2008 Toyota 4RUNNER Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 2008 4Runner most often describe a delayed or clunky engagement when shifting from reverse to drive, unintended acceleration episodes in low-speed and braking situations, and frame/undercarriage rust that appears well before the rest of the vehicle wears out. Reported mileages vary widely: transmission and speed-control complaints tend to come in early, while rust and suspension/brake complaints appear later in life.

1. 1
   Vehicle speed control

   Unintended acceleration at low speed or while braking

   • 12 complaints (13%)
   • median 21,000 mi at 2.4 yrs old (12 state mileage)
   • 5 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2008–2025

   Complaints describe the engine speeding up on its own while parking, waiting at an intersection, or with the brake applied, sometimes accompanied by a stuck accelerator pedal. Owners say they had to brake hard, shift to neutral, or shut the engine off to stop the vehicle, and several report the dealer could not reproduce the event. One recall covering this model year addresses an accelerator pedal that can be trapped by an unsecured or incompatible floor mat. Reported from very low mileage (under 1,000 miles) up through about 80,000 miles, in varied weather including cold conditions.

   Recall 11V113000

   What to check: Confirm the floor mat is the correct factory mat and properly secured, and ask whether the accelerator pedal recall work was completed; have a mechanic check pedal travel and floor mat fitment.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I own a 2008 Toyota 4RUNNER. I know it is not on the recall list, but a year ago I had an accident that fits the description of the sudden accelleration. No one at the time believed me when I said that I did nothing wrong, that the car just took off. In february 2009 I was on my way to work at around 6 am, everything was good. Then the next thing I remember I felt the car go over a curb and run into a building. The damage was great to the vehicle. The speed limit was 35 miles/hour. I remember pressing on the brake, but it had no effect. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10314155, filed 2010-02, 20,000 miles

   “Sudden unintended acceleration occurred in our 2008 Toyota 4RUNNER. While sitting in a turn lane, foot on brake, transmission in drive, the vehicle engine suddenly increased power dramatically on its own. With foot on brake the vehicle accelerated forward on its own. It continued forward for about 800 feet before it returned to normal. No damages or injuries. Vehicle was parked and Toyota dealer came and got it. Said they will run tests. This was not a imagined event. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10329513, filed 2010-05, 21,200 miles
2. 2
   Body and structure

   Frame and underbody rust

   • 20 complaints (21%)
   • median 91,200 mi at 10.4 yrs old (14 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2012–2023

   Owners report heavy corrosion on the frame rails, crossmembers, suspension brackets and floor, in some cases described as holes through the frame or a subframe too corroded to pass inspection. Some say a dealer or independent mechanic advised the vehicle should not be driven, and others note the dealer declined further repairs because of the rust. A few also mention rust on the tailgate, sunroof frame and paint. Usually described between about 90,000 and 165,000 miles, though some owners raised it on vehicles with fewer than 20,000 miles.

   10 related service bulletins

   What to check: Look underneath at the frame rails, crossmembers and suspension mounts for flaking or pitting rust, and have an independent inspection done before purchase; also check the tailgate latch and sunroof frame.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Frame rust. I have seen the recalls on other Toyota vehicles of the era due to premature frame rust. I know that the 4RUNNER should be on this list as well. It's rare to see a 4RUNNER with no frame rust. The frame rusts before any other part of the vehicle.”

   NHTSA complaint #11326257, filed 2020-05, 130,000 miles

   “My frame brackets that hold my suspension and other parts like my fuel tank and driveline are rusting off and my mechanic says don't bother because it'll cost more than the truck is worth. It needs a full frame change!! If I would have been driving it when the last part broke at highway speed instead of the 20 MPH on a regular road we wouldn't be chatting right now because I would have been killed along with my passenger and I had just got out of a 3 day stay at a local hospital so I was definitely going slower than normal. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11114355, filed 2018-07, 154,000 miles
3. 3
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Reverse-to-drive engagement delay and clunk

   • 19 complaints (20%)
   • median 18,500 mi at 2.1 yrs old (17 state mileage)
   • filed 2008–2018

   Owners describe shifting from reverse into drive and having the vehicle act as if it is in neutral for several seconds, then lurch forward when the accelerator is applied. Some report the vehicle continuing to move backward after the lever is placed in drive, and others a clunk or thump felt when coming to a stop or pulling away. Several say the dealer could not duplicate the condition or called it normal. Mostly reported between roughly 500 and 45,000 miles, with many in the first few thousand miles of ownership.

   What to check: On a test drive, shift from reverse to drive several times on flat ground and note any delay or lurch before the vehicle moves; ask whether the driveline slip joint has ever been lubricated or serviced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Several seconds after coming to a stop I feel a bump as though I was hit from behind. This started from day one of purchase. It was checked several times while under warranty and problem could not be found. Now it happens when car is starting out from stopped position as well and happening more frequently.”

   NHTSA complaint #10906315, filed 2016-09, 30 miles

   “I have been complaining to my local Toyota dealership for several months that there is an issue with my 2008 Toyota 4RUNNER changing gears. From time to time when I go from reverse to drive the vehicle does not engage gears. Just yesterday not only did the vehicle not engage, but when I went from reverse to drive (I checked to make sure that the vehicle was in drive) and I stepped on the gas the vehicle went into reverse, almost hitting the car behind me. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10294181, filed 2009-12, 17,871 miles
4. 4
   Brakes

   Brake noise, sticking calipers and warning lights

   • 15 complaints (16%)
   • median 66,435 mi at 4.1 yrs old (14 state mileage)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2009–2020

   Owners describe squeaks, loud pops, and a loss of braking feel, with some reporting front calipers that seize and overheat rotors, plus ABS and traction-control warning lights. Some complaints describe the dealer finding nothing wrong or attributing the noise to a brake pump, and one owner reports both front calipers being replaced twice. Scattered from about 18,000 to 163,000 miles, with several reports in the 30,000-100,000 mile range.

   What to check: Ask for brake service records, feel for dragging or heat at each wheel after a drive, and check that no ABS or traction-control lights stay on; a sticking caliper often shows up as uneven pad wear.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Approx 1 week prior to 6/15 I started hearing an intermittent squeak when driving my car. I took my 4 runner in to have Toyota look at it, 2 days later they determined it must be the brake pump. My car is 4,000 miles past warranty. No one can tell me if it is safe to keep driving until I get it fixed and what might happen if it goes out.”

   NHTSA complaint #10339711, filed 2010-06, 40,870 miles

   “When braking, any bump or pothole will cause the system to lose brake power for about one (1) second, causing the vehicle to continue at the same speed for tens of feet further than expected. Hidden potholes by standing water can cause the vehicle to travel into an intersection or other vehicle. This is the third 4-runner that I have experienced with the same problem. Previous vehicles were from 1994 and 1998, and I had three rear-end accidents, which caused major damage to the other vehicles.”

   NHTSA complaint #10877014, filed 2016-06, 163,000 miles
5. 5
   Other or unknown

   Tire sidewall separation and belt failure

   • 6 complaints (6%)
   • median 63,807 mi at 4.8 yrs old (6 state mileage, few)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2011–2016

   Complaints describe sidewall separation, belt separation and blowouts on tires fitted to this vehicle, sometimes at highway speed and sometimes at low speed on city streets, with damage to the front of the vehicle in a few cases. Owners say the failures came without warning and repeated across more than one set of tires. Reported from roughly 28,000 to 132,000 miles, typically after the vehicle had covered tens of thousands of miles on the tires in question.

   What to check: Check tire date codes and look for cracking, bulging or separation on the sidewalls, and ask about the age rather than only the tread depth of any tires on the vehicle.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I took my vehicle in to the dealer for it's 30,000 mile scheduled maintenance even though it was a couple of thousand miles shy of the required service. They rotated the tires along with the other scheduled services. Shortly afterwards (less than 2 weeks) I noticed that it shimmied on the highway, something it had never done previously. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10556265, filed 2013-12, 28,201 miles

   “We bought 4 new sumitomo tour plus lxt tires for our 2008 Toyota 4RUNNER in june of 2013. Two years and 50,000 miles later, we felt a severe wobble in the tires and took the car to the shop. The two rear tires had separating belts and were replaced. Four months later, the two front tires exhibited the same problems. Another tire shop mechanic (different shop and mechanic than who diagnosed the first two tires) said the belts in the tires were separating and these two tires were also replaced.”

   NHTSA complaint #10763988, filed 2015-09, 132,000 miles

Buying note. Check the frame and underbody for rust before anything else, since that is the most expensive and hardest-to-remedy complaint on this model year. Then confirm the accelerator pedal recall and floor mat fitment, test the reverse-to-drive shift, and inspect the brakes and tires.

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.