sorry to hear about your troubles, ive had 5000 trouble-free miles, so it looks like maybe yours was one of the unlucky lemons?
what did CR have to say about the car? when i was a member a few months back, they still didnt have a review up
Road TestSR5 V6The redesigned 4Runner remains a body-on-frame SUV, good for towing and off-roading but not much else. The ride is unsettled and handling is mediocre at best, although it doesn't suffer from the same handling woes that beset its sister vehicle the Lexus GX 460 (which will be fixed in a recall). A high step-in and low ceiling compromise access and driving position. The four-wheel-drive system in SR5 trim is part-time only. The engine is powerful and relatively fuel-efficient but sounds a little rough. Reliability of this redesign is unknown but the 4Runner scores too low to be recommended even if it had the previous generation's top-notch reliability.
The Driving Experience Ride comfort & noise: Soft springing masks road bumps pretty well at low speeds but body motions are constant and grow wearing. Even mild braking provokes nosedive. The highway ride is OK but even there pavement flaws make the body bob. The cabin stays quiet most of the time, except for modest wind rush and fairly coarse engine hum.
Handling: Handling is clumsy. Even in routine cornering maneuvers the body leans considerably. Bobbing and bouncing chips away at driver confidence. The steering feels vague and disconnected from the road and it's also very light. The wide, 45-foot turning circle makes parking a chore. In the tight turns of our track, the 4Runner reached its cornering limits early on. The stability control system intervened appropriately to keep the vehicle from swinging out, but the 4Runner managed only a low speed through our avoidance maneuver, leaning a lot and sometimes lifting a front wheel momentarily.
Powertrain: The 4.0-liter, 270-hp V6 engine provides quick acceleration and consumed an average of 18 mpg on regular fuel. The five-speed automatic shifts smoothly. The 4Runner easily towed our 5,000-pound test trailer to 60 mph in 17.3 seconds, a very good performance. The crude, part-time four-wheel-drive system has low range gearing and hill-start and hill-descent features, and the 4Runner did very well in our off-road evaluations. A full-time system comes only on the Limited version.
Braking: Overall performance was very good.
Headlights: The halogen low beams provide good illumination with very good levels of light intensity. The halogen high-beams provide excellent forward visibility and maintain the very good levels of intensity of the low beam. Although there's a visible cutoff between light and darkness at the top of the low-beam pattern, it's softer than many other vehicles.
Inside The Cabin Driving position: Low seating, a high dash, and modest head room do away with the commanding view out that one expects from a vehicle like this. The steering wheel tilts and telescopes, and there's plenty of knee and foot room. The rear-view camera helps with parking but its image, in the rear-view mirror, is small and far away.
Seat comfort and access: The front seats are firm, with just adequate side support and short, flat cushions. Our drivers liked the adjustable lumbar feature. The rear seat is fairly roomy for two or three adults; the seatbacks recline. It takes a bit of a climb to get in or out and the low ceiling requires some ducking as well.
Controls and gauges: The large, backlighted displays are easy to read. Major control knobs are large but some, such as the temperature, radio-tuning, and defrost selector, are far away. The tiny, indistinct lettering on the radio display drew many complaints. The manual climate control system works well. A handy power-retractable rear window increases airflow through the cabin and lets you load long objects such as a few 2x4s or a wind surfer.
Interior fit and finish: The interior design goes for a rugged look but still comes up short for a vehicle costing close to $40,000. Dashboard plastics are all hard and look cheap. At least the door panels have stitched soft-touch panels. There are several uneven gap lines and flash and mold lines on parts.
Cabin storage and cargo room: Moderate cabin storage includes a deep console compartment and numerous small bins and nooks. The 40/20/40-split rear seats fold down to create a generous cargo hold with a flat floor.
Safety Notes Safety belts: Front belts have pretensioners and force limiters.
Air bags: Front, side and knee air bags protect front occupants. Head-level curtain bags protect front and rear outboard occupants. Sensors disable the front passenger's front and knee air bags if they detect a child-sized occupant or if the seat is empty.
Head restraints: All seats have adjustable, locking head restraints. The front ones remain sufficiently tall -- even when lowered -- to offer protection. Outboard rear restraints must be raised if the seat is occupied, and are tall enough to protect an adult. The center rear restraint is too low to protect an adult.
Crash-avoidance systems: Antilock brakes and stability control are standard.
Driving with kids: It can be hard to secure a rear-facing infant seat with belts alone. Front-facing seats are easier to manage. LATCH anchors are awkward to reach but are able to secure front- or rear-facing child seats. The rear seatbacks provide three top-tethers.
Reliability We do not have data to predict reliability, this model is new.
Tested model: 2010 SR5 4-door SUV 4WD, 4.0-liter V6, 5-speed automatic
Major options: Moonroof, Bluetooth, USB port, backup camera, leather heated power seats.
This road test applies to the current model year of this vehicle.
