7 year 110k 4Runner 2013 TE
-LCAs rusted in place
-CV boots cracked, salt destroyed both axles
-HVAC fan went out twice
-the automatic door locks won't work
-brake pads don't last longer than 50k miles
-loose roof rack let water in
-rear cargo slider thing doesn't work--i kinda broke it, so maybe not that

But those things get fixed ONCE. Doug's RR issues are recurring every few months....

Well, 2012 4Runner LE purchased new March 2013.

129,000km later:

1) regular scheduled maintenance intervals as per Toyota’s maintenance schedule
2) brakes
3) new battery (this month)
4) tires

same here. 2011 sr5. only oil change and brakes.

You forgot a few

-wiper blades streak after every summer
-windshield glass chips when rocks hit it
-tire tread depth keeps dropping gradually
-when I disconnect my battery I lose my radio presets.

These 4Runners are such pieces of shit.

-Get silicone wipers
-Don't let rocks hit windshield
-Don't drive it on hard or soft surfaces
-Hook up secondary battery to terminal connections to keep radio settings

Sarcasm can be so much fun...

You think LCAs and door locks are wear and tear items?

I can forgive the CV axles, but these were destroyed at 90k miles.

Oddly my 5th gen does not lose any settings when you unhook the battery. It has to have a backup or something.

Probably writes it to ROM instead of RAM which requires power to hold data. Maybe even a kind of flash drive built into the radio and ECM.

Calm down I'm just poking fun.

To answer the question:
No LCA's are not wear and tear. HOWEVER in the next line, you talked about salt destroying CV's... So I made a leap in assuming perhaps, maybe the salt you mentioned could have also had an ill-affect upon the LCA's. Since I don't know, they're like 3" away. Therefore, I would argue that would be an environmental hazard and shouldn't really be a blame on a manufacturer.

While I've performed exactly zero seconds of research, the door locks appear to be an electrical flaw based on the incredibly oversimplified symptom you delivered. So I'll give you that one.

Let's not forget: we're on a 4RUNNER ENTHUSIAST FORUM.... And somehow when folks get harassed about bad mouthing them, those same folks get all uppity. Sheesh. I'm sorry if I offended you bro. And I own a 2nd gen. The most red-headed-step-childish of all the 4runners. Yowza.

Other thing Toyota needs to address ASAP

-even with a snorkel, my feet still get wet when I completely submerge it
-the more I lift it and add gear, the shorter my fuel range
-the battery doesn't continuously remain adequate for more than a decade. Unacceptable.
-I have to actually turn the key to start it

You left out a few other issues....

You have to shift it out of park to be able to move....
..then you have to press the shinny pedal on the right to make it move...
..then you have to press another pedal to the left of the skinny pedal to make it stop.
You have to turn on the stereo to get any sound out of it.
You have to press buttons to get any heat, AC, or open or close the windows
And the worse is you have to move the wheelie thing to get the truck to go in the direction you want it to go, you can do this with one hand...BUT two is recommended which of course leaves you with no hands to press all the aforementioned BUTTONS!!!

These damn T4Rs are so archaic!!!

I'm miserable driving this thing BUT I deserve it because I just had to buy it and refuse to ever sell it.

Toyotas rust to shit. You think that after decades of knowing this they'd do something about it. Nope.

And the door locks are a huge PITA. It's a 3 dollar servo motor from a RC car supplier (no, really) that requires a massive amount of labor to disassemble each door to replace.

At least the KDSS hasn't sprung a leak, yet.

Every vehicle rusts. If you’re ignorant to this you need to look around a bit. Already people complaining about rusts on the new jl.