Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 1997 Toyota 4 Runner, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Suspension30
- Service brakes, hydraulic22
- Tires15
- Power train14
- Engine and engine cooling11
- Air bags8
- Structure7
- Equipment6
- Electrical system5
- Wheels5
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 13 injuries and 3 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
Fatal crashes in the US
From 2020 to 2023, 61 1997 4 Runner vehicles were involved in crashes on US public roads in which someone died; 49 people died inside them, and 25 of the vehicles rolled over. This is a count, not a crash rate: it grows with the number of cars on the road.
NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), crash years 2020–2023 (public domain)
In the United Kingdom
2 cars built in 1997 were licensed for the road at the end of 2025.
Department for Transport and DVLA, vehicle licensing statistics (table VEH0124, year of manufacture) · Open Government Licence v3.0
Recalls
No recall campaigns cover the 1997 Toyota 4 Runner.
Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words
Service bulletins
What Toyota told its dealers about the 1997 Toyota 4 Runner: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 629499 | INFORMATION REGARDING REAR SUSPENSION MODIFICATION. *YH |
| 628690 | SUBJECT REGARDING SPECIAL SERVICE CAMPAIGN TO MODIFY THE REAR SUSPENSION. *TT |
| 627389 | SUBJECT REGARDING HEAD GASKET REPLACEMENT. *YD |
| 622728 | INFORMATION REGARDING SHOULDER BELT ANCHOR TAPE SET. *JB |
| 616094 | SUBJECT REGARDING NEW FRONT BRAKE PAD KITS TO REDUCE THE POSSIBILITY OF FRONT BRAKE VIBRATION. *TT |
| 616075 | FRONT BRAKE VIBRATION. *TT |
| 610052 | THIS BULLETIN PROVIDES THE LOCATION OF THE GREASE FITTINGS FOR THE PROPELLER SHAFT JOINTS AS WELL AS THE TYPE OF GREASE TO USE WITH EACH FITTING LOCATION. *TT |
| 6088659 | THIS SERVICE BULLETIN PROVIDES THE LOCATION OF THE GREASE FITTINGS FOR THE PROPELLER SHAFT JOINTS. *TT |
| 608086 | THIS BULLETIN INTRODUCES INFORMATION ON THE LOWER FRONT SEAT BELT ANCHOR SHAPE WHICH HAS BEEN CHANGED TO PREVENT STAINS IN THE CARPETING FROM TRANSFERRING ONTO THE SEAT BELT WEBBING FOR VEHICLES BUILT WITHIN CERTAIN VIN RANGES. *TT |
| 605423 | PARTS INFORMATION FOR VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH EXHAUST GAS RECIRCULATION (EGR). *TT |
| 604869 | SPECIAL SERVICE CAMPAIGN X01 INVOLVING REPLACEMENT OF THE CYLINDER HEAD GASKETS INSTALLED ON CERTAIN VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE 3.4 LITER V6 ENGINE. *TT |
| 604667 | SUBJECT REGARDING TOYOTA DINGHY TOWING GUIDE. *TT |
| 604644 | PRODUCTION CHANGES TO THE COWL TOP LOUVER AND HEATER UNIT HAVE BEEN MADE TO IMPROVE RESISTANCE TO SNOW ENTRY INTO THE HEATER UNIT AND IMPROVE DURABILITY OF AIR MIX DOOR ON VEHICLES WITHIN CERTAIN VIN RANGES. *TT |
| 603966 | SUBJECT ON SPECIAL SERVICE CAMPAIGN X01 TO REPLACE THE CYLINDER HEAD GASKETS. *YC |
| 603031 | INFORMATION ON OXYGEN SENSOR IMPROVEMENT. *YC |
| 601603 | A GROOVE HAS BEEN ADDED TO BOTH THE INNER AND OUTER WHEEL FLANGES TO IMPROVE WHEEL WEIGHT RETENTION. *YC |
| 601597 | INFORMATION ON 4RUNNER REAR SUSPENSION. *YC |
| 601331 | A GRIIVE GAS BEEN ADDED TO BOTH THE INNER AND OUTER WHEEL FLANGES TO IMPROVE ALUMINUM WHEEL WEIGHT RETENTION. |
| 600349 | SOME AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS MAY PRODUCE A CHATTER NOISE WHEN SHIFTED OUT OT REVERSE INTO EITHER NEUTRAL OR PARK. *YC |
| 600348 | CONDITION WITH VEHICLE BACK DOOR LOCK OPERATION. *YC |
| 53044 | REDUCING WIND NOISE FROM THE WINDSHIELD SIDE MIRRORS. *YC |
| 53033 | EXCESSIVE AIR CONDITIONING EVAPORATOR ODOR IS ACCURING IN VARIOUS VEHICLES. *YC |
| 53032 | INFORMATION ON REDUCING FRONT BRAKE GROAN NOISES. *YC |
| 52240 | PUBLICATION CORRECTION INFORMATION. *JD |
| 52151 | TOWING RECEIVER HITCH. *JD |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)