2008 Toyota 4RUNNER Electrical system Problems
- Complaints
- 5about this part
- Share
- 5%of 96 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 95,500miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 5 complaints about the electrical system of the 2008 Toyota 4RUNNER, 5% of the 96 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 95,500 miles. 1 a fire, 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.
“Toyota issued a short term warranty enhancement, expiring march 2018, for a known safety defect. I believe that the potential ramifications are significant and that this should be a recall as opposed to a warranty enhancement. The defect is in the rear window seal and electrical system; use of the defroster can cause the window to blow out. My car has a significant body defect adjacent to the rear window seal, and the seal is damaged, indicating that this is an accident waiting to happen. …”
NHTSA complaint #11034032, filed 2017-10“Diagnosis found trans fluid wicking up harness to engine ECM contaminating harness and ecu given false/abnormal readings at ECM. Extensive repairs necessary w/ internal trans wire replacement, engine harness replacement & engine ecu replacement. Other cleaning may be necessary or other harness replacement necessary [other]: transmission wire replacment [other]: engine harness replacement [other]: ECM replacement”
NHTSA complaint #11724769, filed 2026-03“The contact owns a 2008 Toyota 4runner. The contact stated that the instrument panel gauges are difficult to see in the daytime. The dealer stated that they would send him a $300 voucher for the vehicle. He stated that he only wants the issue repaired so that he can see through the instrument panel. The failure mileage was 6,000 and current mileage was 6,500. Updated 03/10/09. Updated 03/11/09.”
NHTSA complaint #10258098, filed 2009-02, 6,000 miles“When wearing sunglasses (polarized) the vehicle's radio and temperature control displays cannot be read. This causes the driver to take off or lower their prescription or regular sunglasses in order to read the displays. Doing this while driving seems to me to be a safety issue as additional distracted time is used to read the displays. Toyota dealer says it's a design issue, nothing they can do; the national Toyota customer service center has no fix for this problem.”
NHTSA complaint #10226280, filed 2008-04Related service bulletins
- 10238157May 30, 2023TSB: The Immobilizer and Smart Key Reset is a feature that allows the registration of new keys when all master keys are lost. Once the system is reset, all previously registered…
- 10182983Oct 12, 2020TT: Some customers may encounter Bluetooth® connectivity concerns such as: ?Difficulty to pair the phone. ?Intermittent Bluetooth® failure to connect to the vehicle when first…
- 10164330Jul 1, 2019TSB: REVISION NOTICE July 01, 2019 Rev2: ? Applicability has been updated to 2019 ? 2020 model year Toyota vehicles. ? The Techstream Preparation and Process Overview sections…
- 10155247Feb 28, 2019TT: Some customers may encounter Bluetooth® connectivity concerns such as: ? Difficulty to pair the phone. ? Intermittent Bluetooth® failure to connect to the vehicle when first…
- 10133654Nov 22, 2017TSB: REVISION NOTICE November 22, 2017 Rev1: ? Applicability has been updated to include 2014 ? 2018 model year vehicles. Any previous printed versions of this bulletin should be…
- 10152205Jan 6, 2017TSB: SUPERSESSION NOTICE The information contained in this bulletin supersedes SB No. T-SB-0101-11. Applicability has been updated to include 2016 ? 2017 model year vehicles…
- 10132930Nov 29, 2016TSB: OBSOLETE NOTICE: September 14, 2016: This bulletin is now obsolete. Please see T-SB-0134-16.
- 10150418Sep 14, 2016TSB: Supersession Notice. Flash reprogramming allows the ECU software to be updated without replacing the ECU. Flash calibration updates for specific vehicle models/ECUs are…
- 10149213Sep 8, 2016Technical Instructions: In our continuing effort to ensure the best in customer satisfaction, Toyota has converted Limited Service Campaign (LSC) BST into Special Service…
- 10149212Sep 8, 2016Dealer Package: In our continuing effort to ensure the best in customer satisfaction, Toyota has converted Limited Service Campaign (LSC) BST into Special Service Campaign (SSC)…
Electrical system: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1 | 14% |
| 2025 | 8 | 13% |
| 2024 | 2 | 20% |
| 2022 | 2 | 5% |
| 2021 | 3 | 8% |
| 2020 | 1 | 3% |
| 2019 | 8 | 12% |
| 2018 | 4 | 7% |
| 2017 | 5 | 14% |
| 2016 | 18 | 22% |
| 2015 | 13 | 15% |
| 2014 | 24 | 31% |
| 2013 | 4 | 11% |
| 2012 | 6 | 6% |
| 2011 | 6 | 4% |
| 2010 | 4 | 3% |
| 2009 | 4 | 18% |
| 2008 | 5 | 5% |
| 2007 | 13 | 8% |
| 2006 | 18 | 5% |
| 2005 | 9 | 2% |
| 2004 | 22 | 3% |
| 2003 | 12 | 2% |
| 2002 | 3 | 1% |
| 2001 | 6 | 3% |
| 2000 | 4 | 1% |
| 1999 | 17 | 5% |
| 1998 | 11 | 4% |
| 1997 | 6 | 2% |
| 1996 | 3 | 2% |
| 1995 | 6 | 3% |
| 1993 | 5 | 10% |
| 1992 | 6 | 11% |
| 1990 | 1 | 1% |
Other parts of the 2008 Toyota 4RUNNER
27 complaintsBody and structure
16 complaintsVehicle speed control
16 complaintsBrakes
15 complaintsOther or unknown
12 complaintsSuspension
11 complaintsEngine
7 complaintsSteering
5 complaintsAir bags
4 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
4 complaintsWheels
4 complaintsTires
3 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2008 Toyota 4RUNNER
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 28, 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