proud to own it and still love to drive it.

Over the 2 1/2 years I've owned mine and been on this forum most of the complaints/problems are very similar and some I would chalk up as being quirky or different,like the brakes that I got used to as have most. Some things,to be honest, they did cut back on to keep it in the price range we have and the beancounters had something to do with that . I'm sure it would have been cheaper for them to cave in and make it a unibody pretender like it's competitors instead of the fully boxed frame we have to work with. As alot of you know I tend to take vehicles apart and put them back together again just for the halibut and as a mechanic ,I've seen nothing lacking in the overall build quality coming out of the Tahara plant in Japan as compared to my previous 4th Gen 4Runner and my GF's 3rd Gen(soon to be mine I hope !).

There are a couple of minor things they missed on that are just plain bad design and materials that Toyota can and needs to address As in the case of the lumbar support crunching or not working and finally a service bulletin T-SB-0051-12,was released just this month.

The other is the hazing, a large majority of us have, on the outside very top of the headlights and that I have to polish out every week. Bad plastic or design ,it is a nuisance and eyesore that they can and should address. They have to know about it from all the complaints . Maybe they will come out with projectors, for the mid gen refresh in 2013 models, like they did on the 4th Gen mid gen refresh and be swapable and fix it.If you have it ,call or write Toyota to complain please.

I'll name a few other problems I've seen/read and the solutions I've come up with and anybody else can take it from there listing your problems or complaints to Toyota and the sub-forum.It would be proper and nice if you actually owned a 5th Gen 4Runner to post, complain and come up with solutions here so we don't get the usual 4th Gen bashers and trolls and go way off topic and start wars like we always do. I love all 4Runners and it's nothing personal and I obviously can't stop anyone from posting.Best to just ignore them or pm them if they do and they usually go away.

For Problems/Complaints
The thin metal on the hood and doors.I'm sure they were on a mission to save weight but IMO they should have made it a couple thousandths thicker or put another seam or crease to stiffen it.

My solution: I put 3M vinyl on my hood and there has been no more metal flexing at all, and even into 40mph head winds we had here last week. I know not many will go the vinyl route like me but I believe the alternative may be to put stick-on sound deadening made for under the hood.It should stiffen it up and is not very expensive and should be easy to do. Dynamat makes some,but other high temp deadeners might work, just for under hood-Just Google(Dynamat 11905) and Amazon had it for $54 just now.

I used a similar deadener called E-dead , maybe $25-$30 worth of a roll in my doors and now they feel super solid and sound vault like. Not hard to do with the help of other members on here with all the manuals and write-ups(Thanks to our write-up guru Antman and manual master nashman69g)

Exhaust smell with rear window down My fix was to pay a muffler shop $40 to make a pipe to come out behind the pass side rear wheel instead of straight out the back. Got rid of 95% of the smell unless I really hammer the gas pedal. Problem solved for me!

Mast antenna too long and hit my garage door I went with a short aftermarket antenna for awhile but reception suffered IMO I then took the mast and cut an inch or two off, epoxied the black ball back on, so it just cleared my garage and more importantly to me since I'm pretty high up with a lift, rack and overhead lights. It gives me something to see to judge heights of parking garages,tree branches ,ect.

Slippery ,easily scratched rear plastic bumper cover My dog was having heck of a time getting in and out the back and not to mention her claws scratching it up. My fix was to put some stick-on black 3M anti-skid deck tape down and it's held up great. I also put a 1" wide strip on my shrockworks sliders and works great . Cheapest here and you can buy by the yard instead of the roll here at Jamestown Dist..Non Skid Tape - 3M Anti Slip Scotch Safety Walk Tape

I knew what I was getting into with the V6 engine and transmission before I bought it so I have nothing to complain about there really. I did wish they would have given the choice of a V8 but with gas prices soaring again ,not so much !It's not that the 4.6L V8 gets bad gas mileage for a V8 but that it has to take Premium gas too instead of regular.

Enough whining by me for one night and almost time to go home.

You've come to the right place so Complain Away and we'll hopefully put our collective brain power and love of 4Runners together and find all the solutions . There's a TRD and a URD supercharger supposedly in the works to fix alot of the complaints on here.

Time to go Smile and drive her to the house!

[Wakeborder556]

1. Nose dive
2. lame remote start
3. Nav lock out (kind of an automotive industry thing, but none the less)
4. Better tires on them from the factory

[GrantK]

Touchy steering. This could have been compensated for with a slightly larger steering wheel.

Poor MPG. I don't expect 50mpg, but my 4L/V6 '93 Explorer got better mileage, 19 yrs later things should be better.

[Antman]

I think the factory alignment specs are a joke. Don't know if they specified almost no toe-in for better mileage, and less caster for better turning radius(?).

Either way- I am getting an alignment soon with the "4" caster setting. I'm tired of wandering all over the road like I'm drunk...

Can't believe they actually want it to feel that way?
Other than that- I'm good.

[Jtraskell]

Here is a quote from "thejuice" in another thread;

"i went with the limited because i noticed a lot less hood vibration. i was set on a trail, but when i test drove it the hood was shaking like crazy. i went back and drove another limited and there wasn't any noticeable vibration. my guess is the more aggressive tires on the trail transfer vibration to the hood."

Harper solved his hood flex/vibration with 3m film. He also suggests dynamat or the like as a possible solution.

I have an SR5, I bought the hoodliner for a Limited and installed it. Most if not all the hood flex, gone! I also have a bug shield which I think helped reduce the flex a little when it was first installed. (Possibly because it reduced air flow under the hood and maybe more support?)

Seems like a common cause/solution here? Add more weight/support to the hood, flex goes away. Be it 3m vinyl film, sound deadener, or dare I say, the factory hood liner.......just sayin. Be Safe.

[ImOnAPlain51]

1. Nosedive and overall cushy ride - stiffer tires seemed to help slightly, have to try some suspension upgrades next
2. Brighter setting for the SR5 dash/radio lights. God forbid its sunny and I have sunglasses on and want to look at the radio.
3. Touchy steering
4. Creases in the side of the cloth seats seem to wear fast.
5. Headlight hazing


I'll have to try some deadening material under the hood for the flex. Thought I've read in other threads that the factory insulation didn't do much to help with flexing.

[1engineer]

My complaint is adjustable dash lighting and homelink button light.

By the way I took my micrometer and measured my hood metal thickness yesterday. It is 0.0240 which, depending on the metal is somewhere between a 22-24 gauge. Is that thin? I don't know. I will measure other vehicles as I find the time. I really do think the designers were going for a "look" and the accountants said we have to make it thin and the engineers said "Well, we need to put a crease down the middle of it to keep it from rippling then." Guess who won. Accountants and designers lol.

Good idea for a thread GH!

[Jtraskell]

I read the same thing about the flexing and hood insulator, but in my case it worked. It could be the hood liner AND bug shield that did the trick. Who knows....but I am happier!

[Ramzey28]

Most of you have hit the issues....the only few others that I have brought up in the forums are:

1. brakes (the feel, the noise they make)
2. emergency brake (needs to be adjusted to actually hold the truck, I have seen most that were bought could actually drive away when its on, that should not happen)
3. windshield rattle (sounds like the same issue that gen 4 had-started during cold weather--annoying)
4. Radio is under powered and usb interface is bad. (also all speakers should be able to be used).
5. Better spots for the tow hooks (I guess that is what you call them)

Wish list: Power liftgate, full time 4wd on all models like gen 4.

Issues already mentioned: 1. Nose Dive 2. Metal thickness and easily scratched including bumper plastic 3. Radio display---just awful (light and it scratches just by touching it) 4. seat wear on drivers side. 5. lumber support issue 6. Headlight issue (not seen yet on mine). 7. Better tires (put AT tires on it like the Taco).

[ImOnAPlain51]

Originally Posted by Jtraskell

I read the same thing about the flexing and hood insulator, but in my case it worked. It could be the hood liner AND bug shield that did the trick. Who knows....but I am happier!

as long as it's working!

@1engineer - seems like the bean counters usually get the final word

[rouge1]

I would like to see a grab handle on the drivers side "A" pillar like on the passenger side, my 07 tundra had one, so nice for getting in.

[453030]

Great post Gary. There is no perfect-to-everyone vehicle, and most of us here feel lucky the 5th Gen is pretty darn close for our likes.

My biggest daily gripe is the iPod interface. I can't see why a head unit update cannot be created to fix that. I otherwise feel the sound quality is fine and the rest of the system too.

I agree on the sheet metal. I would rather it be thicker and sacrifice mileage for extra weight.

The plastic parts are easily scuffed. Mine has so many stripes from trails I don't really care, but seems it would be easy to have it more durable.

That is mostly it for me. Love my 5th Gen and have no regrets about buying it

[Jtraskell]

Originally Posted by 1engineer

My complaint is adjustable dash lighting and homelink button light.

Good idea for a thread GH!

1engineer, I understand and agree with the lack of a light for the homelink, but what is the concern about "adjustable dash lighting"? Is your's lacking the ability to adjust?

[oblivionis]

I'm a 4Gen owner but I'm not here to compare. My biggest problem with the 5Gen 4Runner is no full time AWD on the SR5 (like there is on the Limited). I don't want the Limited and all the additional options that come with it but I do want a 4WD system that I can have on in any condition/surface. If that option was available on the SR5 we'd probably have the 5Gen by now.

[4Run4YourLife]

Wish list:

• Memory Seats
• Cup holders more like the 4th Gen (with adjustable sizes)
• Automatic closing rear gate like the 4th Gen
• More power/torque (V8 or Supercharger)

I haven't experienced some of the problems you guys are having yet.

• Brakes - No problems, seem similar to my 4th Gen
• No windsheld rattle yet
• Dash lights are super bright on Limited
• Steering is fine, imo
• Entune interface is user friendly and bright