5th Gen Official Complaint Thread to Toyota and Some Solutions

[onthejob]

I've had my '15 TE for a month now and I freakin love it. I had an '07 Limited previously for 6 years. After reading through some of the complaints or suggested improvements I agree with having a full time 4WD. I didn't have that on my last limited but I did on my '99 Grand Cherokee V8 and miss it.

Here are my observations to some minor adjustments I would wish for:

IMO the brake pedal and gas pedal are both crammed to far right. My boot has about an inch clearence on each side between the edge of the brake pedal and the plastic trim panel on the right when it's on the gas pedal. Just feels cramped because my boot is knocking around when I go gas to brake or other way around. I just wish they were spread out a little more but I'm sure after all the issues Toyota had with accidental accelerations is why my '15 is configured this way. I'm sure I will adjust.

Only one 12v outlet up front that my wife and I end up competing over sometimes. I know this is an easy fix or modification. Mega Kudos on putting two 12v's in the backseat for the kids.

The seat belt reminder annoys me because it comes on to quickly after I put it in drive and it is relentless. I wear my seatbelt routinely but I will wait and snap it on after I pull out of the driveway. It also nags at me in the drive thu line at DD when I take it off to get my wallet out unless it's in park.

Powergate for my wife/kids because they have a hard time reaching and closing it on our slooped driveway. This has lead to: "Honey can you load/unload the truck because I can't reach the tailgate?" I tried to put another web loop on the pull down but then it gets stuck in the frame when it gets closed. Solution: I now do all the loading and unloading of my truck.

The spare tire is not a matching 5th alloy wheel. I've been doing 5 tire rotations for as long as I can remember. I plan on converting to be a 4 tire rotation guy after research here that's not worth it to buy another alloy. Old habits and mindsets are tough to change sometimes.

On a closing note, I seem to be getting crappy mileage, in the 13-14 mpg range. I'm now starting calculating closely after each fill up to see if it differs from the onboard computer. I haven't been heavy on the pedal at all but 75% has been city driving. I also have been using 4WD quite a bit lately with all the snow tho.

 

[cbreze]

Back on topic. I don't like the little knob for transfer case shifting. I like the lever.

I'm with you monkey. I thought the knob for 4x4 shifting looked grossly out of place sitting there in the center console anyway. Ive never had a knob shifter yet and just prefer to be able to shift using a lever. Feeling it engage thru the lever gives one a satisfaction that all is right and time to move. Turning a knob is more like looking for a radio station. My 2012 SR5 is the last year for SR5 having the lever. There was one on the lot, the rest were 2013's, no levers. I took the '12.
I'm just old school I guess and prefer it this way. To each their own tho.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

Quote:
Originally Posted by oblivionis View Post
I'm a 4Gen owner but I'm not here to compare. My biggest problem with the 5Gen 4Runner is no full time AWD on the SR5 (like there is on the Limited). I don't want the Limited and all the additional options that come with it but I do want a 4WD system that I can have on in any condition/surface. If that option was available on the SR5 we'd probably have the 5Gen by now.

Boy I feel like I wrote this. My exact thoughts.

Funny, that's one reason why I would NOT buy a Limited. Don't need that 4WD drive rolling around on surface streets in July when it's 90 degrees out.

 

[cjacob316]

Only one 12v outlet up front that my wife and I end up competing over sometimes. I know this is an easy fix or modification. Mega Kudos on putting two 12v's in the backseat for the kids.

Our chargers have a usb slot for a second charger to piggy back.

 

[runnyeggsham]

I noticed no one complained about the transmission stutter. That was only in 2010-2011?

 

[elemint]

So what is the reason for the LE full time 4wd? I have a 3rd gen and with 4wd it drives like a tank.

Quote:
Originally Posted by oblivionis View Post
I'm a 4Gen owner but I'm not here to compare. My biggest problem with the 5Gen 4Runner is no full time AWD on the SR5 (like there is on the Limited). I don't want the Limited and all the additional options that come with it but I do want a 4WD system that I can have on in any condition/surface. If that option was available on the SR5 we'd probably have the 5Gen by now.


Funny, that's one reason why I would NOT buy a Limited. Don't need that 4WD drive rolling around on surface streets in July when it's 90 degrees out.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

So what is the reason for the LE full time 4wd? I have a 3rd gen and with 4wd it drives like a tank.

I don't understand your question. As far as I know, no 3rd gen had full time 4WD/AWD.

 

[divejoe]

I found another 12V in the center console

 

[elemint]

When 4wd is engaged it drives like a tank. In 2wd it drives nice. Why would someone want 4wd all the time??

I don't understand your question. As far as I know, no 3rd gen had full time 4WD/AWD.

 

[Bilbo]

When 4wd is engaged it drives like a tank. In 2wd it drives nice. Why would someone want 4wd all the time??

I'm not sure what you're looking for, but here goes:

1. When you are locked in 4WD in a part-time 4WD, you experience understeer. Hence the "tank" feeling. Full-time 4WD with an unlocked center differential does not lock the front and rear axles together (the drive shafts can rotate at different speeds), so no understeer.

2. You can read 1Engineers link about 4-wheel drive systems:
Four-Wheel Drive vs All-Wheel-Drive: Everything You Need to Know

3. You can read the Lexus marketing literature about the Lexus GX460. It has the same system found in the 4Runner LE:
Full 4-Wheel Drive Capability
The Lexus GX 460’s on-road smoothness and quiet ride belie its considerable trail-driving capability. It starts with true, full-time 4-wheel drive, which uses an electronically controlled transfer case and a TORSEN® torque-sensing limited slip center differential. The TORSEN differential distributes power 40:60 under most driving conditions and changes the ratio as needed based on wheel slip. The system offers a low range for off-road driving, and the center differential can be electronically locked.

The GX 460 brings its considerable 4WD capability to on-road driving, as well. As you drive through a curve, for example, the system can change the torque split to 30:70 to enhance vehicle tracking. If wheels spin, the center differential can change the ratio to 50:50 to help control the slippage. The system can respond to sudden changes in road-surface conditions, such as driving through a puddle or over an ice patch.

 

[66Zoomie]

5th Generation Complaint for Toyota management

The engineer, or engineering committee, that came up with the engine oil filter location for the 2015 (and perhaps earlier years) should be staked to an anthill and have honey poured over his/her body. I just bought an SR5 Premium 4X4 (V6) and if it wasn't for AntMan's excellent post with 58 photos in this forum, I'd STILL be looking for the oil filter! [For those of you who haven't yet accumulated enough miles on your 2015 4Runners to change the oil and filter, try finding the oil filter even mentioned in the Owner's Manual; it's not!!]
My 2003 Limited 4X4 (also a V6, with the same basic 4.0L block as this 2015) had the filter on top directly behind the radiator; I could almost change the oil in it with white gloves! Maybe those of us who changed the oil and filters in our previous generation 4Runners got too much under the collective skins of Toyota dealers and Service Managers; if that was what generated this change, IT WORKED. The new truck really needs to be on a lift to remove the skidplate, and then - to add insult to injury - a Toyota PROPRIETARY filter kit must be used. I'm still stunned by how far away from my 2003 the process of changing the oil and filter in this new 2015 has gotten. Simply unbelievable...and without any explanation of why such a drastic Rube Goldberg change was made.

 

[Mattareynolds]

2014 Tranny Slip

My '14 Limited 4Runner slips going into 3rd gear at low RPM's. If I accelerate faster it doesn't do it. I only have 63k on it. Very confusing...

 

[SWTrail]

2016 Trail with 5k on it. Anyone else have the driver power seat with some play? Mine has a couple mm forward and aft play in it unless it's full forward or back. Annoying when I come to a stop and feel the seat shift slightly. Passenger manual seat is solid and tight. The play is at its worst after you readjust the driver seat. The play seems to lessen after a day or two of being left alone. But move the seat and it becomes much more noticeable. Guess I'll have the dealer check it. Power seat also has a section in its movement that's fairly rough like others have mentioned.

 

[White Chocolate]

2015 4Runner

Mileage and power are a joke for an engine this size. The lag on throttle response is horrible. This is 2016 surely they can do better.

Infotainment system is crap. Just put Apple Carplay in it and be done with it.

Blind Spot warning system in ALL models
Push button start in ALL models
Powered lift gate in ALL models

Tire Pressure Monitoring.... you have an led display... why not show each tire's pressure on it instead of the one light that comes on at some factory predetermined level that tells you almost nothing.

 

[Friggin Idiot]

Infotainment system is crap. Just put Apple Carplay in it and be done with it.

Blind Spot warning system in ALL models
Push button start in ALL models
Powered lift gate in ALL models

I bought the Trail because it didn't have all that fancy shit I didn't want! There are plenty of us here that who already think there's too many electronics in the truck for little or good reason, why add more? And AppleCarPlay is like tits on a bull for android users!

The more complicated a system, the more likely it is to break/fail. Why add more complexity to something that doesn't require it, just so you can push a button instead of turn a key, or see an indicator light instead of having to turn your head and look over your shoulder, or whatever that adaptive cruise control claims to do. Modern "safety" features coddle drivers so that they aren't going to know how to drive something without all that fancy crap. I enjoy luxuries like bluetooth, power locks & windows, and push button 4WD, but I still know how to use a key to unlock my vehicle, use a window crank, and drive a 5spd. Kids learning to drive now have no idea that these all used to be standard features.

 

[ToyoDriver]

I have a 16 SR5 with an actual key.

Do my doors lock when I get out of the car and walk away from it?

I swear it's happened, but I don't recall seeing that anywhere.

If not, that's a complaint

 

[(none)]

I bought the Trail because it didn't have all that fancy shit I didn't want! There are plenty of us here that who already think there's too many electronics in the truck for little or good reason, why add more? And AppleCarPlay is like tits on a bull for android users!

The more complicated a system, the more likely it is to break/fail. Why add more complexity to something that doesn't require it, just so you can push a button instead of turn a key, or see an indicator light instead of having to turn your head and look over your shoulder, or whatever that adaptive cruise control claims to do. Modern "safety" features coddle drivers so that they aren't going to know how to drive something without all that fancy crap. I enjoy luxuries like bluetooth, power locks & windows, and push button 4WD, but I still know how to use a key to unlock my vehicle, use a window crank, and drive a 5spd. Kids learning to drive now have no idea that these all used to be standard features.

Exactly. I was happy to see the 4R still has the manual hatch, a key, etc. I can open my own hatch and can turn my own key. I do like the remote locking/unlocking though.

The slow throttle travel is just fine with me, it's better for the slow movements off-road. You want something sporty, you aren't getting it with these things.

I like that it's a full body on a truck frame with quite a few more heavy-duty components than the semi-related Tacoma.

I came from a Wrangler, which still manage to break the few amenities they have.

 

[FourEyedWilly]

Only 1st world problems that don't really bother me, more of an observation...

1) Power lift gate: In another thread, taking in groceries or supplies or at the lake I'm the guy that carries everything. One trip. Sometimes it's two just to close the gate. I know, first world. I guess it gives me a second opportunity to check out my 4Runner. God knows I look over my shoulder just about every time I park.

2) Tap to start. I don't need a button. I had a Tundra and you just had to tap the key and the truck would turn over and start. The 4Runner you have to hold the key until it starts. Again, seriously reaching here, but I got used to it in the Tundra so I'm the clown that short starts and fails all the time still.

This said, the 4Runner ticks about all the boxes I need. With the Tundra I noticed I started driving like an A-hole. I was always frustrated with people and their damn driving. Now, the 4Runner moves along with traffic and I've calmed down. I win no stoplight races now so I have given up. With the Tundra, it was ALL THE TIME. Ha!

 

[1engineer]

Mileage and power are a joke for an engine this size. The lag on throttle response is horrible. This is 2016 surely they can do better.

Infotainment system is crap. Just put Apple Carplay in it and be done with it.

Blind Spot warning system in ALL models
Push button start in ALL models
Powered lift gate in ALL models

Tire Pressure Monitoring.... you have an led display... why not show each tire's pressure on it instead of the one light that comes on at some factory predetermined level that tells you almost nothing.

Did you not test drive? Pretty sure the Highlander (or any CUV) was the vehicle you needed.

 

[1engineer]

Only 1st world problems that don't really bother me, more of an observation...

1) Power lift gate: In another thread, taking in groceries or supplies or at the lake I'm the guy that carries everything. One trip. Sometimes it's two just to close the gate. I know, first world. I guess it gives me a second opportunity to check out my 4Runner. God knows I look over my shoulder just about every time I park.

2) Tap to start. I don't need a button. I had a Tundra and you just had to tap the key and the truck would turn over and start. The 4Runner you have to hold the key until it starts. Again, seriously reaching here, but I got used to it in the Tundra so I'm the clown that short starts and fails all the time still.

This said, the 4Runner ticks about all the boxes I need. With the Tundra I noticed I started driving like an A-hole. I was always frustrated with people and their damn driving. Now, the 4Runner moves along with traffic and I've calmed down. I win no stoplight races now so I have given up. With the Tundra, it was ALL THE TIME. Ha!

Judging from some of the pictures of the owners on here, they need to make two trips and shut the lift gate just to get a workout...