1998 Toyota 4RUNNER Vehicle speed control Problems
- Complaints
- 8about this part
- Share
- 3%of 250 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 152,000miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 8 complaints about the vehicle speed control of the 1998 Toyota 4RUNNER, 3% of the 250 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 152,000 miles. 1 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers.
Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“I have owned this vehicle for over 7 years. Today, the only occasion of the following occurred. Driving I-95 in north florida at approx. 72 MPH, I removed my foot from the accelerator to begin a lane change as I approached a slower vehicle to the front. The accelerator, of its own accord, pressed itself to the floor and the vehicle began to accelerate on its own, reaching a speed of 93 MPH within a few seconds. I applied the brakes, which were totally ineffective; the vehicle continued to increase in speed. …”
NHTSA complaint #10408905, filed 2011-06, 254,299 miles“When the consumer shifted to drive, the vehicle surged forward. This caused a minor collision with minor damage to the vehicle. The consumer shifted the vehicle in reverse and bumped into a telephone pole. The consumer then shifted the vehicle into drive, with her foot on the brakes, but the vehicle had taken off by itself. The consumer struck two other vehicles.”
NHTSA complaint #10081596, filed 2004-08, 84,129 miles“I have a 1998 Toyota 4-runner. It, too, has random acceleration problems. Over the years I have had it checked by a mechanic for problem identification no less than 10 times but no problems were identified and therefore nothing was fixed.. The occurrences are sporadic and unpredictable. I do a lot of freeway driving and thus, most have occurred on freeways and without any significant consequence, the car was bought used.”
NHTSA complaint #10317399, filed 2010-03“My 1998 Toyota surges at stop lights. It does not do it all the time. I will start to keep a record of weather conditions. And if I have the A/C on. I try to keep my foot on the brake pedal, but sometimes it happens when I take my foot off the pedal. I have been very lucky so far. Toyota does not see it as a problem. The date is a guess.”
NHTSA complaint #10082889, filed 2004-07“The contact owns a 1998 Toyota 4runner. The contact was sitting at a traffic stop with the brakes depressed when the vehicle abnormally accelerated. She engaged the brakes abruptly to stop the unintended acceleration. The vehicle was taken immediately to an authorized dealer. The dealer replaced the sensor on the accelerator. The failure mileage was 152,000 and the current mileage was 155,000. Updated 11/08/10 * bf the consumer stated the vehicle would stall when attempting to accelerate at times. Updated 11/10/10.”
NHTSA complaint #10350065, filed 2010-08, 152,000 milesRelated service bulletins
- 10244113Aug 17, 2023TSB: Replacement certification labels (the vinyl label installed on the driver door or door post) and VIN plates (the metal plate riveted to dashboard) (see Figure 1) for most…
Vehicle speed control: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 1 | 3% |
| 2022 | 3 | 8% |
| 2021 | 1 | 3% |
| 2018 | 2 | 3% |
| 2017 | 2 | 6% |
| 2016 | 3 | 4% |
| 2015 | 8 | 9% |
| 2014 | 1 | 1% |
| 2013 | 2 | 6% |
| 2012 | 2 | 2% |
| 2011 | 3 | 2% |
| 2010 | 8 | 5% |
| 2009 | 1 | 5% |
| 2008 | 16 | 17% |
| 2007 | 21 | 14% |
| 2006 | 17 | 4% |
| 2005 | 29 | 7% |
| 2004 | 34 | 5% |
| 2003 | 29 | 4% |
| 2002 | 11 | 5% |
| 2001 | 5 | 3% |
| 2000 | 9 | 2% |
| 1999 | 6 | 2% |
| 1998 | 8 | 3% |
| 1997 | 11 | 4% |
| 1996 | 5 | 3% |
| 1994 | 3 | 5% |
| 1992 | 6 | 11% |
| 1991 | 1 | 2% |
| 1990 | 5 | 6% |
Other parts of the 1998 Toyota 4RUNNER
78 complaintsSuspension
60 complaintsTires
30 complaintsEngine cooling
16 complaintsOther or unknown
16 complaintsBrakes
13 complaintsSteering
12 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
12 complaintsElectrical system
11 complaintsSeat belts
9 complaintsAir bags
7 complaintsExterior lighting
6 complaints
← All problems reported for the 1998 Toyota 4RUNNER
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology