1999 Toyota 4RUNNER Brakes Problems

“Upon a normal maintenance on the front brakes my mechanic found that the front frame was rusted to a dangerous level. I will have to have plates welded onto the frame to make it safe to drive. This should not happen on a vehicle that is only 11 years old and carefully maintained. The vehicle is a 1999 Toyota 4 RUNNER.”

“I do not know if the stopping problem is the brakes, tires, both, or something else. At one point I got new tires and the stopping problem still occurred. My family has been in 3 accidents with other cars and many more incidents by the car itself. When braking in rain/snow/ice and even slight damp roads the car skids forward. We have to keep extra distance in front of now compared to other cars we drive. Also during acceleration on rwd from a stoplight even during dry conditions sometimes the rear tires spin out/burn out/ have no traction.”

“The rear axle seals repeatedly fail on this vehicle, I'm now having to make a fourth costly replacement of both the rear axle seal and contaminated brake shoes. For the fourth time the rear axle seal has failed which leaks brake fluid onto rear brake shoes, resulting in severe reduction of rear braking power. Also, as a result the front brakes are placed under undue pressure and warping of front brake rotors occurs which must also be addressed. While I have previously filed complaints over this same issue since 2005 with both Toyota and the nhtsb, there has been no recall initiated. …”

“As I was driving down a 4 lane highway, the steering wheel suddenly jerked out of my hands to the right. I was unable to turn the steering wheel back to the left to correct. The roads were wet from an earlier rain; there was no standing water, no pot holes, or other visible defects in the road. I was in the left lane, traveling about 60mph. The car spun out of control - doing 2 complete spins on the highway, then into the ditch on the right; hitting trees, flipping, hitting more trees, and finally coming to a halt straddling the ditch perpendicular to the highway. …”

“Experiencing severe vibration when braking at speeds over 50 MPH. Steering wheel vibrates and control is difficult. Identified as warped rotor. Toyota dealer wants to charge to replace front caliper/rotor with larger design. Claims that its common to have it fail shortly after warrantee coverage. (failed at 50000, coverage to 36000) purchased vehicle with 17000 miles and rotors/pads look good.”