1998 Toyota 4RUNNER Problems

What owners report

Complaints about this model year center overwhelmingly on rust in the frame and the rear suspension mounting points, which owners often describe as discovered during an oil change or inspection rather than as a sudden event. Reports of swaying or rear-end instability after a control arm bracket or sway bar mount gives way are common, and most appear on vehicles well past 100,000 miles, with several under 100,000. Remaining complaints are scattered across brakes, tires, cooling and drivetrain parts.

1. 1
   Body and structure

   Frame rust-through at rear control arm and sway bar mounts

   • 113 complaints (45%)
   • median 175,000 mi at 17.7 yrs old (83 state mileage)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2000–2022

   Owners describe frame rails rusted through, often around the rear lower control arm brackets or the sway bar mounts, sometimes found only after the bracket tears away and the rear of the vehicle sways or steps sideways. Many say the rust was noticed during an oil change, state inspection or unrelated repair, and some describe holes they can push a finger through or metal flaking off the undercarriage. According to the complaints, dealers and independent shops variously told owners the frame could not be repaired, declined to work on it, or offered no assistance beyond noting the condition. Mostly reported between roughly 90,000 and 250,000 miles on 15- to 20-year-old vehicles, frequently in states where road salt is used.

   What to check: Inspect the frame rails above the rear axle, around the lower control arm brackets and sway bar mounts, ideally on a lift; look for flaking scale, holes, or soft metal. Ask whether the frame has ever been repaired or welded.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The driver's side rear control arm mounting bracket that is welded to the frame has rusted and completely fractured off of the frame. The failure occurred while I began to accelerate from a stop light on a city street at normal speeds. I felt and heard a loud pop, then had severe rear end instability while driving, requiring me to limp home to maintain control of the vehicle.”

   NHTSA complaint #11373711, filed 2020-11, 101,185 miles

   “I was driving on a back road, hit a pothole and the rear drivers side control arm ripped away from the frame. Found out frame was rusted from the inside out, and should not have been inspected. I had just recently bought the vehicle, and it had gone through pa inspection two months before I bought it. Its a shame, the rest of the truck, motor, interior, body panels, was in perfect condition.”

   NHTSA complaint #10514736, filed 2013-06, 183,861 miles
2. 2
   Suspension

   Rear swaying or instability after mount failure

   • 33 complaints (13%)
   • median 187,000 mi at 17.5 yrs old (25 state mileage)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1999–2023

   Owners describe the rear end swaying, jumping or stepping sideways, sometimes after hitting a bump or pothole, and say it worsened with speed. Several found a broken or rotted rear trailing arm or control arm bracket, torsion bar or stabilizer bar mount once the vehicle was inspected. Repairs described include welding, bracket replacement or being told the vehicle needed a new frame, and a few owners say the vehicle was taken off the road as a result. Reported from roughly 130,000 to 300,000 miles, often during highway or normal street driving.

   Recall 02V021000

   What to check: Test drive at highway speed and over bumps, listening for clunks and watching for rear-end wander. Have a shop check the rear trailing arms, control arm brackets and stabilizer bar links for rust and looseness.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I was driving down the road and I hit a bump didn't think anything of it until I went on the highway, the rear end started jumping as the car increased speed. I started to lose control so I slow down and eventually pulled over. I exited the car and proceeded to inspect the car's under body, I didm;t see anything so I proceeded to drive home doing under 20miles per hour as to not make the rear end jump. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10610187, filed 2014-07, 298,000 miles

   “The right rear stabilizer bar connected to the frame failed. The frame connection rusted thru and separated. Lots of frame rust. I heard a loud clinking noise as I was driving and noticed considerable side sway while driving.”

   NHTSA complaint #11079119, filed 2018-03, 94,500 miles
3. 3
   Suspension

   Rear axle, hub and differential leaks from corrosion

   • 22 complaints (9%)
   • median 160,000 mi at 14.3 yrs old (17 state mileage)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2001–2023

   Owners report gear oil dripping from the rear of the vehicle, with shops identifying a corroded rear wheel hub or a rusted-through differential housing as the source. In some cases the recommendation was to replace the entire rear axle assembly rather than the leaking part. Others describe corroded axle rods or a front wheel coming loose after the axle component was found corroded. Reported from about 110,000 to 205,000 miles; several cases found during routine service.

   What to check: Look for oil weeping or wet rust stains around the rear differential and wheel hubs, and check the differential housing and axle tubes for deep pitting or holes.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Rear differential housing is leaking fluid as a result of rust. Local Toyota dealership says the entire rear axle needs to be replaced (it is all one piece) to the tune of $3000. An online search of a diy repair shows this problem (google: rear differential rust) shows this problem is unique to Toyota 3rd generation 4runners. This amount of rust on an integral part is extreme and unacceptable that Toyota has not done a recall, even though they did one for virtually same vehicle in the tacoma for frame rust.”

   NHTSA complaint #10473849, filed 2012-09, 190,000 miles

   “The contact owns a 1998 Toyota 4RUNNER. The contact was driving 5 MPH when the front passenger side tire detached from the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who diagnosed that the axle rod was corroded and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure and the vehicle was repaired. The failure and current mileage was 168,641.”

   NHTSA complaint #10403862, filed 2011-05, 168,641 miles
4. 4
   Suspension

   Ball joint separation at the front wheels

   • 20 complaints (8%)
   • median 161,000 mi at 13.6 yrs old (11 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2001–2023

   Owners describe a loud noise from the front, then a wheel pointing the wrong way or coming off entirely, with shops finding the upper and lower ball joints sheared or separated. Repairs involved replacing the ball joints and CV joints, and vehicles were towed in each case. Reported between roughly 80,000 and 225,000 miles, at low speed in most accounts.

   What to check: Have the front ball joints and CV boots inspected for play, torn boots or rust before driving; ask when they were last replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Left ball joint broke while driving after it was serviced at a Toyota dealership. Then they told me my frame was rusted after they inspected it. I heard there was a recall on rusted frames.”

   NHTSA complaint #11114286, filed 2018-07, 190,000 miles

   “- the contact stated that while driving the 1998 Toyota 4 runner with 80000 failure mileage at 15 MPH the right front wheel came off. The vehicle needed to be towed. The mechanic stated that the upper and lower ball joints were sheared. The vehicle had been repaired. The current mileage was 106,870.”

   NHTSA complaint #10184882, filed 2007-03, 80,000 miles

Buying note. The condition of the frame matters more than mileage on this model year, so have it inspected on a lift before purchase. Records of suspension and brake work help, and a recent inspection is worth more than a clean body.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.