Looking at a new 5th gen, what are the common issues?

[toyohtadude]

I've had my '15 TE for 16 months. Zero issues. I can validate that it talks to you... sweet and sultry like.... begging to be modded...

So, there is one MAJOR issue: My bank account is getting more and more deflated.

 

[e60ral]

There are some minor things no one has mentioned because they aren't really a big deal

- Some people have some minor speckle rust issues, usually on the rear hitch, that appears to be a "rail dust" issue. You can do an paint iron treatment (i did mine when the truck was still really new and found contamination), i removed the iron and sealed and waxed the paint. as long as you take care of your paint it shouldn't be an issue
- A few people have issues with interior rattles, and there is TSB for common causes
- Some people experience a "bump" feeling when downshifting 2-1 and there is a TSB to fix this
- Some people's trucks feel floaty from the factory but this can be resolved with an alignment, I think Toyota needs to tighten up their acceptable alignment specs
- if you are coming from a vehicle with xenon headlights, you will be disappointed with the stock headlight performance
- there are a few people who have issues with their entune system but it looks to be very limited and i haven't seen anyone have trouble with toyota fixing it under warranty

there may be a few more minor things, but when i researched i never found any major dealbreakers like I found on the WK2 Grand Cherokee.

the rest of the complaints are generally feature requests

 

[delloro]

Mediocre power, though adequate.

Meh mpg.

No posi rear. Can't get a locker in the SR5.

A 5-speed trans. Hello, 1990 called....

Thin body metal.

Alignment range limited.

Steering wobble. Some people have it.

Entune. Why the 5-10 second delay before startling me with music?

Limited interior color choices.

However, if you want a non-unibody midsized SUV with 4wd, it's the only choice.

 

[andres0603]

6 months with 100 miles and never had a problem [emoji16] [emoji16]

 

[nb rob]

A 5-speed trans. Hello, 1990 called....

Best part about this truck. Totally bulletproof. You can't say that about the 8 speeds that are popping up in other vehicles. Not yet.

 

[PricklyPete]

55k on a 2013 Limited. Only issue is a few small rust spots on rear hitch that I have had to cleanup. Everything else has been perfect.

 

[itsdchz]

I really can't believe any of you have told him the worst and highly prone problem.......



















your T4R will talk to you telling you in a very small voice, it wants to be Modded!

There, someone told you!
Enjoy your T4R.

Unfortunately, I too suffer from this common problem...

 

[KingTaco]

Just make sure you test drive as [MENTION=65614]Antman[/MENTION] said. The biggest complaint by far is from the guys who are coming from BMW's, Audi's, or V8 engine powered vehicles about the power of the 4Runner. In reality it does just fine but it is not a V8. Torque and power is in a different part of the curve compared to a V8.

Agree 100%. I test drove 3 2016s before buying the Trail, and I am coming from an X5. Not as much power, and mileage isn't quite as good, but after test driving a few, it became apparent that I liked almost everything else about the T4R better. It's perfect for me.

There's nothing that needed changing, but after spending enough time on this site, I do find myself buying a lot of things for it. That's the only real downside. How could I have known I needed powder coating, a lift, roof rack, etc... :shrug:

 

[mybabydaddy]

You may start to like IPA's, have an urge to find a dirt road, and grow a (bigger) beard. These seem to be a common side effects of being a 4Runner owner.

^^^^THIS!.... I threw a couple of small mods on mine... Started growing out the beard and pining over [MENTION=93894]J-BlickPhoto[/MENTION] thread... My wife asked if I was going thru a mid-life crisis.... [emoji848]

No issues. Understand it's a Toyota 4Runner, not a Lexus, Porsche, or (insert other car/truck for excuse here)... Keep that in mind, you'll love it for everything it is, and nothing it isn't.

 

[funken]

Best part about this truck. Totally bulletproof. You can't say that about the 8 speeds that are popping up in other vehicles. Not yet.

The new 6 speed is the #1 complaint with the new Tacomas.

 

[itsdchz]

My other complaint is:
I drive it way too much, look for any excuse to drive, love taking scenic, off highway routes, and have racked up 38,000 miles in only 14 months......

 

[Swarty]

Who said anything about 8 speeds?

Best part about this truck. Totally bulletproof. You can't say that about the 8 speeds that are popping up in other vehicles. Not yet.

There's a really long list of 6 speed transmissions though. The A760E would be the obvious choice.

 

[jwkilgore]

For 99.99% of users, [MENTION=65614]Antman[/MENTION]'s post pretty much summed everything up. Exactly zero major mechanical problems and lots of people have several hundred thousand miles on early 5th gen models. It's an awesome vehicle that does exactly what I bought it for (kid hauler with limited off road capabilities for a single dad). It's handled lots of situations well beyond my original goals, including offroading in places I never thought I'd be able to take it. If someone runs a redlight and totals my 4Runner I'll be at the dealer looking for another one the next day.

That said, for the OCD types:

Mediocre power, though adequate.
Meh mpg.
No posi rear. Can't get a locker in the SR5.
A 5-speed trans. Hello, 1990 called....
Thin body metal.
Alignment range limited.
Steering wobble. Some people have it.
Entune. Why the 5-10 second delay before startling me with music?
Limited interior color choices.
However, if you want a non-unibody midsized SUV with 4wd, it's the only choice.

All these above, plus a bunch of teeny nit-picks:

A recent thread talked about a rare problem with an upper ball joint clip that rattles. I didn't have this problem.

If you drive on rocks, even 4Lo can seem a little fast. Part is the tendency to upshift too quickly, so manually shifting to 1 usually solves this. If it's still too fast then you're in some serious rocks and a gear swap may be what you need.

The early SR5's (mine) and all Limiteds have really low-hanging plastic trim that tends to snag on things when going off road. I tore off my front lower air dam, and now I remove my running boards and rocker trim before going off road. I occasionally hit my rear bumper and have to pop it back in place. Post-2014 SR5's, all Trails, and all TRD Pro models don't have this problem. Not a problem if you stick to mall parking lots and maintained forest service roads.

No easy way to add front sway bar disconnects.

Very minor annoyance: I opted for the 110v outlet in the center console, not realizing that this eliminated one of the cab 12v outlets, leaving me with only a single 12v outlet. Should be spotted with a test drive and doing a little homework. I simply use a 12v->dual USB splitter, and when my kids are with me I have a 110v->dual USB splitter for their use.

 

[renau001]

I was set on a new Tacoma. But kinda like you Tacomaworld forum issues got me at least looking elsewhere. I spent hours searching here and found essentially nothing of major concern and that's with over five years of data. Test drove a '16 Tacoma and 4Runner back-to-back and was sold. Love mine so far and absolutely no regrets. The only things I've noticed that I've seen others report (and these are not what I'd call issues). Entune is a bit finicky sometimes, but I'm not convinced it is not my phone as much as it is entune. Very, very slight vibe felt in steering wheel 60-65 mph. Can see the hood flutter ever so slightly on the highway. I've done nothing to try and improve these cos I simply don't even notice them unless I'm paying attention.

 

[nb rob]

There's a really long list of 6 speed transmissions though. The A760E would be the obvious choice.

true-- my mistake. I jumped the gun and thought the reference was to the much different transmissions that are popping up these days.

 

[wadle5]

Keep that in mind, you'll love it for everything it is, and nothing it isn't.

Probably the best quote thus far. And it really does hit it home. :thumb:

 

[hyphen]

23,000 miles in a year and a half. no issues. mileage is actually pretty damn good in comparison to vehicles in the same category.

i didn't really like the squishy suspension but some upgrades fixed that nicely.

my gripe is that there isn't a v8 option.

 

[sntryplt]

26 months - 59,000 miles. Absolutely no problems. Average mpg is 18.7 with larger tires on the OEM limited rims.

 

[MLPbrian]

My issue with mine is that it is not a TRD Pro

 

[Loadedpocketz]

Some, including myself, have had an issue with a creaky driver seat when the temperature drops below freezing. There's a thread on that one. My dealership replaced a part and added additional padding/insulation to rectify the issue.

I did clay bar and wax the paint pretty early on to help prevent the paint issue(s).

The ride was pretty floaty and my alignment was off. But that was addressed by the dealer and the addition of AT tires.

Otherwise, 3.6K in, my 2016 TEP has been trouble free.