What makes these trucks so reliable?

[TeamAllen]

I have always thought one of the big attributes of the foreign cars was a higher standard of tolerance. When you build an engine or any other part you have to have an acceptable amount of variance.

One manufacturer might have an allowance of .01-.02. Where another might have .001-.002 as their allowable tolerance. Like when you rebuild an engine. You can just replace all the parts as they come out of the box. The engine will run. If you take the extra steps in blueprinting and balancing (a much higher standard) the engine parts, the motor will be smoother running, outperform and outlast the thrown together engine.

I believe Toyota uses a higher standard level of tolerance.

 

[JohnsD90]

I do agree with the poster who didn't like the fading plastic jeep parts. And every jeep I have seen approaching 100k has had terribly faded, yellow, headlights. Seems the Toyotas remain clear.

Plastic vs. glass, the yellow headlights are very easy to solve and take about an hour of work. Its your choice, people hear tend to forget about the bad stuff that happens to the 4runners like the coolant for the tranny and the engine mixing together and killing the transmission, or rear axle seals going bad, rear bumpers rusting (already mentioned), along with much other rust, or about the steering wheel wobble that some people cant get away from, random whines people get from random parts of the truck while driving, i know i have random squeaks and rattles.

I do feel the drivetrain of a 4runner will outlast a GC but if you want the Jeep, it wont cost you much more to fix than a 4runner, and in the long run its whichever one you want that will make you happy for the period of time you own it.

 

[theizzardking]

i call bull on the jeep thing, i have owned jeeps my whole life xj's and zj's mainly
on the zj's it's common to have alot of major componets to break around 150K if you even make it that far, my viscous coupling went out on my jeep at 80K in the np249 t-case, new transmission at 120K, stupid electrical problems for the life of the truck and so on and so forth, the only thing that didn't need work on that truck is engine.

 

[brian2sun]

Yeah there is no comparison between Toyota and Jeep for reliability. A toyota with 250K is like a Jeep with 100K. My family owned a towing business when I was a kid for ~15 years. Guess what brand broke down the most and had to be towed way more year after year? Yup, you guessed it. And I would say it was about 5 to 1 Jeep to Toyota regardless of model or year.

Jeeps are still great off roaders, but comparing their reliablity to Toyota is a no brainer. Unless it's a complete fluke, a Jeep will cost you much more money to maintain over the years.

 

[NickF]

Yes, don't ever buy a Jeep with ABS. Huge issues there.

 

[peter78]

As already mentioned, the 3.4 was a bit over built. It was a bit under powered compared to the compition, but Toyota was concerned more about it lasting. The plant in Japan where they built the 4Runner has had numerous awards for their quality. Most of the car was built for abuse and was to be used all over the world.

I truely feel the 3rd generation is one of those rare cars where quality was put as the number one thing. It was made at a time where Toyota made sure their parts were up to the task.

 

[cordrayj1]

ill never buy any vehicle again (regardless off car/truck/suv) unless its a toyota. my girlfriend has a 95 camry that rides like a freaking dream... my aunt has an newer avalon (sick ride), uncle has a newer gen tacoma (sick), cousin has a 2004 tundra w/ 35's V8, lockers (still runs like a champ and he beats the crap out of it), my other cousin has a 95 t100 4wd w 400+ miles on it and still uses it every day to tow boats for his marine repair business. and he has the 3.4 5vz. only thing he has had to do is reg maint and a transmission rebuild (from excessive towing). but that 3.4 purrs just like the day my uncle bought it BRAND NEW. im stickin with toyotas. theyve been nothing but nice to me and pretty much anyone ive met or known feel the same way.

my roomate in college had 2 jeep grand cherokees. THEY BOTH SUCKED BIG TIME! problem after problem after problem. whether it was electrical, mechanical or whatever, there was ALWAYS A PROBLEM. he had the 6 and 8 cyclinder models too. both sucked. exgirlfriend has a 99 cherokee. that thing is embarrassing. sounds like crap, its falling apart, breaks down all the time. I just personally dont trust american auto makers anymore. NOT EVEN FOR BOAT MOTORS.

 

[Foosmatrix]

I had a 96 limited with 3.4 and rear locker. I wheeled it pretty hard and frankly beat the s**t out of it. It had 240k on before my then gf (now wife) totaled it forcing me to get an 06 v8 limited. I had no intention of getting rid of it at the time even with 240k. In the end I have to thank the wife for forcing my hand on getting a new ride though.

 

[Satter]

American cars in general, there's a reason for all the bail outs, there's a reason for the cash for clunkers, and there's a reason that the junk yards are full of them, they're pieces of ****. Chrysler in itself has been tossed around between owners like a hot potato lately.

Couldn't have said it better.

EDIT I'd also like to add that the 4R is the AK-47 of the SUV industry. You can abuse the crap outta of it and it will still run run run and run some more. Simply blows my mind how durable and reliable this truck is.

 

[Nelsonmd]

American cars in general, there's a reason for all the bail outs, there's a reason for the cash for clunkers, and there's a reason that the junk yards are full of them, they're pieces of ****. Chrysler in itself has been tossed around between owners like a hot potato lately.

Hehe, you have no idea the tension between Daimler and Chrysler for the time Daimler owned them. I was at Chrysler right after Cerberus bought them, and they had all the Daimler insignia, etc. covered up the day that the deal went through. Not to mention the fact that Daimler lost something like $25 Billion on Chrysler (bought at $32B, sold for $7B IIRC).

As far as cash for clunkers, the bailout, all that crap, I blame most of that on the union's lobbying power. Just wait until our union friendly government passes the "employee free choice" act. Then the unions will ruin the whole industry with tactics not seen since the 1930's. Seriously, look it up for yourself.

Couldn't have said it better.

EDIT I'd also like to add that the 4R is the AK-47 of the SUV industry. You can abuse the crap outta of it and it will still run run run and run some more. Simply blows my mind how durable and reliable this truck is.

Actually, the Hilux is the AK of the entire global auto industry. We are lucky enough to have hilux genes in our 4runners, even if they did depart from that chassis for the 3rd gen.

 

[TheDurk]

Actually, the Hilux is the AK of the entire global auto industry. We are lucky enough to have hilux genes in our 4runners, even if they did depart from that chassis for the 3rd gen.

Matt--do you have any details on that? My '97 HiLux SW4 (Japanese chassis/Argentine motor) and '99 4Runner(US) are very similar. The SW4 is an SUV like the 4Runner, seems smaller up front and larger in back--has a factory 3rd row removable seat. I'd love to know more about any specific differences. I'm heading back to Brazil next week and we're taking the old HiLux several hundred miles up the coast.

 

[JT3HN86R]

I can't add a whole lot to what's been mentioned already. I buy and sell these trucks for a sideline to make extra money. The thing that I notice is that ALL of the accessories always work for a long time. For example, the window motors, the power locks, the AC and heaters, the 4WD system, rear defroster, clock, radio, cruise, etc, etc.

The engines will go in excess of 300K miles with nothing except preventive maintenance. I am driving a 2001 right now with 118K miles on it, everything works perfectly. The first time I crawled under one of these trucks I was completely amazed at the build quality and the heavy duty nature of the drive train, frame, etc. I had a 99 Jeep GC Laredo also. It was a nice vehicle. I bought it with 65K miles on it but the tranny had me scared and I sent it down the road. Comparison of the undercarriage components was easily slanted toward the Toyota build.

I can only say that these 3RD Gen trucks were still assembled completely in Japan and that must be the reason for the longevity along with the solid components used.

My 2

 

[Beckman02]

I'll add my story and hope it helps you make a decision. My intro to Toyota was a 2000 Tundra. Bought it because my buddy worked for a Toyota dealer. Looked at a 2000 4Runner at the time but went Tundra for the V8. Loved it, ran it up to 200k miles, only problem was an injector went bad at 140k, but that was it. Enter wife and kid, so made decision to swap to a 4Runner...or at least that was my idea. Enter the financial crisis of 2008. Saw lots of cheap Jeeps out there, went to look and ended up with a 06 Jeep Grand Cherokee w/ 35k milesfor $13k (before trade) Nothing weird on the CarFax. Too cheap compared to the same model year 4Runners for me to pass up...plus coming from the Tundra, I kind of wanted the V8.
Everything was fine for a couple of months. Then the electrical problems started in. First the 4wheel drive failed. Then all electrical power cut out while I was waiting at a traffic light. Then the water pump failed. Hey I know, water pumps will fail on every vehicle...but at 45k miles??? The transmission was loose and sloppy, I was sure it was going to blow anyday. A bearing in the transfer case had to replaced twice. Was making noise again when I sold it...apparently that is a common problem with Jeeps. All said and done, in my first 12 months of ownership, it was on the back of a towtruck 4 times. Unacceptable in my book. So I sold it...to my local mechanic....why not, it was there most of the time anyay....hahaha
As luck would have it, my cousin found himself having to move overseas and he sold me his 2002 4Runner for $2000. Had 137k miles. Most people would say I am crazy for going from an 06 Jeep with 58k miles to a 02 Toyota with double the miles, but all I know is that I am happy now.
The worst thing about the Jeep was the gas mileage, combined with a really small gas tank. Unless you are incapable of telling when you should shift into 4WD, all wheel drive in an SUV and a V8 are just unnecessary. The Jeep got 12-13mpg. No Joke. At times I miss the V8, like when towing but between the headaches and the poor mileage, it was not worth it.
I am biased now, based on my experience. Too bad really, Jeeps look great. IF they could build them, they would be great. But the quality just isn't there.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[runrunner]

Its too bad the newer Toyota's arent built in Japan anymore. A few years ago I was looking at new Tacomas and wasnt impressed. Ended up with a Frontier that I wasnt too keen on either, but it was $5k cheaper than the Toyota. We have an 08' Matrix that we got brand new and it just doesnt feel like the same quality of earlier years.

Honestly, domestics are catching up to the imports. Or, imports are falling behind with domestics.

When its time for a new car I dont like my options. In fact, I considered selling the Matrix and picking up a 10 year old Lexus LS400. Problem is ones that are one owner with reasonable miles are getting harder to find everyday.

 

[Revosickness]

As I sat here and read this post I couldn't help but noticing that nobody mentioned anything about ford products. I realize that this was originally a jeep/runner thread but I'm just gonna put my .02 in too. My dad bought a brand new 2002 Ford f150 lariat edition right after he sold his red taco.(man I wish he would have kept that truck) since 2002 the truck has been across the country once, to Louisiana about 3 times, Tennessee 3 or 4 times, one trip to Jacksonville and another to Marco island flordia and west Virginia about 8-10 tImes. In the 8 years he has had the truck he has towed my grandfathers tractor many times hauled a trailer to a few of the places above and generally just been a great work truck. It now has over 260,000 miles on it. Even the things that one would expect to begin to break have held up surprisingly well. The stiching in the drivers side seat has just begun to come undone within the last few thousand miles or so the paint on the front of the truck has resisted chipping and such from all of the electronics are still working on it. One of the most unbelievable things is that he has never changed the springs or anything in the driveline or engine and it still runs and shifts as good as when it had 100,000 on it. Granted it has had lots of brakes a battery some work on the ac and an alternator it is one tough machine. I'll save the details on my 65 mustang for a later time. But I love my runner and will defiantly be getting another one when the one I have dies.

 

[brian2sun]

I think the quality of Ford has gone up a lot in the last few years. They had their bad phases, but I think they are competing now. I have a lot of friends who have '00-02 Rangers and I think those are junk personally, but after that I think Ford's cars and trucks got better. My Mom has a '04 Expedition and it hasn't given her a single problem since she bought it new. I think it has about 110K on it and it still runs great.

But I love my runner and will defiantly be getting another one when the one I have dies.

That's the thing, as long as you keep driving a Toyota they almost never die. They'll just run like s**t until you fix them.

 

[Satter]

Actually, the Hilux is the AK of the entire global auto industry. We are lucky enough to have hilux genes in our 4runners, even if they did depart from that chassis for the 3rd gen.

So, you're saying the 3G4R is the AN-94 of the truck industry? Kick ass!

 

[Nelsonmd]

You bring up a good point with Ford. While the Tundra is a pretty big truck, the Asian brands really don't keep up with the American companies in large consumer trucks. Then again, there isn't nearly as much consumer demand for full trucks in other countries, you get any bigger than the Tacoma/Hilux, and you are getting into their commercial lines. Toyota is catching up, finally offering a more powerful engine in the newest gen Tundra, but how long will it be before they start offering more heavy work oriented trucks (dual axle, higher load and towing, etc.). Right now they really only compare to the F150/1500, etc...

Trucks automatically come with a higher price point, and the American companies can put more quality into them without having to compete with the Asian brands. Ford especially has generally made the best (it is their bread and butter after all). Like Brian said, they all go through good and bad generations.

What needs to be emphasized is that the American companies know how to make good cars. They just don't. The business side is why they make crappy cars, not the engineering side. They have too many people dipping their fingers in between unions, lobbyists, government officials, etc. Watch as they move more of their stuff to the south (non-union states). Even Toyota and Honda are expanding in the south and other non-union areas.

We should have let them all go under. Someone would take their place. Even with the Asian brands coming on strong, someone would find a way to have an American car company. Then hopefully it would have been free of the "entanglements" that the big 3 have tied around their necks.

 

[sixgun86]

I've owned both a 99 Jeep Grand Limited V8 $3900 and a 1999 3.4 SR5 4Runner $3700. For me the jeep was a much nicer vehicle b/c it had leather & 8 cylinder under the hood. It was in my garage b/t 160k-175k and during the ac/heat duct broke. Luckily there are many of these to part from but I had to remove the dash down to the firewall and replace the entire housing due to a design flaw. Once I was in there I noticed the heater core had started to leak as well.. 4hrs - $50 <Lucky mans price.. When I purchased it the previous owner had just put a rebuilt differential on the truck. Aside from a leaky rear pinion seal it was good to go. Great Power, Very comfortable. Also The g/f had an 00' Jeep Grand and the Water pump pulley sheered off on the Hwy. $100 fix. Right up front. 1hr. Easy Fix.

The Toyota on the other hand was purchased beat up. 137k. Really the only way I could get into one so new after selling my Moto. It has thrown CEL light three times due to misfires or lean codes and has no where near the power of the jeep. I'm in the process of bringing the truck to par but even with 2 less cylinders it's still getting around same MPG as the jeep. I've always preferred Imports but jury is still out b/t the two. I've dropped $500 so far on the Yota and it still wont be to par. Hoping it won't offer a Fatal flaw down the road.

B/t the two, original MSRP was probably 10-12k in difference. I'm sure the Yota will offer more reliability in regards to the long block. But seems the jeeps are cheaper and offer more options for the money. You could always save that difference for when it breaks and enjoy an 8 cylinder before gas skyrockets again. If you want a older vehicle for 5yrs+ Toyota probably your best bet.

 

[4RunnerGirl01]

I have 123K on mine, owned it since 31K.

timing belt and water pump (bc i felt like it) at 87K. plugs and wires at 95K.

That is it, oil every 3200K

My best purchased, still rides and drives like first day I bought it in 03'