Looking at a 2024 trade in, take a chance or run away?

[LZH55]

So I have been keeping an eye out for a 2024 model with low miles and found one that was a trade in at the local ish Honda dealership.
Looks pristine.
Drive it, and about 50-60 mph has a horrible shaking and pulling…. To the point that I was like uh nope…. Salesman assures me the truck just needs an alignment. 4Runner only has 11,000 miles. Why does it need an alignment?
Leave the dealership and they assure me it is being fixed.
Look closer at the carfax and it was a personal vehicle and was serviced regularly at the local Toyota place- with at least one tire being replaced- noted.

So my question is- is this a 4Runner that has some alignment front end issue and I need to just walk away, or do I trust ( and confirm) that the alignment has been corrected and pick this one up?
I have had two other 4 runners and never had any issues with alignment before, but after this experience, I googled it and there seems to be some issues around this that people are finding hard to resolve.
Suggestions? Thoughts?

 

[NYRunner]

What model is it and which tires are on it? Sounds like the tires may just need to be road force balanced, which many owners have had to do

If it hasn’t had any collisions I wouldn’t hesitate at all, it’s the closest thing to a new 5th gen as you’ll ever get!

If you’re concerned you could always ask to have a mechanic you trust look it over, and I’d definitely use my “concerns” to negotiate a lower price, especially since they’re not a Toyota dealership…

 

[LZH55]

What model is it and which tires are on it? Sounds like the tires may just need to be road force balanced, which many owners have had to do

If it hasn’t had any collisions I wouldn’t hesitate at all, it’s the closest thing to a new 5th gen as you’ll ever get!

If you’re concerned you could always ask to have a mechanic you trust look it over, and I’d definitely use my “concerns” to negotiate a lower price, especially since they’re not a Toyota dealership…

It’s a TRD off-road with the Nitto tires. And yes they have come down to what I think is a good deal, but I am thinking for this added worry, and it not being at the Toyota dealership, I need a ‘better’ deal.

 

[Nessal]

You can google the 60mph wheel shake and you will find so many people experiencing this. I had this shake in both my 21' Offroad Premium and 22' PRO.

 

[Hungryhawk]

My thoughts. I understand the Honda purchase, I have owned Pilot, CRV and Accord . Could be prior owner really needed a CUV.
The failed road test should not be ignored. Did you test 4low, 4 high, Does it immediately shift ?
So how many actual miles?
What tires?
Alignment is unusual unless front end worked on. Maybe it ran over a curb or ditch offroad? So frame damage needs careful inspection.
Have you personally crawled under the runner and inspected? Take several dozen photos of everything and post anything unusual on this site. Example minor mud splashes on under side but brand new lower control arms with no splasher or dirt.
Do you have a trusted mechanic? If not you must find one. Never trust a dealer or what they say.
Do not be in a hurry to buy.
I found a great SR5 for my daughter (she loves mine and wanted one) thru Toyota's pre-owned vehicle website. You can set filters for exact model and locations Country wide.

 

[NYRunner]

You can google the 60mph wheel shake and you will find so many people experiencing this. I had this shake in both my 21' Offroad Premium and 22' PRO.

Now that I think about it, as ‘24 with low miles like that the original Toyota warranty is transferable should still be in effect

Toyota Customer Service

You may even be able to still purchase an extended warranty…

 

[RRosco]

They would fix it prior to purchase if it were me and it just needs alignment. Was it a local trade or purchased at auction? The remaining warranty is a bonus for peace of mind.

 

[LZH55]

Thanks for the feedback guys!
I have not tried the 4x4…. I should have done that…. I do have a mechanic I could take it to next week, so that is a helpful reminder.
This was a local trade…. And it was serviced at the local Toyota dealership…. So not an auction vehicle.
I have found another another low miles Trd off-road premium at a Toyota dealership, with the gold preowned warranty, but it also has in its history report a front alignment issue.
I guess I am just spooked about getting a new to me 4Runner with an ongoing wheel shake/ alignment issue. I just don’t need the headache, warranty or not. Do these wheel shake issues get resolved or no?
I am in the Houston area so there are a number of options, but not many low miles
I will also explore the Toyota used website.

 

[T4R_Canuck]

So I have been keeping an eye out for a 2024 model with low miles and found one that was a trade in at the local ish Honda dealership.
Looks pristine.
Drive it, and about 50-60 mph has a horrible shaking and pulling…. To the point that I was like uh nope…. Salesman assures me the truck just needs an alignment. 4Runner only has 11,000 miles. Why does it need an alignment?
Leave the dealership and they assure me it is being fixed.
Look closer at the carfax and it was a personal vehicle and was serviced regularly at the local Toyota place- with at least one tire being replaced- noted.

So my question is- is this a 4Runner that has some alignment front end issue and I need to just walk away, or do I trust ( and confirm) that the alignment has been corrected and pick this one up?
I have had two other 4 runners and never had any issues with alignment before, but after this experience, I googled it and there seems to be some issues around this that people are finding hard to resolve.
Suggestions? Thoughts?

2 main thoughts on this, and every used vehicle purchase for that matter.
- A pre-purchase inspection from an independent shop is a must, not just the selling dealers inspection report.
- It's common for drivers side needle bearings to fail and need replacement, which would cause a similar vibration. Drive it in 4x4 (straight line obviously) and see if the problem is reduced or eliminated.
- Bonus thought... ask the dealer for a copy of the alignment before/after they've "corrected" the issue, so you can see what it looks like.

 

[Humble Leader]

I bet that 4runner hit something hard. an alignment issue should not create 'horrible' shaking and pulling. one tire was replaced probably because it was destroyed on whatever it hit. is the rim new as well? are you able to tell

check for accident damage that was repaired outside carfax. some have given you good pointers in this thread. do not purchase unless the issue is 100% resolved.

 

[Hungryhawk]

A thought for examining any used runner. Inspect tire date code molded into tire following DOT numbers-its a 4 digit code representing week of year (first 2 digits) & the last 2 digits of year. All 4 tires will normally be the same. If not find out why? Brand new tires can conceal alignment/frame issues. Typically tires are not well balanced or steering components aligned by dealers flipping a trade in.
If looking at Toyota Certified pre-owned the dealer will spend more $$ on detailing interior & exterior, changing under hood fluids, new tires etc. Maybe even a pad slap brake job. So do an under vehicle inspection by crawling under or a independent mechanic putting it up on a lift AND allowing you to get under it and take pictures. You can post photo on this site if you see somrthing that seems unusual.
The 50,000 mile 5 year old SR5 I bought my daughter had a nice maintenance history of oil changes. But under vehicle lubes were original never serviced. The dealer salesman said these fluids were new- but not true. I had my mechanic replace them all after we got it home after purchase.

 

[Yamahamer]

It’s a TRD off-road with the Nitto tires. And yes they have come down to what I think is a good deal, but I am thinking for this added worry, and it not being at the Toyota dealership, I need a ‘better’ deal.

I bought my 2022 TRD Off-Road at a Nissan dealer. It had only 3000 miles on it and I was concerned that the reason someone got rid of it was that it had some kind of problem. Been driving it two years now and it has been flawless.

Regarding the front end vibration - as others have said, this is a know problem with the 4Runner. I have two sets of wheels/tires for my 4R - the OEM, and a set for my off-road adventures. The off-road tires are heavier, sturdier - made to take on dirt roads and rocks. What I've noticed is that my 4R is pretty darn smooth on the highway at all speeds with the OEM wheels/tires. When shod with the off-road wheels/tires there is definitely more vibration/shaking of the front end at highway speeds.

 

[97BlackAckCL]

I bet that 4runner hit something hard. an alignment issue should not create 'horrible' shaking and pulling. one tire was replaced probably because it was destroyed on whatever it hit. is the rim new as well? are you able to tell

check for accident damage that was repaired outside carfax. some have given you good pointers in this thread. do not purchase unless the issue is 100% resolved.

Agreed, sounds like a bent wheel or unbalanced wheels/weights

 

[Rocko9999]

Run away.

 

[nglayton]

If its been serviced by the local Toyota dealer and still under warranty and now traded in at a Honda Dealer and it's still not fixed, I would run away.

Clearly the original owner decided NOT to have it repaired (FREE??) for some reason (NOT FREE) and moved on.

I would make them fix it first before committing to anything or walk away........

 

[6439Flouride]

OP, no access to the CarFax? In my area many dealers will pay for you to access the CarFax for free. You can pay out-of-pocket as well. I think it was $75 upfront for five searches, two or three years ago. No idea what it is now. Not everything is captured by the CarFax but there is no harm checking it.

I was looking for a low-mileage CPO recent 4Runner with the 1GR-FE six-cylinder. I usually buy CPO low mileage but I did test-drive a 2025 4Runner and was not interested.

To make searching more automated I signed up with AutoTrader.com, CarGurus.com, Autoland.com and Cars.com, maybe one or two others. Save a search in each, they email me when new results are found. I also signed up with Costco used auto program in different zip codes (that generates an automatic $750 discount on a used 4Runner in this local area, provided I buy from a Costco-affiliated dealer). Finally, I was checking CPO 4Runners on Toyota.com for a few months.

Maybe the truck you test-drove was in an accident? Who knows.

Seems like a lot of guys are not interested in the 2025 and are going the CPO route. The salesman at the Ford dealership where I got mine even said that's the industry buzz.

Anyway, these trucks are not dime-a-dozen. I thought it would be quick and easy to find various 4Runners to choose from, and we have a few Toyota dealers around here. Quite a few. But it took some time. I would have preferred to buy Toyota CPO but I just wasn't finding what I wanted in Toyota Dealer inventory.

With the 10K mile oil change intervals, I think there are a lot of 4Runners out there where people followed that schedule, and though the odometer might say 30K miles or so, the actual engine wear is closer to 50K-60K miles (compared to a vehicle that had the oil changed every 5K miles, old-school).

Good luck, I hope you find the truck you are looking for.

 

[Wildblue4]

Have the place that is selling it have an alignment done then drive it.