I KNOW! The 3 is the sleeper in the category. Fast, more agile than a BMW in the slalom. Brakes are freaky good. road feel in a caliber all by itself and out the door for $19K. My son, who is the full time driver says that he is getting 32 mpg to boot. do you have the 3s?

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/11/au...20speed&st=cse

Let's see... this is what my 2007 V8 Sport 4Runner has as problems:

1) Harmonic Vibration

2) Driveshaft Clunk

3) Sulfur Smell, especially noticeable in the heat of the summer with the A/C just coming on.

Toyota has as mentioned in another thread, basically just blown me off.

The dealer's service manager wants to get the vehicle in to remove the driveshafts and pack with the said/mentioned GM grease.

My question to them is why can't they fix the parts for a more permanent fix?

Silence from Toyota!

Re: the vibration... they said the parts are different with the Lexus and Land Cruiser V8's than with the 4Runner. Plus Toyota doesn't want to spend the dollars replacing parts with more expensive ones.

You and I have choices: post up our experiences here and live with the problems... buy another Toyota... or don't buy another Toyota.

Bottom line: Toyota indeed doesn't want to fix the problem(s)!

it was kinda funny when I was driving x country and that smell hit the first time. I said to my companion, geesh I didn't know they had sulfur mines in Utah. Looking back seems even funnier. Sounds like the TSB fixes the issue.

Wow. Do you own a mirror.




I see what you did there. Our expectations aren't as sophisticated and refined as your own. :bowdown::bowdown::soapbox:

let's make efforts as members to stay away from the personal K?

good thread. hate to see it closed due to it getting personal.

I still think its hilarious how the OP thinks he is going to get a new car because of a rattle. He even said it himself that Illinois lemon law is for severe problems that cant be fixed that risk safety.

I vote no on that one.

My mom's 04 LC has more harmonic vibration than my 4r...she doesn't notice it. I do and don't care knowing that I can survive a nuclear blast in it.

There are bigger things in life to worry about than a clunk here and a rattle there.

That's an accurate citiation of the law (first sentence), but I think the interpretation is debatable. I don't think a rattle, or even the sulfur smell or the drivetrain clunk fit into that definition. "Substantially" is a pretty strong legal term.

Amen to that. I've come back to Toyota from Lexus for all of the reasons nc211 cited. Yeah, it's a pretty dealership with a free snack bar and leather furniture, but it's still a car dealer. Lexus doesn't fix all problems - no car manufacturer can claim a 100% satisfaction rate. The 2004 RX 330 transmission is a classic example. They never did get that right, despite several software updates. I'd call that a safety issue (because it hesitates to downshift) long before any of the 4Runner issues are even worth mentioning. With Lexus, you just buy a more expensive version of a Toyota, which to me isn't worth it. The Toyota is fine with me.

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I was on my way to Vegas on I-15...traffic stopped suddenly and I went from 80mph to 0mph very quickly....as soon as I stopped...maybe 1 second later CLUNK...the ONLY TIME this happens is when I stop fast. The sulfur smell...it simply doesn't make it's way in to the vehicle.

I had two rattles..one was the seat back..the other was the jack loose.

BTW...six months ago I purchased a top-of-the Line NEW '07 Honda Accord EX-L.

The front windows rattle like crazy. (Honda used a hard rubber as the weather strip...it moves against the door frame and makes a racket). THEY JUST CAME OUT WITH A FIX. So if you own an '05 or '06 out of warranty your out of luck. So - do you drive one of the most reliable vehicles manufactured...or do you get even?

I have the clunk. it does not bother me.

I have the sulfur smell. I am going to TSB it with the dealer.

The positives are so superior on this vehicle that a clunk and a smell is almost acceptable.

I had a girlfriend. She kept nagging. NOW that I had to do something about.

I can understand your frustration, but me personally, to answer your question: No, I would not try to run the lemon law rally with these issues. Instead, if it really bothered me like it clearly bothers you, I would have my attorney contact Toyota corporate directly and have them do the proper TSB with the new cat's as prescribed for model years prior "which has a 50/50 sucess rate", I would also insist the GX470 TSB be done on my 4runner, or as close as possible "some suspension bushings are a little different", and I would simply accept the fact that all anything mobile rattles, including ole' Mother Earth, as evidenced by the earth quake last week in LA.

You won't win this though. Sure, they might offer to purchase the car back from you, for "fair market value", but you won't get dollar for dollar. Or, they may simply say "let's play ball, I've got an army of arguments against you". One, for instance, and I'm sure the Toyota attorney will clearly do, is simply come onto this forum and hit "print" on a few of these threads about these very common issues. Two, the problems you're stating for grounds of your lemon law, are only "problems" in your definition. In other's, they're simply described as Toyota characteristics, and clearly don't drive customers away, as clearly evidenced by Toyota being the #1 automobile maker in the world. Time and time again, through all automobile manufactures, there have always been, and will continue to always be, a handful of customers that simply realize 3,000 miles into ownership that they don't like their car anymore. How do you think MB owners feel over the past 8 years? How about BMW 325-38-30 owner feel when their subframe mounts tear loose in the back, costing thousands to repair. Or the Ford Exhibition owners who constantly deal with a leaking front differential seal, or Chevy owners with the parade of recalls every year? Simply put, your argument for enacting the lemon law will get shot down before it even hits the taxi way.

Lemon law is for "defects" beyond repair. Judging by the sales figures during the past 10 years for 4runners "birth of the clunk in 98'", and attempts by Toyota to address the sulfer with TSB's, I'd have to say these aren't defects, but rather characteristics. Furthermore, the sulfer smell is under heavy acceleration. Not normal acceleration, or at idle, which will ultimatly be tested in the case, and therefore your smell issue will deemed a characteristic of your driving style, not the car's normal operational style. Additionally, if you'd look on the brighter side of life, you'd realize that you have the ultimate weapon against tailgators.... Trust me, my 05' V8 stinks up too sometimes, and comes in VERY handy when some punk-ass-chump is riding my bumper. A little slip into "N", a couple quick revs to 5krpm, and back back back they go! I love it!

By the way, given your kind remarks about the "harmonic vibrations", I assume you KNOW what causes them, right? Well, do you? I do. I know exactly what causes them. I know they will never be fixed on the 4.7 V8 so long as they're built. Not yesterdays, and not tomorrows. But, do you?

I'll give you a hint: It has three letters, it's required on all "cars", but isn't for SUV's beyond a certain weight/design. And, it's very expensive to fix when it breaks......

Actually I have graduated high school and in one of the top 5 undergrad accounting programs in the country.

A ****ing child can tell your not going to get a new car from the lemon law because of a clunk even if William ****ing Shakespeare himself wrote it.

I will laugh in your face WHEN not if Toyota doesnt side with you.

Be a man and stop b1tching.

Oh and by the way that mechanics treat cars with "limited" or xle badges is complete and utter BS.

The harmonic vibration is due to the v8 engine, I dont know the full detail but there is NO way to prevent it from the engine.

PS: I'm not 19, I'm 34, and I fire lawyers all the time for getting it wrong. Screwing up legal documents, taking too long, charging too much to our clients, and pure b/s platforms. Additionally, another family member of mine was part of the NC Bar team who took down ole' Mike Nifong....remember him? Google "Duke Lacross". So, I'd love to hear your platform on how you plan to corner Toyota under Ill's lemon law.

ROL the credits
debit the DEA.

Know what R, O, L and D,E,A means in the accounting world, remember that saying, and you'll ace accounting. I did. I was a finance major, which in my opinion is one of the best degrees to get, for all career paths. Hey, everything needs to be paid for, no matter what it is. If you show up saying you know how to pay for stuff, you'll get a key to the building, and access to those inside. Doesn't matter if it's a community bank, or a major movie studio like MGM. Want to be a movie star? get a finance degree and get your butt on the lot, in the front office next to the power makers, who will come to you "and know you" because you're the guy makng the spreasheets. Same for accounting! Good choice!