'04 4Runner Sunroof problem

B

bluesky

New member
Car: '04 4Runner with 41,000 miles on it.
Problem: Recently, I took a trip with a friend of mine and his family. During our trip, my friend's daughter opened sunroof.

I realized I got a big problem when I tried to close it. It won't close. Right side of the sunroot wanted to close, but then something is holding the left side of the sunroof.

I took the car nearby Totota dealer.
They said it would cost around $2000 to fix it. But they have to order some parts. Not knowing what to do, one of the gentleman who works there tried to close the sunroot manually. He did it with help of 2 other guys in 4 hours. (by the way, I truly appreciate his time and effort). Shop closed at 5pm, but he stayed until 8:30pm. Now, I was told that if I open it, I can't close it. My option is to leave it closed forever or fix it.

When I asked for warranty, they said it expired at 36,000 miles.

The 4Runner I am talking about here is my wife's car. I recently started using my wife's car and my wife is driving my car. We have only opened sunroof less than 5 times since the purchase of the car in 2004. This is my wife's 2nd 4Runner, and we are quiet upset how it got damaged easily.

What should I do?
Should I write a letter to Toyota to request for a special warranty?
Or show I look for 3rd party sunroof company for a cheaper repair?
 
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There are known issues with the sunroof as shown by the TSB's related to it. I would get a copy of the TSB and bug the manager and/or Toyota corporate to fix this very well known problem. For addition reading search "sunroof" and you'll see what I am talking about. I have had mine fixed per the TSB but still occassionally have problems. Once after the fix it got stuck and I had to manually close it. worked slowly the next couple of times and then went back to normal but I still complained and made them note this because my warranty was up soon.
 
Another option is to call 1800gotoyota and tell them you would like to speak with someone about the problem you are having with your car. They will transfer you or give you another number to call to talk to the people that handle that kind of thing. They will ask you a bunch of questions and they will submit something to the "area" manager for your district. They will also ask you where you will be bringing your car (so have the name, address and phone no handy). They may pay for half if not more on it. I am not sure when your warranty ran out, but they can still help you.

Before i had my 4runner, i was leasing a highlander. My A/C condenser went out a month before I was due to turn it in. It was three months out of warranty. Anyways, i called and spoke to someone the same way i am telling you to do and Toyota split the cost with me - I paid for the labor, they paid the parts (so they say) - anyways, it cost me 286.00 when it should have cost me more than that!! They may even hook you up more with it since you dont lease yours!! My brother is a GM for a toyota dealership and he told me to tell the people on the phone how much you love your car and want to fix it and plan on getting another, blah blah blah . He said they will always help out people that own there toyotas. Anyways, it worked for me - so it is worth a try!!

Good luck, let us know what happens!!
 
or try this number


Customer Experience Center
If you would like to discuss your experience or share your comments, please call us. Toyota's Customer Experience Center representatives are happy to assist you.

Phone: 800-331-4331
Mon - Fri, 5:00 am - 6:00 pm PT
Sat, 7:00 am - 4:00 pm PT
 
Carefully read nauticalniremor's first paragraph. That is exactly what I did when my sunroof locked open AFTER the warranty ran out. Toyota stepped up and did the right thing and replaced it free of charge (although I am scared to use it any more...)

Do not freak out at the rep you speak with. Be polite, intelligent, but firm and use a lot of phrases like:

"I bought this vehicle because of Toyota's reputation for reliability."

"I really love this vehicle and had planned on sticking with Toyota up until this happened."

etc...
 
Unfortunately, I never open my sunroof anymore after hearing all of these $2,000 repairs. It makes a nice window.
 
YZThumper said:
Carefully read nauticalniremor's first paragraph. That is exactly what I did when my sunroof locked open AFTER the warranty ran out. Toyota stepped up and did the right thing and replaced it free of charge (although I am scared to use it any more...)

Do not freak out at the rep you speak with. Be polite, intelligent, but firm and use a lot of phrases like:

"I bought this vehicle because of Toyota's reputation for reliability."

"I really love this vehicle and had planned on sticking with Toyota up until this happened."

etc...
Click to expand...

IT is true, best you can do is try. If i ever have another problem with my 4runner and it is not covered, i swear by this approach. Just be polite and schmooze them verbally like YZThumper says. For all you others out there, why not try it too? what do you possibly have to lose?? I wouldnt buy a used car with a non working sunroof, so might as well get it done.
 
Exact same moonroof problem here. Dealer wanted $1,700+ to replace the entire assembly (except the motor.) I pitched a fit and Toyota cut it back to around a grand. Better than nothing, but it still sucks to have to spend $1,000 to fix the moonroof on a 3 year old $40,000 Toyota.
 
dropped mine off for the sunroof tsb...dealer said they would replace entire roof...pickin it up tonight, so we'll see...got the sulfer tsb and door rattle also taken care of...thanks guys!
 
Iron Clad Lou said:
dropped mine off for the sunroof tsb...dealer said they would replace entire roof...pickin it up tonight, so we'll see...got the sulfer tsb and door rattle also taken care of...thanks guys!
Click to expand...

Anyone have a link to the sunroof TSB?

TIA :beer:
 
Is there a sunroof specific fuse? You could just pull it and not worry about it getting opened again in the future.

I would not, however, suggest 'never' opening the sunroof. Just like any other moving part, it needs to be excercised semi-regularly to keep it greased and the rubber seals pliable.
 
Why would'nt you want to open it after its fixed ?? If it were me and I had it fixed I would open and close the hell outb of it constantly for my confidence level and to make sure I would'nt have any more immediate problems. The only thing bad is if your far from home or raining and it gets stuck. Since there is a TSB they are aware of the problem , but will not do a recall on all 04 models with a moonroof. Since everyone that complained I'm assuming the TSB is related to certain years.

Don't be so paranoid ! Like I've said before Toyota , GM , Ford BMW .........all have issues , these are mechanical item's and will have flaws and occasionally fail........Granted it should'nt happen but thats just the way it is in the real world.

Toyota makes great quality stuff and I think because of that people hold them to a higher standard in quality , but perfect & flawless standard does not exhist.

I don't like how my rear end clunks either but thats just the way it is and everytime I take it in I have them document the complaint so its on file.
 
I'll get ya a TSB number when I get the paperwork....one thing I noticed after the service is the deflector no longer drops down over 55mph...not sure if its supposed to be this way, but it sure does sound and look way better...
 
sunroof

I bought a 2003 Toyota 4Runner Limited in April of 2006, it had 26,000 miles on it. It was my first car that I have ever bought on my own. About six months ago the sunroof began to rattle and when I took it into the dealer to have the catalytic convertor replaced due to the sulphur smell, I mentioned it to them. They played dumb. I researched online and found mention of a TSB. After calling Toyota and my dealer in November 0f 2006, they agreed to repair the sunroof for around $370 and give me a free loaner car. I finally broke down and dropped my car off last Friday evening and picked up my loaner. I was told that it would cost $370 and it would be ready this week. Well, they looked at it today and called me and said that the whole assembly needs to be replaced at a cost of $2,500. I freaked out!!! I have talked to Toyota twice and my dealership. I told them that there is no way I am paying for that. Toyota knows there is a problem, but they will not risk their reputation and we are the ones suffering. I am so frustrated-the dealer rep is supposedly talking to Toyota to try and help me. All I can get from Toyota is that I am out of warranty-Duh! If they do not fix this for the price I agreed to, I am going to get rid of it and never buy a Toyota product again. I have had back luck with American automakers as well, but never anything as ridiculous as this. Any advice?
 
Take it to an independent sunroof shop. They'll charge you a lot less money. Toyota actually doesn't do the repairs themselves, they normally outsource to the same shops you would use and then charge you extra to still make a profit. Trust me on this. I the sunroof on my 93 celica fixed and it was drastically cheaper than taking it to the dealer...

The sunroof on the 4th gens are known to be a weak link on the forums. I'm one of the folks who have had it repaired, but luckily mine was under warranty.
 
I'm interested in the sunroof issue; I just bought an '05 4runner with 32.6K miles and about a year of warranty left; Is theer something I need to get done before the warrnty expires?
 
Here's my sunroof story:

Before the warranty ran out, I took my T4R to Toyota about 2 times for the sunroof not working properly.

Here's a description of my fault: normally, with a touch of the button, the sunroof would slide open/closed all the way or flip up/down all the way. Well, mine would get to a point where the only way to close it (because the problem seemed to only happen with it in the flipped up position) was to hold the button in. After about a 1-second delay, it would close, but ONLY while I held in the button. Sidenote: randomly, the problem would go away, and it would work fine, so you knoooow mechanics love to troubleshoot those problems. Toyota decided to reprogram it. I figured it worked until the problem happened again a few weeks later.

So, I have a sunroof that only screws up...sometimes, Toyota reprogrammed it once and the problem was back.

Rather than bother Toyota again, here's what I did to "fix" the problem: With the sunroof in the flipped-up position I held in the button as if I were going to flip up the sunroof further. Well, after holding in the button for about 2 seconds, it mechanically"shifted" so to speak (if I didn't see it, I heard it "click"). Once this slight shift/click occured, the sunroof was back to normal. It's almost like its limit switch was falsley triggered or something (if there is a limit switch). Everytime, that's a fix for me...so far, so good.

Maybe this will help somebody on a rainy day.

Note: I use my sunroof 98% of the time I'm driving (see the year and mileage in my signature). I hate sunrooflessness.
 
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