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

[KeithMaine]

I have had my '13 since new, has ~40K miles and has been wheeled a bunch. It has never missed a beat. I look at Toyota products the same way I look at my refrigerator... not too sexy, but there is no question whether or not the beer will be cold.

These late model Toys are great rigs. To the OP, if you want to know about issues, read this link about the Land Rover LR3 & LR4. I have had several friends dealing with these types of issues and they can rack up thousands in repair bills... each time they fail. Worse, they run the risk of leaving you stranded in the backcountry.

JE Robison Service - Bosch Car Service Specialists ? the blog: Should You Rebuild or Replace Your Land Rover V8?

To all of my fellow T4R owners who ever had a fan motor fail, or who ran out of washer fluid or who don't like the headlight pattern... I say this: at least they work when we turn them on... and they stay on! We might die of boredom driving a V6 4Runner up the highway, but we wont die of exposure because our Rover failed suddenly and catastrophically 140 miles from the nearest paved road.

You cant go wrong with a 4R unless you are too young, too fit, too rich, too smart and you need something to make your life more frustrating, complicated and expensive, in which case, there other trucks you could buy.

 

[brockvond]

Most of the responses in this thread seem to fall into the category of recognizing what the 4Runner is, and isn't, right off the bat with a test drive, vs. unexpected problems identified after purchase early during ownership. I love my fifth gen. and dont have any unexpected issues with it. I came from a 4th gen. One thing to recognize if you're also coming from a 4th gen is the 4 wheel drive system system, at least in sr5 trim, is different. This has been discussed ad infinitum on this board so I won't go into further detail, except to say that you probably won't want to drive in 4high except as needed given the conditions you are driving in.

 

[trick18]

Purchased a new 2016 SR5 Premium at the end of February. I was originally looking for midsize pickup, test drove Tacoma and Colorado but realized i need a larger back seat.
There are 2 issues that I have noticed but would not have changed my purchase.
1) Nose Dive -I commute in stop and go traffic to work roughly 30 miles each away and the nose dive gets a little unsettling.(fixable once a have a few extra $)
2) The Entune reboots on occasion. (have to take to the dealer to have it looked at)

 

[D1gger]

So far, my biggest problem is getting the thing! Went to the dealer on February 4th, wanted a white TEP with KDSS, found one at another dealer, but they couldn't contact them. On Monday the 6th, they say that the one they found has been sold, but they would order one, 6-8 weeks. Well, that's now, and it isn't here. Their tracker says it was built and should be on a boat right now, but it won't even get to the States until 4/25, then another week to 10 days to get here. Oh well, it should be worth the wait

 

[mazatal]

Only problem with my '13 LTD is that the darned thing won't float.

 

[Mtbkr]

No reliability issues for us. But power is beyond pathetic. And since its not gear/ powered correctly MPG suffers. Other then that a little tech dated.

Power beyond pathetic? Try this for three years! -

 

[Draggin]

Antman nailed it, I've only got a 2014, only about 60,000 KM on it, but i event had a single problem yet. Test drive one a couple times and drive it in a way you would be driving it if you owned it. Sure there are some things i would like different, but overall they are mostly just aesthetics.

Too bad about the tacoma, i was looking at getting one because I'm gonna need a pickup in the near future, but i might just look at some used ones from a previous gen.

I concur with the slow off the line. I was concerned and wishing for a V8 but the offroad capability and aftermarket support can't be matched in the price range (new)... save a Wrangler and I'm done with those not staying fixed/rattling themselves apart. So I dove in and am quite happy.

If you are concerned if it has power just put it in sport mode. You'll have to drop the default gear selection from 4th down to the right gear but off the line it has the power and accelerates in an expected fashion. I think they should call this normal vs sport mode.

 

[e60ral]

A lot of toyota dealerships have rental programs. I rented a 4Runner for a weekend trip and afterwards was sure I wouldn't have any buyers remorse if i purchased. Hell, you may even be able to negotiate something where if you buy after the trip they apply your rental cost to the purchase or something.

 

[paulndot]

Complaints?? Other than a little nit-picking about minor details…

 

[MD4Runner13]

Only issue I've had in my 2013 is that for some reason the buttons on the keys wont unlock/lock the driver door. Probably an easy fix just haven't had time to take it in. Other than that i love it

 

[toyotajoe16]

I've only had two issues with my '16 Trail. I noticed right after purchasing it that the alignment was off. With this was also the horrible nose dive. At 1,300 miles I brought it in for an alignment and the tech said it was waaaaaay off. It took him 2 1/2 hours to get it near straight, and it was still off a little. I don't mind. The other issue I had was when I bought my 2012 Forest River Rockwood popup camper. When I hooked up the electrical harness at the dealer, it admittedly seemed a bit short. I also had to lay on the ground to find the plug, and to be able to plug it in. About halfway through my drive home, I noticed I had lost my trailer brakes. I pulled over to find out the harness had fallen out of the plug and then disconnected from the trailer. It was partially user error, because I hadn't realized there was a little hook on the plug and on the cover. When I got my new trailer harness, it was almost 2 feet too short! I ended up buying a second harness and combining them into one.

Other than those two things, no issues other than the urge to modify it and that I keep making up excuses to drive it.

 

[commbubba19]

Entune sucks but isn't as bad as some. I've had mine randomly reboot and reset settings for no reason.

In strong crosswinds, I get a rattle under the passenger side wiper cowl. Not sure of the cause and would be difficult for the dealer to troubleshoot.

Rear seats creak sometimes.

Steering wheel is poorly designed.

HVAC is poorly laid out.

Cupholder design is obsolete.

Wish I would have gotten a Premium with the Sunroof.

No heated steering wheel option.

Removing the spare tire is a PITA.

Stock headlights are pathetic. I mean just horrible.

Transmission tune wants to upshift too quickly for MPG.

Door armrest is too low for comfortable use.


Now the above are all very small things and aren't really problems but more design flaws.

You won't have the issues that cause it to be at the dealer for weeks or puddles in your garage or leave you stranded.

 

[1engineer]

Entune sucks but isn't as bad as some. I've had mine randomly reboot and reset settings for no reason.

In strong crosswinds, I get a rattle under the passenger side wiper cowl. Not sure of the cause and would be difficult for the dealer to troubleshoot.

Rear seats creak sometimes.

Steering wheel is poorly designed.

HVAC is poorly laid out.

Cupholder design is obsolete.

Wish I would have gotten a Premium with the Sunroof.

No heated steering wheel option.

Removing the spare tire is a PITA.

Stock headlights are pathetic. I mean just horrible.

Transmission tune wants to upshift too quickly for MPG.

Door armrest is too low for comfortable use.


Now the above are all very small things and aren't really problems but more design flaws.

You won't have the issues that cause it to be at the dealer for weeks or puddles in your garage or leave you stranded.

The OP wanted "common" problems inherent to all 5th gen 4Runners. He did not want opinions nor personal gripes. The last several posts have been just that. There are several threads already out there on what you don't like so go dig those up and post there. If you guys continue to post this stuff I will shut the thread down.

-mod-

 

[nb rob]

What's an obsolete cupholder? no bluetooth?

Antman-- Does your cupholder satisfy the 2016 standard of cupholders?

 

[e60ral]

i... i like the cup holders, but maybe that's just because I am coming from german cars. i mean, i lost the ability to hold a champagne flute in my cup holder, but none of my BMW's could hold a nalgene bottle in the cup holder or a bottle of water in the door.

 

[commbubba19]

Such attitude haha.

Since most of what I mentioned above are inherent to all 5th gen's, I would consider them common. :flipoff:

...and on the cupholders, yes, they are fvcking obsolete design. Having to take a rubber cup out to hold a bigger whatever is just retarded. Most modern cars have the little plastic springs that adapt to different sized cups. pretty simple design there that Toyota in all their wisdom decided not to use.

I swear some of you guys swing way to hard from the 4Runner's nuts. I like mine but the interior definitely leaves a lot to be desired.

 

[e60ral]

Little springy things that will inevitably stop working at some point down the road leaving your drink wobbly and your cup holder ineffective

 

[The Waco Kid]

Lol we're arguing cup holder usefulness.

OP if this doesn't satisfy your questions, idk what will. especially if you compare this to the jeep boards where they have smoke signals and fireworks show coming from under the hood.

 

[proimion]

Little springy things that will inevitably stop working at some point down the road leaving your drink wobbly and your cup holder ineffective

In my Honda Accord, those springy things dig into the cheaper foam cups from fast food and donut joints making it very difficult to get the cup out without taking the other hand and depressing the springs.

Once they shredded the foam enough that coffee spilled out filling the cup holder. True story.

 

[e60ral]

i've definitely crushed a few foam cups in my old e36 that way