2016 TOYOTA 4RUNNER Unknown Or Other Problems

On 5/11/2025, my husband and I were returning home from the grocery store. I was operating the vehicle at the time of the incident. Upon arriving at our residence, I pulled into our driveway, which has a slight downward incline. As in our usual practice, I attempted to stop in front of the garage to unload groceries before entering, as the hatch of our vehicle can come in contact with the garage door when opened inside. While aligning the vehicle with the garage door, I began breaking and turning slightly to the left. However, as I attempted to come to a complete stop in front of the closed garage door, the vehicle unexpectedly accelerated forward. Despite applying the brakes, the vehicle continued moving and crashed through the closed garage door. Due to the steering wheel being slightly turned, the vehicle veered left upon entering the garage, striking the left interior wall and a 32 foot ladder that was leaning against it. The impact with the wall and ladder brought the vehicle to a stop although the engine continued to rev and the vehicle attempted to move forward. My husband instructed me to shut off the engine, which I did immediately. My husband was not injured in the incident. I sustained pain in my left shoulder and upper left back. A medical evaluation indicated that the pain is expected to subside within a few weeks; imaging will be conducted if symptoms persist. I have filed both auto and homeowner's insurance claims regarding the incident. Additionally, I contacted the dealership, which advised me to report the issue to the manufacturers corporate office. They noted that the vehicle is equipped with a fail-safe system designed to prevent simultaneous engagement of the brake and accelerator. This was a very scary incident that I don't want to have happen to someone else.

Toyota has a major safety issue (that they know about) relating to door lock actuators on their 4runners. Both of mine (passenger and driver side) failed within the first 55,000 miles, and there are a LOT of others who have had the same problem. The forums are littered with people reporting. However, Toyota has discouraged people from reporting the problem to them by charging an exorbitant amount for repair of such an inexpensive item (about $800 per side). When that becomes known to owners, people will just repair the items themselves. This is obviously unethical. Door lock actuators pose an obvious safety issue, both if the door remains unlocked when it is supposed to be locked, and when the door remains locked when it is supposed to be unlocked. In the latter case, following an accident where a passenger is incapacitated and the door lock cannot be reached by hand (and there's no external key slot), the only way to unlock the door is via the electronic fob. If the door lock actuator is broken, then that incapacitated passenger will be trapped in the vehicle. For the former case - and this has personally happened to me - when the door was supposed to be locked, I had an individual actually open my passenger side door and enter into my vehicle. (He was under the influence of something, and fortunately nothing happened other than a very tense situation). But the safety issue remains. I expect that the post-accident scenario is more relevant to the NHTSA's interests, however, since a KNOWN design defect could very easily lead to the death of an individual trapped in a vehicle.

Rear view camera cuts out and screen goes black. Similar to the RAV4 complaints.

THE DOOR LOCK ACTUATOR ON THE PASSENGER SIDE DOOR IS GOING OUT. THIS IS CLEARLY A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS MAKE AND YEAR MODEL. SEVERAL REVIEWS I HAVE READ STATE THAT THIS HAS BEEN AN ISSUE SPECIFICALLY WITH THE FRONT DRIVER AND PASSENGER DOORS. I'M NOT SURE WHY THERE HAS NOT BEEN A RECALL ON THIS ISSUE. THIS IS OBVIOUSLY A MANUFACTURER ISSUE VS A OWNER/USER ISSUE. TOYOTA REALLY NEEDS TO CONSIDER A RECALL BECAUSE THIS IS NOT A CHEAP FIX.

LOCKS ON DOORS DONT WORK. COMMON PROBLEM YOU ARE AWARE OF (MORE COMPLAINTS OF THIS THAN ANY OTHER ON THIS VEHICHLE). CANT UNLOCK VEHICLE OR LOCK IT. SEVERE DANGER IF TRAPPED IN CAR. MY WIFE KEEPS A BRICK UNDER THE SEAT TO BREAK OUT IN THE EVENT OF AN ACCIDENT NOT TO MENTION THEIVES GAINING ACCESS OUT IN PUBLIC.

Mileage: 50,000

DOOR LOCK/UNLOCK ACTUATORS ARE GOING OUT. DRIVER'S SIDE AND NOW FRONT PASSENGER'S SIDE. THIS APPEARS TO BE A PREVALENT ISSUE ON LINE, AND NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE. REPLACING ONE COSTS $550.

DRIVER DOOR ACTUATOR NOT WORKING TO LOCK DOOR. STILL WORKS TO UNLOCK. LIGHT AND AUDIO DOESNT WORK EITHER WHEN LOCKING. HAVE TO USE KEY. THIS OCCURES WHEN TRYING TO LOCK THE DOOR WITH KEYLESS ENTRY.

Mileage: 58,000

SUNROOF EXPLODED WHILE DRIVING. NOT AROUND ANY CARS.

Mileage: 52,250

I WAS GOING STRAIGHT DOWN A HIGHWAY WHEN MY SUNROOF SUDDENLY EXPLODED AND SHATTERED. I DID NOT SEE ANY DEBRIS HIT IT. IT WAS EARLY MORNING AND THERE WERE FEW CARS ON THE ROAD AND I WAS NOT IN A CONSTRUCTION ZONE. THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF IMPACT TO THE SUNROOF OR BODY/ROOF OF THE VEHICLE. THE SUNROOF WAS BULGING OUTWARD, AS IF SOMEONE PUNCHED IT FROM THE INSIDE BUT I WAS THE ONLY PERSON IN THE VEHICLE AND HAD THE SUNROOF SHADE CLOSED. AFTER INVESTIGATING, THERE HAVE BEEN INCIDENTS JUST LIKE THIS HAPPENING WITH OTHER PEOPLE'S SUNROOF AS WELL, SO THIS WAS NOT JUST A ONE RANDOM OCCURRENCE. THERE NEEDS TO BE HIGHER SAFETY STANDARDS ESTABLISHED FOR SUNROOFS IN THE FUTURE. LUCKILY, IN MY SUDDEN SHOCK AND PANIC, I DID NOT CAUSE AN ACCIDENT TRYING TO GET OFF THE ROAD WHILE PIECES OF GLASS WERE FLYING OFF AND INTO THE VEHICLE AFTER I OPENED THE SHADE TO SEE WHAT HAPPENED.

Mileage: 52,000

THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE WINDSHIELD, IT'S EASY TO CRACK. I HAD THE VEHICLE ONLY 6 MONTHS AND THE WINDSHIELD CRACKED AFTER A ROCK HIT IT. THE WINDSHIELD CRACKED AGAIN AFTER A SMALL PEBBLE HIT THE WINDSHIELD WHEN I WAS HEADED ONTO 85 SOUTH OFF OF EXIT 93 IN ATLANTA, GEORGIA.THE WINDSHIELD IS TOO THIN OR MADE WITH CHEAP MATERIALS. TOYOTA NEEDS TO TAKE A LOOK AT THESE WINDSHIELDS. BECAUSE IT CAUSES A SAFETY PROBLEM WITH THE WINDSHIELD. THE WINDSHIELD IS TOO THIN AND CRACKS EASILY.

Mileage: 10,000

THE VEHICLE WAS TRAVELING APPROXIMATELY 55-60 MPH (CONSTANT SPEED W/O ACCELERATION) IN 2WD IN A 75 MPH ZONE ON HWY 29 SOUTHBOUND WHEN THE REAR TIRES LOST TRACTION (W/O AUDIBLE SKIDDING) CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO VEER TO THE LEFT INTO THE LEFT LANE AT AN ANGLE EXCEEDING 40 DEGREES. THE VEHICLE BRAKES WEREN'T USED AND I REMOVED MY FOOT OFF OF THE ACCELERATOR DURING THE INCIDENT WHILE GENTLY TRYING TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. THE VEHICLE DID NOT CAUSE AN ACCIDENT OR STRIKE ANYTHING AND TRACTION WAS ABRUPTLY REGAINED (W/O WARNING) BEFORE HITTING THE GUARD RAIL ALLOWING THE VEHICLE TO REGAIN CONTROL. THE VEHICLE TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM FAILED TO ACTIVATE WHEN NEEDED DESPITE ALMOST GOING SIDEWAYS INTO THE GUARD RAIL. THE VEHICLE TIRES FAILED TO OPERATE IN MANNER CONSISTENT FOR AN ALL-TERRAIN TIRE. THE TIRES EXCEED 75% TREAD LIFE WITH NO IMPERFECTIONS FOUND. UPON INSPECTION AFTER THE INCIDENT AND TESTING ON A DIFFERENT ROAD, 30-40% OF THE TREAD WILL REMAIN SNOW PACKED EVEN ON CLEAR ROADS DUE TO DRIVING ON SNOW PACKED ROADS PRIOR. THIS PARTICLE TREAD PATTERN DESIGN FAILS TO HAVE ENOUGH SPACE BETWEEN THE TREAD GROVES TO ALLOW SNOW TO CLEAR. THIS TIRE SHOULD NOT ALLOWED TO BE SOLD AS AN ALL-TERRAIN TIRE AND HAS A DESIGN FLAW MAKING IT CLEARLY UNSAFE TO USE IN SNOW. DURING ROUTINE DRIVING, THE TIRES CONSTANTLY FAIL TO PROPERLY PROVIDE TRACTION TO THE POINT WHERE LOW SPEED TURNING INTO PARKING LOTS BECOMES A CHALLENGE FOR SAFE DRIVING. THE VEHICLE'S TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM CLEARLY HAS A DESIGN FLAW PREVENTING ACTIVATION DURING A SCENARIO IN WHICH IT IS REQUIRED TO OPERATE. THE VEHICLE HAS (4) TOYO OPEN COUNTRY A/T II TIRES SIZE P265/70R17, (10 32NDS TREAD REMAINING). OUTSIDE CONDITIONS AS FOLLOWS: TEMP, 1 DEGREE F, ROAD CONDITIONS, CLEAR, FLAT AND NO ICE OR SNOW ACCUMULATION, WIND SPEED, 5-10 MPH N TO S AND WAS HITTING VEHICLE PARALLEL TO ITS TRAVELING DIRECTION, LOCATION, NORTH DAKOTA.

Mileage: 32,000

WHILE DRIVING FROM AUSTIN, TX TO CORPUS CHRISTI, TX AND AS WE WERE ENTERING THE CC-CITY LIMITS GOING ABOUT 65 MPH ON IH 37 SB (CENTER LANE) WITH TRAFFIC ON THE RIGHT LANE, WE HEARD A LOUD "POP" LIKE A GUN SHOT THEN WE HEARD GLASS RATTLING AROUND OVERHEAD. QUICKLY PULLED OVER TO A SAFE SPOT TO CHECK THINGS OUT. THE SUNROOF HAD EXPLODED. WEATHER WAS SUNNY, DRY AND OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE WAS ABOUT 65-DEGREES. FORTUNATELY, THE SUNROOF AND THE INTERNAL SLIDING ROOF WAS CLOSED OTHERWISE THE SHATTERED GLASS WOULD HAVE SEVERELY IMPACTED THE DRIVER, THE PASSENGER AND THE ABILITY TO CONTROL THE VEHICLE AT SAID SPEED THUS CAUSING A MAJOR ACCIDENT/INJURY. CONTACTED OUR INSURANCE COMPANY FOR RECOURSE - ACTION PENDING. LATER, WE LEARNED FROM SOCIAL MEDIA, THAT SUNROOF EXPLOSIONS ARE BECOMING A COMMON OCCURRENCE WITHOUT REMEDY FROM THE AUTO MANUFACTURERS. THIS ISSUE NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED AND CORRECTED IMMEDIATELY BY THE AUTO MANUFACTURERS TO PROTECT THE PUBLIC'S SAFETY.

Mileage: 22,600

"TAKATA RECALL " ALSO STICKING GAS PEDAL

TOYOTA KNOWINGLY USES A SOY BASED WIRE COATING THAT ATTRACTS RODENTS. SOMETHING CHEWED THROUGH THE WIRING HARNESS MAKING MY VEHICLE SHAKE UNCONTROLLABLY AND ACT VERY STRANGE. THIS IS A HUGE SAFETY CONCERN BECAUSE WHAT IF THE DAMAGE WAS ONLY PARTIAL AND THEN THROUGH NORMAL USE LIKE HIGHWAY DRIVING THE WIRE FULLY COMES APART DISRUPTING ANY AND ALL SAFETY FEATURES

Mileage: 12,000

PUT THE VEHICLE IN H4 MODE (4 WHEEL DRIVE). IN A STOP POSITION, TURN ALL THE WAY RIGHT, OR ALL THE WAY LEFT IF YOU PREFER. ACCELERATE, PUSH ON GAS PEDAL. PROBLEM: 1) THE CAR MOVES IN A CLUNKING MOTION. 2) FEELS LIKE YOU ARE DRIVING WITH EMERGENCY BRAKES ON - BUT NO BRAKES IS ON. 3) SMELLS VERY BAD TIRE BURNT SMELL. 4) IF TOYOTA DOESN'T FIX THIS PROBLEM, ITS GONNA COST MORE MONEY TO FIX WHATEVER IT CAUSES - GEAR SHAFT, ECT.. GETS GRIND OR DAMAGE. BROUGHT IT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEIR MECHANICS SAYS YOU CAN'T USE 4 WHEEL DRIVE ON DRY PAVEMENT. WHAT? ITS A 4 RUNNER! YOU CAN DRIVE 4 WHEEL WHEN YOU WANT TOO. BESIDES, THE PROBLEM EXIST ON WET PAVEMENT OR SNOW CONDITIONS TOO. HOW ARE WE SUPPOSE TO GET OUT OF OUR DRIVE WAY IF THIS FEATURE DOESN'T WORK DURING SNOW CONDITIONS. OR WHEN YOU USE IT, IT DAMAGES YOUR CAR - AS DESCRIBED ABOVE. DEALERSHIP MECHANIC TRIED THIS ON THE NEW 2017 4 RUNNERS THAT THEY HAVE THERE AND IT HAS SAME PROBLEM. MY 2016 4 RUNNER ONLY HAS 300 MILES. JUST BOUGHT IT TWO WEEKS AGO 2/17/2017. BAD TESTING.. THIS HAS TO BE FIX. PLEASE RECALL AND MAKE IT RIGHT. THANKS ALSO - I OWN A 2004 4RUNNER AND IT WORKS FINE IN THIS SENARIO - DOESN'T HAVE THIS PROBLEM. BUT MY NEW 2016 HAS THIS PROBLEM. AGAIN - BAD TESTING. PLEASE RECALL AND FIX THIS PROBLEM TOYOTA. THANK YOU.

Mileage: 300

THE DAY AFTER WE PURCHASED THIS 4RUNNER IN OCTOBER 2015 THE 4 WHEEL DRIVE STOPPED WORKING AND WHEN WE TOOK IT BACK TO THE DEALER THEY SAID THAT RODENTS HAD CHEWED THROUGH THE WIRE HOUSING CONNECTED TO THE DRIVE TRAIN. INITIALLY THEY WERE NOT GOING TO WARRANTY THE ISSUE BUT AFTER FURTHER AGGRESSIVE DISCUSSION BY ME IT WAS COVERED. APPARENTLY TOYOTA USES A SOY BASED SPRAY OR COATING ON THE WIRING THAT ATTRACTS RODENTS. THE VEHICLE WAS OPERABLE BUT THE 4WD WARNING LIGHT WAS FLASHING AND 4WD DID NOT ENGAGE. WE HAVE ALSO HEARD FROM A NEIGHBOR WITH A 2015 4RUNNER THAT A SIMILAR SITUATION HAPPENED TO THEM BUT IT AFFECTED THEIR WHOLE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM AND THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT OPERABLE AND HAD TO BE TOWED TO THE DEALER.

Mileage: 100