Let's talk common problems!

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Hayden_

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So let's talk about common problems the 4th gen seems to have things that we wish Toyota would have maybe invested a little bit more time into! Things that we can trouble shoot and fix fairly quick without having to break the bank! I'll start.

It seems that the lights on the radio panel area seem to fail on a good amount of people. I know mine have! I'm going today to get a replacement bulb and was considering making a work log with pics or even a video to show the process of replacing them! It's fairly easy only about 10-15 job nothing to be scared of though! Here's a pic of what I'm talking about exactly!


Also sorry the image came up huge! I'm on my IPad things are a bit weird!

But as you can see in the picture half of the light on my MPG reader and temp gauge is out and it's a pain at night to see the time and temp outside without getting really close!

Like I said I might make a work log if anyone's interested
 

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Another thing I've noticed is that the rear hatch will often start getting bad! Usually because of the electronic components in it or wiring going bad (doesn't help that I go off road so much) I've actually got a new rear hatch sitting at the Toyota dealer ship right now I've got to go pick it up today! Kinda a pain but oh well!
 
Hayden_ said:
So let's talk about common problems the 4th gen seems to have things that we wish Toyota would have maybe invested a little bit more time into! Things that we can trouble shoot and fix fairly quick without having to break the bank! I'll start.

It seems that the lights on the radio panel area seem to fail on a good amount of people. I know mine have! I'm going today to get a replacement bulb and was considering making a work log with pics or even a video to show the process of replacing them! It's fairly easy only about 10-15 job nothing to be scared of though! Here's a pic of what I'm talking about exactly!


Also sorry the image came up huge! I'm on my IPad things are a bit weird!

But as you can see in the picture half of the light on my MPG reader and temp gauge is out and it's a pain at night to see the time and temp outside without getting really close!

Like I said I might make a work log if anyone's interested
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I have the exact same thing going on! However, the left side of this gauge is on its way out. The lighting of it comes and goes. I am sure it is not long for this world.
 
Not fond of the third brake light bulb access. The paint always gets chipped or scratched when I need to pry it open. (Usually in freezing weather, so I'm not as careful as I should be.)

The cig plug in the coin tray is a drag too.
 
ADRay said:
Not fond of the third brake light bulb access. The paint always gets chipped or scratched when I need to pry it open. (Usually in freezing weather, so I'm not as careful as I should be.)

The cig plug in the coin tray is a drag too.
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Put a little bit of painters tape on the tip of the screwdriver or whatever you're prying it open with. Goes a long way towards protecting the paint.
 
sticking calipers!.arrrgh
couple of months ago..finally installed new napa black coated caliupers for the rear...n though my caliper sticking days were over...

i though wrong....my rears are sticking now...twice in 3months...i though the rears were less prone?..it appears i need to save up and buy brand new napa rears too
 
sticking calipers!.arrrgh
couple of months ago..finally installed new napa black coated caliupers for the rear...n though my caliper sticking days were over...

i though wrong....my rears are sticking now...twice in 3months...i though the rears were less prone?..it appears i need to save up and buy brand new napa rears too
 
I have only had the hvac bulbs burn out on mine, 5 minute fix. It is 10 years old (135k) and have not had any problems you guys have. Actually know a couple with higher mileage 4th gens that have not had any problems. Still original calipers, but I am sure they will not be problem free for long. Seems many vehicles need calipers when they are well over 100k.
 
Sometimes I feel like the cars out of gear! It drives me nuts! Like ill just be going down the road at 70 MPH and i can feel it being slugish and its like stuck in 4th! I feel like this happens on colder days more than anything! Anyone else had a problem with this?
 
Hayden_ said:
Sometimes I feel like the cars out of gear! It drives me nuts! Like ill just be going down the road at 70 MPH and i can feel it being slugish and its like stuck in 4th! I feel like this happens on colder days more than anything! Anyone else had a problem with this?
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I really don't think the 4Runner has too many common problems that Toyota overlooked. It's an incredibly reliable vehicle and things like bulbs - they're light bulbs so they're going to burn out and when they do it's an easy, cheap fix. Sure, they have a couple issues like frozen calipers and leaky exhaust manifolds and v6 head gaskets (not sure how widespread this is in the grand picture) but with very minor maintenance they'll run for several hundred thousand miles. Even the transfer case issue seems to be a result of prior owners not exercising the actuator on a regular basis.

As for transmission performance in cold weather - this is pretty normal for most vehicles. Transmission fluid when very cold needs to warm up to a normal operating temperature. I wouldn't call it a problem, just a side effect of cold weather. Engine oil experiences this same effect at startup but warms up much faster due to combustion. Extreme temperatures will stress our trucks and you very well may have an issue with the transmission, but I'd wager it's just the cold. Does the shifting seem to get better the longer you drive it?
 
O2 sensors alot of the time.
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Really?? People are having problems with O2 sensors??

I can count one finger the number of O2 sensors I've replaced in all my vehicles since O2 sensors were used...total about 700k miles. And that O2 sensors was due to the person replacing a clutch and messed it up.
 
Driveline "Thunk"..... :doh:, tho I haven't seen it reappear since changing out my diff/transfer fluids to synthetics and keeping the zerks greased.
 
I've changed the dash lights 3 times since I've owned it & I've only owned it 2.25 years. One just fell out recently in a minor fender bender I was in.
 
For those having any issue with the backlighting on the HVAC control panel need to get a new, updated bulb from Toyota to fix this exact problem. The part # is 90010-09017. This is covered with the release of TSB 3408. It fixed mine perfectly. BTW, it takes 2 of these bulbs.
 
HokieRunner said:
I really don't think the 4Runner has too many common problems that Toyota overlooked. It's an incredibly reliable vehicle and things like bulbs - they're light bulbs so they're going to burn out and when they do it's an easy, cheap fix. Sure, they have a couple issues like frozen calipers and leaky exhaust manifolds and v6 head gaskets (not sure how widespread this is in the grand picture) but with very minor maintenance they'll run for several hundred thousand miles. Even the transfer case issue seems to be a result of prior owners not exercising the actuator on a regular basis.

As for transmission performance in cold weather - this is pretty normal for most vehicles. Transmission fluid when very cold needs to warm up to a normal operating temperature. I wouldn't call it a problem, just a side effect of cold weather. Engine oil experiences this same effect at startup but warms up much faster due to combustion. Extreme temperatures will stress our trucks and you very well may have an issue with the transmission, but I'd wager it's just the cold. Does the shifting seem to get better the longer you drive it?
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The temp switch for the trans fluid will not allow the trans to shift into the final drive until the fluid reaches a certain temp. This is to protect the transmission from premature wear. Our RX300 is extremely picky about it.
 
Broken gas door hinge. It's riveted so it's not as easy to replace as other years. Oh wait my 1989 and my 2000 both have their original hinges intact. Only the 08's has broken. :ohwell:
 
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