Top 5 Problems Toyota 4Runner SUV 4th Generation 2003-09

In this video, we're going to be going over the top five problems we found with this fourth-generation 4Runner.

Number one, the first one I want to talk about is exhaust manifolds. Now, if you have a 4Runner, it all depends on the age and how long they sit. But the manifolds rot real fast and, unfortunately, that can be really expensive because the front converters are attached to the manifold. So it gets very expensive to just replace them. And unfortunately, you do, unless you know a good welder because what they do is they crack right at the manifold and the little piece that goes into the head. They crack right where the manifold and the flange is one-piece meets the head. They rot really bad and leak right there. You have to replace this. This manifold is not worth welding, obviously, as you can see the rust. And unfortunately, that converter down there is part of this manifold.

Number two is the AC stopped working on you. You're driving down the road and the AC was working great and then it stopped. I'm not talking about a gradual "not work," but it just stopped when it was working. And the AC light on the heater control area is flashing, just flashing at you. What's happening here is that the AC compressor is not revving at the speed of the engine, so it puts it into fault mode. So unless you just had Freon come out like a leak, like you hit a stick and it broke into the AC condenser, if you've had AC up to this point and it just stops, quick, the most common problem is the AC compressor relay, which is right here in this fuse box module. Pull her out, 20 bucks go get yourself relay, pop it in, AC works again. That was a quick fix.

Number three, head gasket. Now, if you've owned a Toyota, you've been a loyal Toyota member, you'll be like, "I've never had a head gasket problem." Well, a certain year, they started having problems. 4.0s, seriously? After about 125k, you would see some problems. So signs to know if you have a head gasket problem would be overheating. No sign of coolant on the ground, but yet your coolant is gone and missing. White cloud out of the tailpipe after a sit for a couple of hours and you start it up. Gurgling inside the cabin, so when you're driving along and it gurgles, you hear it coming out of the dash and you're like, "What's that?" That's air pocket. That's an air pocket in the heating system, caused by compression that's leaking into the head gasket going throughout the system.

Very expensive repair, it all depends on the mileage and how much you love your baby. If you are a true-to-heart DIYer and it's something you want to tackle, the only advice I can give you is please pay very close attention to the timing chain mechanism on these. If they're just slightly off, it's not going to restart or run. So, mark everything up, replace it if it needs to, the change stretched. Hate to see that big job go all to waste by not doing it complete.

And before, man, this is a good one. No start, nothing, no click, nothing. Battery's good, you know the battery is good, all the light's on the dash. Get maybe a multimeter, you grab it, the battery reads 12.5 volts or 12.4. Starter, they are known to corrode right where the connector and the cable meet and then slowly they get wasted. I don't know why they do, but we have a great example to show you here. And this looks like trouble for the future.

Number five, and it is the worst, I know, Toyota frame rot. The only problem is here is that Toyota never did a recall on the 4Runner. Now, I might not be an expert on just Toyotas and their generations and what they did and didn't do, but to me, a 4Runner frame looks just like the Tacoma frame, dude. Why wouldn't you recall this? There's so many write-ups online about this. And this is sad. This is a great car, and this is what happens, Toyota will not take a recall. You can see someone's already done the repair on this back here. Now whether it's legal or not, that's between them and the law, not me. But we have some issues here and I wish Toyota would take care of it. They did it on all the other vehicles, why not the 4Runner?

So that's our top five problems on this '03 4Runner, fourth generation. Please subscribe if you're not a subscriber. Turn on all the notifications and ring that bell. That way, you'll get all the future videos.