1998 Toyota 4 Runner problems
Owners have filed 135 complaints about the 1998 Toyota 4 Runner with NHTSA. Tires account for 23% of them — the clear leader, ahead of suspension at 14.1%.
Complaints135
Crashes17
Fires3
Injuries24
Deaths0
What owners report breaking
Tires 23.0% · 31
Suspension 14.1% · 19
Engine and engine cooling 11.1% · 15
Service brakes, hydraulic 7.4% · 10
Electrical system 5.2% · 7
Power train 5.2% · 7
Seat belts 5.2% · 7
Structure 4.4% · 6
Severity
Of those complaints, 17 describe a crash, 3 describe a fire and 24 report an injury.
Reading the numbers
Across the 7 model years of the Toyota 4 Runner in this data, 1998 sits 4th by complaint volume. 2003 draws the most.
Filings have fallen off, 20 in the last three years against 50 in the three before. That is normal as a generation leaves the road.
The median odometer reading at the time of complaint was 60,000 miles.
In owners' own words
Upon switching my firestone tires to another brand, I noticed that one of the tires removed from my vehicle had a definite crack between the tread. It was an older tire, 2 years, 40k miles, but the deep crack between the treads concerned me, as I had not seen anything like that before. None of the other 3 tires exhibited this unusual wear characteristic. *Ak (dot number: w2hh tiresize: p225/75r15) Tires
Replacement of all five tires as two were already separating,have had trouble with one loosing air since bought,unable to find reason,tires were replaced by goodyear and firestone advised can't reemburse because of already taken off,other firestone said tires are two years old and needed replacing anyway. I spoke with robert oper.50 At nhtsa. *Ak (dot number: w2hhawb048 tiresize: p225/75r15) Tires
Pe00 020; vehicle was parked and front right tire blewout. When he changed tires there was one and half inch tear located in the inner side of tire. Tire firestone wilderness#at, p22575r15. Firestone was notified. *Ak one of the two firestone dealers stated that the tire was damaged due to incorrect pressure used and the second dealer claimed it to be due to road hazard. Tires
Verbatim from NHTSA filings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.
Safety recalls
Checking NHTSA for open recalls…